Free A Lion Shame (Bear Creek Grizzlies Book 3) by Layla Nash, Callista Ball Page B

as the lion paced and snarled in his head and Sarah Jane struggled to maintain control despite Rosie's comforting squeeze of her hand. And Tate didn't really want to get any of the criminals he still knew involved, either. While they'd take care of Chuck and his dirtbag associates, they might also recognize the potential of a small place like Bear Creek and decide to horn in on his territory. Tate didn't like the idea of inviting them into his new town.
    But both Rosie and Sarah Jane watched him, so he had to come up with something. Tate drummed his fingers on the table. "There's probably a tracker in the car. In those kinds of cars, there always is. I didn't look for it because I didn't want to disrupt it or turn it off, because then they know the last location and that someone has their stuff. So first we need to decide what to do with the vehicle."
    "Leave it somewhere far away," Rosie said. "Burn it. I don't give a shit, as long as it's not here."
    "But if we get rid of the drugs and the money, and they come looking for it and I don't have it, what will they do?" Sarah Jane looked a little less disoriented, and a hint of fortitude crept into her expression. Ready to fight. "No. I think I have to give Chuck the car back and make sure he knows that I didn't steal anything. I couldn't pay for it, if he wanted me to make up what he lost. But I don't think I can just give him the keys and walk away. I don't think he'll let me." And she shivered.
    Rosie shook her head. "It'll be fine, babe. We'll ditch the car and they'll never find you again. Right, Tate?" She gave him a murderous look, daring him to say otherwise.
    Tate leaned back in his chair. "I agree with Sarah Jane. Even if this guy never tracks her down, she'll always be looking over her shoulder to see whether he's turned up."
    And Tate would never sleep again, worrying about the same thing.
    Rosie's eyes narrowed. "So you're suggesting that my dear goddaughter, the mother of a one-year-old, just hands over a car full of drugs and cash to the bastard drug-dealer who beat her not even a week ago? That's your plan?"
    Tate really wanted a drink. He loved Rosie and her protective instinct, and tried to be grateful that such a fierce predator was looking out for Sarah Jane. His mate. Tate pinched the bridge of his nose. "No, I am not suggesting that. I'm suggesting that we have to be smart about how we deal with this. We don't have a lot of time or room to figure this out. It's possible that this guy is already on his way here. We don't know how many guys he'll have with him, or what he plans to do. So we need to figure out what Sarah Jane is comfortable with, and then look at the what's possible."
    "He could already be here," Sarah Jane said, then repeated it, as if to make herself believe it. "He could be here already. Waiting outside."
    Rosie grumbled and shot him a dirty look, then got up to lock the front door and set the chain. Tate tapped the table near Sarah Jane's hand to get her attention, worried about the hiccup in her words. "This is a small town and we'll know the second a stranger shows up, particularly if he brings friends with him. So he's not here, and we'll know if he does make an appearance. Okay?"
    He waited for her nod before going on. "I have some ideas but I'm going to need your help with the details."
    Sarah Jane nodded and sat up, bracing her hands on the table. "Do we call the cops, maybe?"
    "Not just yet. I have some experience with cops, and while our sheriff is ... unique in his ability to interpret the law, badges always complicate things." The sheriff led the local wolf pack and was a hell of a guy, but the second he caught wind of meth moving into the town, chaos would erupt and Sarah Jane might get caught up in it. "All right. Walk me through the guys that Chuck works with. Describe them to me — names, jackets or bandannas they wore, cell phone numbers, associates, anything. It's all helpful."
    Sarah Jane didn't look excited about going