Blood Moon (Bear Sheriff Book 1) Read online

  Does it matter, though? The murder is solved, my job is more than likely over – it’s time for me to pack up and head back to New York. Forget Charming, forget all of the bad stuff that happened here, forget Sheriff Marcus Stone. Forget the kiss we shared last night…

  She would never be able to forget that. She didn’t want to forget it. For all of the bad that had happened in Charming, there had been a connection between her and Marcus. It wasn’t much and couldn’t last. He was still damaged from whatever had happened in his past – whatever had happened with the woman in his photograph, and she didn’t think there was any fixing him.

  She’d just chalk it up to a bad experience in her life with one shining moment, and that would be that.

  Will he remember me, once I’m gone? Or will I fade away, another bad memory?

  They drove in silence, alone on the old dirt roads until they finally reached Charming. Angie looked out the window, unsure of what was to come next. She saw no one on the streets and they only passed one vehicle, going a bit too fast, but Marcus ignored him.

  “Shouldn’t you pull him over?”

  “Just Jimmy Rivers,” Marcus said. “Trying not to piss off too many people in this town, and I already have his older sister mad at me.”

  “What does that matter? You’re the Sheriff.”

  “It’s all about balancing your job and helping others,” Marcus said. He was acting strange, looking out his window more often than not, as if his mind was elsewhere. She couldn’t entirely blame him.

  They pulled up to the Sheriff’s department and killed the engine. He was silent for a few moments, obviously warring with something he either wanted to say or do. Angie could tell they were in a precarious position. She almost reached out and touched his arm, told him it would be okay, and no matter what he decided or what he was thinking about – everything would be okay.

  But is that true? I don’t know much about Charming, but I know enough. The surface may be exactly what the town’s name promises – but there’s more to it than that.

  She hadn’t known Marcus for long, yet she already knew that he was a good man at heart. There was something dark in his past that he refused to let go, that much was certain. But there was something underneath all of that, something buried deep – maybe deeper than Marcus would ever admit. It was there.

  Goodness, kindness. If only he could let it out.

  He took a few deep breaths when he got out of the Bronco, his face clouding over. Angie didn’t know why, but she felt her heart start hammering in her chest. She barely knew Marcus – but she knew him well enough to know something was going on.

  Maybe it’s because of what we’ve been through together.

  “Marcus?” she asked. “What is it?”

  He stopped moving, looking towards the Sheriff’s department. She followed his gaze and saw the door was slightly ajar.

  “Blood…” he muttered, then he took off. She ran after him, barely able to keep up. Marcus flung the door completely open, slamming it against the outer wall. Angie found herself inside, heart thumping, unsure of even why she was following Marcus.

  This is dangerous. The thought flashed through her head, but there wasn’t time to worry about that now – she was in the front room, going towards the back, when she heard Marcus’s roar of anger.

  Marcus was standing at the cell the contained Dean Copeland, slamming his hands against the bars. Angie couldn’t see what was happening – then she moved around the side and screamed.

  Dean Copeland was sitting up on the small cot where she’d last seen him – and his face was wide in terror and pain, similar to how she’d found Erica in her room. Dean, too, had been stabbed. Blood had pooled all around him, dripped onto the floor of the cell, and was splattered on the walls and bars.

  “How?” Angie asked. The door had been broken open, she could see. “Who? Marcus. Who was it?”

  “Jimmy Rivers,” he yelled. His eyes were blazing, his breaths coming in quick, deep hitches, his hackles standing up on the back of his neck. She could feel a sort of primal rage building around him. And it scared her.

  He was turning, walking towards the exit, and she got in his way.

  “Marcus, that doesn’t make any sense… Dean was who tried to kill me, wasn’t he?” Marcus nodded. “Then why would Jimmy Rivers kill Dean? Are you sure he was here?”

  “I smell him in here, Angie! And we saw him fleeing the scene of the crime just minutes ago! Who else could it be? I would recognize if someone else was in here!”

  “Marcus… We need to think this through.”

