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“I want you to keep an eye on Laura,” John said without preamble. It wasn’t his way to prevaricate.
“You don’t seriously think she could give us any trouble?” Gus was a shaman and perhaps a bit too trusting at times because of his spiritual path, but he was a trustworthy soul and John knew he was the right man for this job.
“The Trojans had a horse. Al Queda used sleeper cells. She made it past the ward, but that could be because she, herself, is okay. But she was held prisoner for a long time. Who knows what was done to her?” John frowned. He hated thinking about the treatment that poor woman had received at the hands of their enemies, but he had to think of the rest of his people as well. “Just keep an eye out. That’s all. I’m not saying she’s a plant, but I have to think about the big picture.”
Gus was frowning too. “I see what you mean, but I don’t like it.”
“I don’t like it either, but it’s my job to consider all possibilities and right now, Laura is a big question mark in my mind,” John admitted. “I need more data and I don’t want to do it the old fashioned way by interrogating the poor woman. She’s been through enough. We have to be more subtle.”
“So you want me to spy on her.” It wasn’t a question, but John knew Gus understood how vital it was to keep their brothers-in-arms and the women and Others who had come here to live among them safe.
Protecting others was at the very core of their beings. None of the original group would countenance a threat to the peace and stability of the town. It was just beyond imagining.
“Observe and report any problems, yes,” John confirmed.
“Why me?” Gus asked, then went on to answer his own question. “I suppose it’s because of my magical background and chosen path as a shaman.”
“That, and you seem to have developed a friendship with the lady. I thought it would be easier on her to have someone she knows, and appears to like, checking on her than one of the other guys,” John admitted.
Gus shook his head. “If she finds out I’m a spy, she’s going to be more hurt because we’re friends. Did you think of that?”
John regarded Gus steadily. “So don’t let her find out. You used to be good at subterfuge before you went all squirrely on us.”
“You mean before I found my calling?” Gus shook his head. “John, sometimes it takes a while on the wrong side of things to show you what’s really important. I was, perhaps, too good at lying to get what I wanted in the old days. I’ve changed my ways, for the better.”
“Less convenient to me,” John stated baldly. “Especially right now, in this situation. And you never lied to any of us on the team. You only prevaricated when it was for the good of our missions. You weren’t a liar. You were an operative. There’s a difference.”
“Semantics, boss,” Gus disagreed, but without heat.
John knew Gus’s conscience had come out in a big way since he’d started training as a shaman soon after they all retired. He’d achieved a lot in a comparatively short time and had been granted leave by his teachers in other parts of the country to come back and work among his Clan, following his chosen path. Gus also ministered to the nearby Native American population, helping the local tribe when they needed a hand.
John admired Gus’s vocation, even though it was proving to be a little inconvenient at the moment. Still, he knew he could count on Gus to act for the good of everyone in Grizzly Cove. He wouldn’t let them down. He just had to work his way around to accepting the mission. John watched patiently. He knew Gus was thinking over all the angles and would soon come to the undeniably correct conclusion.
“Well, think about it, and let me know what you decide,” John said after a moment.
He couldn’t order Gus to do anything. They weren’t in the military anymore, and even back then, unless it was a battlefield situation where his men had to follow orders without question, he usually had to coax them into his way of thinking about an op beforehand. They were bear shifters, after all. Independent thinkers. Three hundred pounds of animal instinct with razor sharp claws and lightning reflexes. Solitary, usually.
Having them all together in one unit of operatives had taken some getting used to, but once they’d accepted John as Alpha—though that meant something a little different to bears than it did to Pack animals, like wolves—they’d become one of the best units Uncle Sam’s military had ever produced. Phenomenal success rate. Near-perfect record. A well-oiled machine.
They were finding success as civilians, as well. The crazy plan to camouflage their new town as an artists’ colony, had been thought insane at first, but was actually working quite well. They’d set the place up as a closed community, where anybody who wanted to live in the town had to apply for acceptance. The town council was made up of the members of the old unit and they examined every application of those who wanted to move here and start businesses or actually be artists.
So far, they’d accepted three human sisters who had opened a fantastic bakery, two other sisters who had opened a book shop and had turned out to be witches. All five of those ladies had mated with one of the original group of single bear shifters and made them the happiest of men. John counted that a success, all the way around. His men were finding their true mates and were able to settle down and make a home. There were other matings—most recently a werewolf and a new bear that they’d welcomed into town—Marilee and King. It was Marilee’s mother who was the current problem and potential security threat.
Gus was still single. He’d already befriended Laura, Marilee’s mother. He was the perfect person to keep an eye on things with as little fuss as possible. He’d come around sooner or later and realize what he had to do. John made to leave, but Gus’s words stopped him.
“What if she is a threat? Do we just eliminate her?” Gus’s tone was both angry and bleak.
John shook his head. “That would be the easiest way, of course.” John didn’t lie to his people and he wasn’t about to start now. “But, she’s Marilee’s mother. Laura has been through hell, and she has important intel on all those Venifucus mages and hangers-on who tortured and imprisoned her for all those years. We need to know what she can tell us and, personally, I want to be able to clear her so that Marilee can finally have her mother back. The biggest problem is knowing whether or not she is a real threat to the town.” John sighed. “Eliminating her would be the last resort. I want to see her live a full and happy life, if at all possible.”
Gus held his gaze for a long moment, then nodded. “Good. I want that too.”
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