His Bear Hands (Bear Creek Grizzlies Book 1) by Layla Nash, Callista Ball Page A
Book: His Bear Hands (Bear Creek Grizzlies Book 1) by Layla Nash, Callista Ball
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Authors: Layla Nash, Callista Ball
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"Where did the shot come from?"
"Didn't see." Simon pressed against the wounds in Tate's chest, but part of him knew his friend breathed his last. He tried to push away the grief; there would be time for regret later. "It's just a flesh wound, mate. Just hold on. We'll get these bastards and —"
"Must be Castellano," Tate managed to say, but the breath whistled in his chest. When Simon looked at Ethan, the medic shook his head. Tate coughed and blood coated his teeth. "Tracked me. Or Zoe's phone. They've gotta be his. Be careful."
"We got it." But Simon's heart stopped. Zoe. Zoe, alone in the woods. He swallowed the panic and concentrated on the immediate task. Get the guys shooting at them, then find Zoe. Make sure she was safe. Then find Castellano and kill him.
Simon's world condensed down to series of simple tasks, and he started giving orders. Cooper and Finn pulled rifles from the truck they crouched behind, and Simon retrieved the rifle from the floorboard of his truck. The woods remained silent, the shooters no doubt waiting for one of them to poke their head out. Simon made eye contact with Finn and Cooper and nodded at the house. "Go through the lodge and out back. Circle around and try to flank them."
The guys nodded and braced to make a run for it. They waited until Simon and Ethan rose to crack off a few rounds into the trees, hopefully distracting the shooters enough so they didn't kill the others. Cooper and Finn would get to the back of the lodge and escape outside to transform, then hunt the bastards as bears.
Ethan scanned the trees and gestured. "Two o'clock, near the oak."
Simon leaned to take a shot across the bed of the truck, and was rewarded by a grunt and rustle of movement in the trees. One down. Another shot rang out and pinged off the truck next to him. He checked on Tate, but the man's chest barely moved. Simon gritted his teeth, about to charge into the trees by himself to kill the sons of bitches when a grizzly roar broke the silence.
Simon lurched up and around the truck, not caring about whether more shooters lurked in the trees, and ran to where Cooper, a massive brown bear with blazes of white on his chest, pinned a man in camouflage netting against the trunk of a giant oak. Simon grabbed the guy by his chest rig and slammed him back against the tree, feeling grim satisfaction as the guy's head bounced off the bark. "Where's Zoe?"
The guy gritted his teeth but kept his attention on the bear snarling over Simon's shoulder. Simon's bear wanted to burst out and show the idiot who he really needed to worry about, but Simon knew Zoe needed him to be human. So he punched the guy in the face, then the kidney, and again in the face. "Where's Zoe?"
Still nothing.
A radio, clipped to his belt, lit up, and Simon seized it. Held it up to his ear and heard through a static crackle something about taking the girl to 'rally point bravo.' The shooter looked grim, despite the broken nose. As if resigned to being eaten by a grizzly. Simon bared his teeth in fury, ready to choke him out. "I hope Castellano pays you well."
The man's cold, dead eyes flashed to Simon's face before returning to the brown bear behind him. "He does."
Simon threw him head-first into another tree and stormed back to the trucks. Rally point bravo. Finn, back to human and stark naked, made his way back to the front of the lodge and held out a small waterproof pouch. "Maps, boss. The other one had these on him."
"Dead?"
"Yep. Fell out of the tree and broke his neck. Sad."
"Except he was on the ground when Simon shot him," Ethan said under his breath as he loaded another rifle into the truck and jumped in the passenger seat. "Did you toss him back up the tree?"
"Don't ask me no questions," Finn said with an arched eyebrow. "And I'll tell you no lies."
Simon didn't have time for banter. Castellano's guys had Zoe. And they killed Tate. Took a shot at him and his guys, and endangered their guests. His bear wanted vengeance.
"Didn't see." Simon pressed against the wounds in Tate's chest, but part of him knew his friend breathed his last. He tried to push away the grief; there would be time for regret later. "It's just a flesh wound, mate. Just hold on. We'll get these bastards and —"
"Must be Castellano," Tate managed to say, but the breath whistled in his chest. When Simon looked at Ethan, the medic shook his head. Tate coughed and blood coated his teeth. "Tracked me. Or Zoe's phone. They've gotta be his. Be careful."
"We got it." But Simon's heart stopped. Zoe. Zoe, alone in the woods. He swallowed the panic and concentrated on the immediate task. Get the guys shooting at them, then find Zoe. Make sure she was safe. Then find Castellano and kill him.
Simon's world condensed down to series of simple tasks, and he started giving orders. Cooper and Finn pulled rifles from the truck they crouched behind, and Simon retrieved the rifle from the floorboard of his truck. The woods remained silent, the shooters no doubt waiting for one of them to poke their head out. Simon made eye contact with Finn and Cooper and nodded at the house. "Go through the lodge and out back. Circle around and try to flank them."
The guys nodded and braced to make a run for it. They waited until Simon and Ethan rose to crack off a few rounds into the trees, hopefully distracting the shooters enough so they didn't kill the others. Cooper and Finn would get to the back of the lodge and escape outside to transform, then hunt the bastards as bears.
Ethan scanned the trees and gestured. "Two o'clock, near the oak."
Simon leaned to take a shot across the bed of the truck, and was rewarded by a grunt and rustle of movement in the trees. One down. Another shot rang out and pinged off the truck next to him. He checked on Tate, but the man's chest barely moved. Simon gritted his teeth, about to charge into the trees by himself to kill the sons of bitches when a grizzly roar broke the silence.
Simon lurched up and around the truck, not caring about whether more shooters lurked in the trees, and ran to where Cooper, a massive brown bear with blazes of white on his chest, pinned a man in camouflage netting against the trunk of a giant oak. Simon grabbed the guy by his chest rig and slammed him back against the tree, feeling grim satisfaction as the guy's head bounced off the bark. "Where's Zoe?"
The guy gritted his teeth but kept his attention on the bear snarling over Simon's shoulder. Simon's bear wanted to burst out and show the idiot who he really needed to worry about, but Simon knew Zoe needed him to be human. So he punched the guy in the face, then the kidney, and again in the face. "Where's Zoe?"
Still nothing.
A radio, clipped to his belt, lit up, and Simon seized it. Held it up to his ear and heard through a static crackle something about taking the girl to 'rally point bravo.' The shooter looked grim, despite the broken nose. As if resigned to being eaten by a grizzly. Simon bared his teeth in fury, ready to choke him out. "I hope Castellano pays you well."
The man's cold, dead eyes flashed to Simon's face before returning to the brown bear behind him. "He does."
Simon threw him head-first into another tree and stormed back to the trucks. Rally point bravo. Finn, back to human and stark naked, made his way back to the front of the lodge and held out a small waterproof pouch. "Maps, boss. The other one had these on him."
"Dead?"
"Yep. Fell out of the tree and broke his neck. Sad."
"Except he was on the ground when Simon shot him," Ethan said under his breath as he loaded another rifle into the truck and jumped in the passenger seat. "Did you toss him back up the tree?"
"Don't ask me no questions," Finn said with an arched eyebrow. "And I'll tell you no lies."
Simon didn't have time for banter. Castellano's guys had Zoe. And they killed Tate. Took a shot at him and his guys, and endangered their guests. His bear wanted vengeance.
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