  Marcus’s voice was dangerous. “It doesn’t matter right now. Jimmy Rivers killed Dean – and that’s who we have to find!”

  “But why? Why would he do it?”

  “I don’t know!” Marcus exploded. Angie felt herself recoiling from him, taking a step backwards. His fury was radiating off of him in waves.

  “Marcus… you’re scaring me.”

  Those words seemed to bring him around, his face going completely pale.

  “I… I’m sorry, Angie,” he whispered. He lifted his hands up and she could see that they were shaking. “I don’t know why Jimmy Rivers would kill him. Revenge? Their families have never seen eye to eye… Something like this, though? I don’t know.”

  “Marcus...” she said, coming back a step closer. He was still bristling, but his rage seemed to be fading away.

  “This happened under my watch, Angie. I let a suspect die. Whether or not he deserved it, that’s on me. How could I?”

  “This wasn’t your fault, Marcus. We thought we had the killer,” Angie said, and she grabbed his hands. He was still shaking. She reached one hand up to his face. He closed his eyes, shuddering ever so slightly. “Don’t blame yourself for this, too.”

  His eyes opened and he said, “But I have to stop him.”

  “Okay, Marcus. Okay.”

  “I’ll drop you off at the Great Southern,” he told her, going outside and climbing into the Bronco.

  “I want to help.”

  “It’s dangerous,” Marcus said, his voice booking no argument.

  Angie opened her mouth to argue, but she glanced up and saw the same vehicle they’d passed before pulling back into the parking lot: Jimmy Rivers. Marcus’s eyes flashed upward, predatory.

  Jimmy Rivers climbed out of the truck, hands raised, panicked. Marcus climbed out of the Bronco, drawing his gun and aiming it at Jimmy Rivers. The man froze, eyes wide.

  “Sheriff, I didn’t do nothin’!” Jimmy yelled.

  “Let me see your hands, Jimmy! Put them up!” Marcus yelled, revolver trained on the man.

  “I didn’t do it!” he yelled. Angie watched, mesmerized, unsure of what was going to happen. She was vaguely aware of her beating heart, her rapid breathing, how worried she was about Marcus.

  “Get on the ground, Jimmy!” Marcus ordered. But instead of putting up his hands and dropping to the ground, Jimmy Rivers started to reach behind him. “Don’t do it, Jimmy!”

  But Jimmy didn’t listen. He said, “I’m not goin’ in for a crime I didn’t commit!” and he grabbed a pistol from his waistband.

  Angie opened her mouth to yell, and then one of the Bronco’s windows shattered. She screamed again, the sound of gunfire only then reaching her ears. Time seemed to slow. Marcus was running back to the Bronco, shooting his revolver once. Then he ducked his head down, ducking behind his open door. She could hear the thud of bullets on the vehicle, the sound of more breaking glass. She glanced up, saw a bullet shatter through the windshield, and she ducked down again.

  Then it was over and she heard the sound of tires screeching.

  “Stay down!” Marcus ordered, but Angie looked up just the same. Jimmy Rivers was pulling onto the main street, tearing out of town.

  Marcus yelled, “Get out!” as he climbed into the Bronco.

  “I’m not leaving you alone!”

  Marcus sat there, hands on the wheel, frozen in place.

/>   “I can’t put you in danger, Angie. Not anymore than I already have.”

  “Marcus, I’m not leaving you alone. And if you don’t go, now, he’ll get away. Who knows where he’ll get to.”

  With that, Marcus took a deep breath, and then he slammed the Bronco into drive and hit the gas. Rocks kicked up behind them and they were tearing out onto the road. Marcus flipped the lights and sirens on, chasing after Jimmy Rivers. Angie could just make out his truck up ahead, blasting past the coffee shop.

  “Reload this,” Marcus told her, handing her his revolver. “Bullets are in the glove compartment.”

  Marcus pressed his foot to the floor and she felt the Bronco roar, jerking them forward. Angie opened the revolver and ejected the bullets, finding the one that had been used. Then she found another in the glove compartment and reloaded it, passing it back to Marcus.

