Page 12 of Bearly Sassy

“I wish I knew. I fear we’ll have to let him make another move because he’s stealthy. I never found a trace. There’s nothing for the cops to do either. They’d never be able to dust for prints since everyone touches everything in here.”

“I don’t understand why they are targeting my bar? I can’t think of anything I did to piss off anyone. Joe and Lester are too old to try to retaliate, besides I didn’t throw them out, just gave them a warning.”

“I saw those two. No way they did anything.”

“Can we just finish closing things down and go upstairs? I need to relax and don’t really want to think about the fact I may have a stalker.”

“You want me upstairs too?”

“Do you mind?”

“Not at all, just didn’t want to assume is all. You already know I’m desperate to have you again so hurry and do what you have to.”

She smiled and sashayed away.

Five

Mack checked the new deadbolt for the third time on the office door before she turned off the lights and joined Damon upstairs. She was nervous and couldn’t shake the feeling there was someone watching her. She didn’t like it at all. She wanted to shift and keep her bear side out but the bar wasn’t made for the beast. She’d already complained enough about her patrons busting up the bar.

Instead she would go upstairs and let Damon protect her. She really liked the sound of that. His protection. She’d never needed anyone before. Mack had always been hell bent on doingeverythingherself. She was a bear after all but the more she thought about that, the more she didn’t know how to really be a bear. Maybe opening up to Damon, and letting him into her personal world would open up more than just her guarded heart. Maybe together they could learn how to be the grizzly’s they were meant to be.

Glancing at the door one more time, Mack flipped the light switch off and climbed the stairs. She found Damon standing at the refrigerator drinking a glass of milk.

“I was starting to wonder if you got lost down there. Checking the door locks again?”

“I can’t help it, I just can’t shake the feeling.”

He finished the last of his milk, placed the glass in the sink, then walked over to Mack. He rubbed his hands across her shoulders and pulled her in for a hug

“Hey, I know this is really bugging you but I promise I’ll be right here. For a little added security, I grabbed your handgun and put it in your night stand. Hope you don’t mind.”

“Not at all, however, I am a little nervous about using it so if it comes to that, I’m giving you full reign over the gun.”

“So let’s just call it a night huh? Everything is locked up downstairs, and you set the alarm, right?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, so if anything or anyone gets in, that alarm will go off. We’ve heard it before so we know it works.”

He kissed her. It was that little gesture that gave her unwavering amounts of comfort. She nodded and switched the kitchen light off. Mack took a deep breath and tried to put her fear in check so she could get on with the night.

She walked backward slowly down the hall toward her bedroom, summoning Damon with a finger. He started to follow with a grin. She reached her bedroom door and started to unbutton her jeans when the alarm started blaring.

Damon ran past her to the nightstand and grabbed the gun. He headed down the stairs at a run, with Mack not far behind. She’d already informed him of the password for the keypad so he clicked in the four digits and silence encompassed the area. He turned to Mack and placed his finger of his lips, with no words telling her to be quiet. That’s when he heard a ruckus coming from somewhere out in the bar. The person had broken in somewhere else this time because the office back door was intact and the one that leads to the bar was still locked.

“Please stay behind me a little okay? I’m going to go out there and see what I can see. They could be armed and I don’t want you getting hurt.”

“I don’t want you to get hurt either Damon.”

Her voice was a whisper but full of emotion.

He went to her then. With one hand slipped behind her neck her held her close and kissed her like there was no tomorrow. When he let her go, he disappeared through the doorway.

She was all at once bombarded with different feelings. She didn’t want him to be hurt and if she went with him, maybe he would be safe. However, she was scared to go out there to see who was there, or to see Damon get hurt. She moved closer, peeked out the door into the hallway but it was dark. She could only hear a scuffle going on. Stepping out, she sidled up next to the wall and crept past the bathroom doors.

There was literally nothing to see, everything was dark. She needed to start leaving a night light on near the bar maybe. She didn’t hear Damon so she walked out into the bar and around a few of the tables. She even contemplated calling out his name but alerting the intruder to the fact she was there probably wouldn’t be the best thing to do. When she got closer to the bar she heard growling and a lot of thuds. Damn it, he must have shifted. That definitely wasn’t a good sign. He must have thought he could protect himself better that way.

Slowly she went through the bar toward the back room, and what she saw blew her away. Not one but two grizzly bears in an all-out brawl on the floor.

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