muscles, and a big smile she flashed at the camera as the last of the wall crumbled to dust.
Returning to the black box, Shanna inspected the contents more thoroughly. A TV guide listed the show as coming on in the afternoon. That explained why she’d never seen it. But why was Howard being so secretive about his interest in house renovation?
Underneath the DVDs she discovered a magazine article with an interview of Oskar, Elsa, and Alastair. And underneath that she spotted a stack of photos that looked like they’d been printed off the Internet. Every one of them showed Elsa. Elsa in her cut-off jeans, which highlighted her long, tanned legs. Elsa in an evening gown showing off her generous curves. A close-up of Elsa’s face and her pretty green eyes.
“Oh my gosh,” Shanna whispered. This was why Howard was watching the show. He had a crush on Amazon Ellie.
She glanced up at the television just in time to see Elsa rip a bathroom sink off a wall. “Wow.”
Her heart pounding, Shanna rose to her feet. Howard had found the perfect woman for a were-bear!
She turned off the television, and with trembling hands, she returned the DVD to the black alligator-skin box. The perfect woman for Howard! She had to make sure he met her. But he was watching the show in secret. At this rate, he’d never meet his dream girl. He needed some help.
Her heart lurched. The old gate house! Just the other night, she and Roman had discussed the possibility of making the old house their new home. Only a few miles from the school, it was part of the estate, so they already owned it. Unfortunately, it was in sad shape. A money pit, her mother called it.
But that made it the perfect project for the International Home Wreckers! It was exactly the sort of historic gem that they specialized in renovating.
She shoved the box back under the bed and jumped to her feet. Did she dare do this? Play matchmaker to a were-bear? Her heart raced, and for the first time in three months, she realized she was grinning.
She grabbed the games off Howard’s bookcase and rushed back to the family room. In a few seconds, she had Angus’s number ringing on her cell phone.
“Hi, Angus. Can you bring Howard back right away?”
“Is there something wrong, lass?” he asked.
“I’m worried about my children’s safety during the day, especially Tino. I’m afraid he’ll try something dangerous, and Howard is the only one who can keep him safe for me. I need him back.”
There was a moment of silence before Angus replied. “His vacation time ran out over a week ago. There was a mission I wanted to send him on, but he refused to go.”
“What?” Her nerves tensed. “He’s not quitting, is he?”
“He dinna say he was, but the bugger stopped answering my calls. I sent Dougal and Phil to hunt him down.”
Shanna winced. “He’s not in any danger, is he?”
“We doona know,” Angus said. “That’s why we’re looking for him. I would have sent more lads, but we have three missions going on right now. We’re short on manpower.”
“I see.” She took a deep breath. Finding a babysitter for her children probably seemed trivial compared to the other issues Angus had to deal with. But that didn’t make her worry any less. “If you find Howard, can you tell him that we need him? Tino is asking for him.”
“Aye, we’ll tell him.”
“Thank you.” Shanna dropped her cell phone back into her handbag.
It wasn’t like Howard to take more vacation days than he was allotted. Or to ignore phone calls from his boss. Angus had sounded annoyed that he’d been forced to track him down.
What on earth was Howard up to?
Chapter Two
Howard peered over the edge of the cliff. Even in the dim light of a cloud-covered moon, his sharp eyesight could make out the jagged rocks where Carly had been discovered all those years ago, her body broken, her long brown hair matted with blood. His first love, the girl he’d hoped to marry. Murdered on the night of their senior prom.
His gaze drifted to the small collection of lights that marked the nearby town of Port Mishenka on the eastern coast of the Alaska Peninsula. Twenty years had passed since he’d last been here, but not much had changed. The most noticeable lights were still those that illuminated the high school football field. He’d been a hero there at one time, but none of the residents would welcome him back now. Not when they believed him guilty of Carly’s murder. Her family still claimed he had thrown her off the cliff along with a few guys.
It was impossible to deny all the charges. He had tossed three guys off the cliff. Werewolves. He’d believed them all dead until two months ago. Now he knew the truth. The worst of the three had survived.
He didn’t blame Carly’s family for turning against him. They were heartbroken over her death. He’d felt the same way for years. Heartbroken and guilty, for there was a kernel of truth to the family’s claim. Their daughter had died because of him. She’d become an unwitting pawn in Rhett Bleddyn’s game of revenge.
He had found little solace in believing he’d killed Rhett. The bastard had found the perfect way to torture him by making him feel responsible for Carly’s death.
But now the truth was out. Rhett Bleddyn was still alive.
And the game was back on. Unfortunately Rhett had the hometown advantage. Recently acknowledged as the Pack Master of all of Alaska, he had hundreds of werewolves on his team. Howard could only call on a few were-bears from their dwindling island community. What he lacked in manpower, he had to make up for with superior timing and strategy.
Speaking of timing, it was about time for the two men climbing up the mountainside to finally reach him. The scent of werewolf wafted toward him, and Howard instinctively squeezed his fist around the carved wooden hiking stick he’d borrowed from his grandfather. The staff was thick enough to use as a weapon and about six foot four inches long, ending right at his eye level.
He relaxed his grip. This werewolf was one of the few Lycans he called friend. Werewolves always assumed they had the most advanced sense of smell, but that was one area where a were-bear had them beat. He could distinguish Phil’s scent over two miles away. Not that Phil normally smelled differently from other werewolves. It was the influence of his wife, Vanda, that made him unique. She had him using some kind of fancy shampoo and conditioner.
Phil had obviously caught Howard’s scent and was tracking him down. What the werewolf might not realize was that Howard wanted to be found tonight. It was all part of the strategy.
Phil’s companion was a little harder to figure out. The lack of any strong scent indicated a vampire. The smell of damp sheep suggested a kilt-wearing Scotsman who’d been caught in a light rain. But which Scottish vampire? Was Angus so pissed that he’d come in person?
They were moving quietly up the mountain path, as if they could sneak up on a were-bear. The thought made Howard smile. There was no mistaking the soft swish of a kilt or the grinding of Phil’s boots.
Not Angus, he decided. Phil was taking the lead, and he wouldn’t do that if the boss was with him. Ian or Robby? Or maybe it was Connor, resuming his work after a long honeymoon.
Howard’s smile faded. All of the guys were getting married, having children. That sort of domestic bliss was unlikely to happen for him. There were a few female were-bears on the island, but they were either taken or related to him.
His gaze drifted back to the rocks where Carly had died twenty years ago. She had trusted him completely, even after he’d confessed to her that he was a were-bear. Since her, he hadn’t met another mortal female he had felt he could trust with his secret.
There had been a time when the pain and guilt of Carly’s death had nearly crippled him. All through college and his football career he’d allowed himself to suffer as a way to punish himself. But as the years went by, his burden of guilt slowly changed. Instead of feeling guilty for wanting to forget, he now felt guilty that he could barely recall her face. How cruel life was that she had paid the price for Rhett Bleddyn’s rage.
Death was too good for Rhett. Howard wanted to watch the sick bastard squirm. He’d have to go about it