  She couldn’t tell if they were gaining, but they reached the end of Main Street – and the road turned into a dirt road. No matter where Jimmy went, they would be able to follow his plume of dirt.

  Angie expected Marcus to slow down once they reached the dirt road, but he kept after Jimmy as fast as he could manage. The roar of their tires on the dirt road, the sound of the sirens, her own intense breathing was almost too much for Angie to bear. She just held on tight, ensuring that her seatbelt was fastened securely.

  The cloud of dust was growing closer.

  Then they were in it, both of them scanning the dust –

  And there was the truck, only it was stopped completely in the road. Angie screamed, though she couldn’t hear it over the sound of everything else. She thought Marcus yelled, but she couldn’t be sure of that either.

  He twisted the wheel, barely missing Jimmy’s stopped truck. They went into the ditch, their momentum carrying them out the other side of it at an angle, and they came down hard.

  Everything was a flash of destruction. She knew enough to know they were rolling, the Bronco crumpling around them. She could hear Marcus’s yell – Is he calling my name? And then there was nothing but silence.

  Angie’s forehead hurt. Touching it, she curiously saw that her hand was red and wet. She looked over at Marcus, who was talking – but she couldn’t hear anything except hollow noises. His hand was on her cheek. The world seemed to be upside down. She felt a great pressure against her chest, then it was gone and she thought she was falling, falling, falling…

  Broken glass was underneath her hands and then she was somehow outside of the Bronco – what was left of it, anyway. She could feel Marcus’s warm body against hers and she wanted to tell him that she kind of liked him, that it felt good that he was this close, but then the pain pulsing through her told her she did not feel good.

  Marcus’s voice was coming to her, then, but she couldn’t understand a word he was saying. She thought they were on their feet – yes, they were on their feet – and she looked towards the road, where a truck sat – stopped for some reason – and there was a man coming towards them.

  She vaguely remembered that he was Jimmy Rivers and he had something in his hand, something he was pointing at them. Marcus must have been yelling, because his entire body was vibrating from deep within, and he was trying to pull her one way or the other, she couldn’t be sure.

  And then there was a loud noise, but there was no one there clapping, and there were no fireworks.

  Angie realized that the sound had come from the gun in Jimmy Rivers’ hand, because that’s what it was – a gun.

  Marcus was screaming next to her.

  Marcus, why are you screaming? What happened? Is he okay?

  She looked over at him and he was covered in red. He was lowering her to the ground, though she knew he should be the one laying down – he’d just been shot.

  But then Angie looked down at herself, and there was a growing red spot just underneath her breasts.

  Odd, she thought. And then there was pain and she realized what had happened, and everything went black.

  Chapter 19

  Angie Campbell was going to die.

  Marcus had let her down and watched the blossoming blood spread across her midsection. Then he’d dropped to his knee, grabbing his revolver, and aimed at Jimmy Rivers. He fired, but Jimmy was already running back to his truck. The bullets thudded into his passenger side door, Jimmy fired a few more rounds wildly, and then he was gone. Marcus ran after him for a few steps, but immediately gave up.

  She’s going to die, and it’s all because of me. It’s happening again.

  No, I can stop this.

  It’s too late.

  Her pulse was weak, but she was still breathing. Thankfully, she was unconscious – Marcus couldn’t live with seeing her in pain. They’d barely known each other, but he’d grown fond of Angie.

  More than fond.

  And if he didn’t act fast, she would slip away from him, die in his arms – and he couldn’t go through that twice.

  He reached for his radio in the overturned Bronco, but the mic came away in his hand, severed from the rest of it.

  Watching the cloud of dust disappear up the road, Marcus realized that Angie and he were completely and utterly alone.

  If I don’t do something, she’s going to die.

  Marcus only had one choice: he’d have to take Angie to Haven himself. He did a little bit of mental math. They were close – they’d chased Jimmy Rivers out of the county and into the next one. Haven was probably a 10 or 15 minute drive.

  But on foot…

  I don’t have a choice.

  Marcus dropped his revolver on the ground without a second thought. Then he ripped off his shirt, kicked off his shoes, and started to undo his belt. Within a few seconds, he was completely nude.

  He shifted.

  He didn’t like to, not anymore; not if he could help it. But he had to get Angie there as fast as possible, and he was much quicker on four legs compared to two.

  His thoughts were cloudy, more primal, his nostrils filled with the scent of Angie’s blood. The sound of her beating heart was weak, but it was still there, she was still alive.

  Carefully – extremely carefully – Marcus managed to get his snout underneath her body, using his massive forepaws to roll her onto his back. She was weightless on his broad shoulders, and then he started to move.

  He started slow at first, ensuring that she was balanced, and when he was satisfied that she wouldn’t be going anywhere, he really started running. He could feel her blood running out of her, turning his pelt sticky, but he didn’t stop to check if she was still alive.

  He didn’t know how long he ran for, but suddenly, there was the road that led to Haven. It was paved and he knew there was a lot of traffic, so he kept running along it, hoping that someone would find them.

  His sharpened hearing heard the vehicle long before it came over the hill. He carefully set Angie down, then started to shift back into his human form. He’d made good time, much better than he would have had he stayed in his human form.

  The truck screeched to a halt as it came over the hill and saw Marcus completely naked, running towards them and holding Angie bleeding in his arms.

  “What the –” the man in the driver’s seat said. He was an older man, stained trucker hat on his head, and Marcus didn’t give him any time to say anything else, because he was climbing into the back of the truck.

  “Haven hospital, now!” Marcus yelled. He could tell the man was stunned, then he yelled, “I’m a Sheriff and if you don’t get us there now, this woman is going to die and I swear you’ll regret not driving faster!”

  The man choked on his words but nodded, whipping around and heading back towards the way he’d come. Marcus could see Haven coming up in the distance.

  “Phone!” Marcus shouted at the man. “Give me your phone!”

  The man swerved a little as he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, but he handed it back to Marcus through the back window of his truck. Marcus took it and dialed 911, telling the dispat
cher who he was and what was going on.

  When they pulled up to the Haven emergency room, a doctor and two nurses were there to assist him. He lifted Angie out of the truck bed, put her on the stretcher, and then they wheeled away.

  “Here, son,” the older man said, and Marcus turned to him – barely able to take his eyes off of Angie. The man handed him an extremely stained pair of work jeans, torn to shreds and covered in grease.

  “Thank you,” Marcus said. “She would have died without you.”

  “She ain’t outta the woods yet.”

  Marcus nodded and pulled on the pants, then he headed inside behind the doctors. A nurse tried to stop him, but Marcus just pushed past him, following the scent of Angie’s blood. He came to a room, trying to get in and see what was going on – but a couple of other nurses were blocking his way.

  “Let me in! I’m a Sheriff!” he roared. “I have to make sure she’s okay!”

  “We’re doing all we can, sir! You have to step back! Give us some room!”

  Marcus stumbled backwards, feeling helpless all over again.

  What can I do? There’s nothing I can do to help. If she dies, it’s all my fault…

  But there was one thing he could do.

  He could find Jimmy Rivers, and he could make him pay. He knew he shouldn’t think that way. He tried to remind himself that he was a Sheriff, but that thought was distant and far away. He wanted to teach Jimmy Rivers a lesson. Marcus didn’t care that he’d killed Dean Copeland; Copeland had tried to kill Angie. And now Jimmy Rivers could end up doing what Copeland had set out to do.

  I won’t let him live to see that.

  Outside, the old man was still there, unsure of what to do.

  “Can you take me to the police station?”

  The man nodded and said, “Hop in.”

  He didn’t ask questions in the few minutes it took to get across town and Marcus didn’t say anything to him besides, “Thanks,” when he was dropped off.

  “Sheriff? Are you okay?”

  “I need a car, Cathy,” Marcus said as he strode in to the Haven Police Department.