Free Bear Mechanic: BBW Paranormal Bear Shifter Romance by Zoe Chant Page B

carrying. He rummaged through the cash with a distinctly interested look.
    Apparently satisfied, Beefy released her. She rubbed her arm and glared at him as Ponytail led her inside.
    He led her through the house. There was no electricity, so the bikers were relying on hung lanterns they’d put up. They were probably relying on her being disoriented and not knowing where she was. They weren’t completely wrong.
    She had spent a lot of time here as a child with Cecil and her grandfather, and lived here while she was in high school. It was in bad shape now from years of neglect after she and her brother had left, and her grandfather fell into his depression. The smell of mold was starting to pervade the house from the rain, and as they passed through a hallway under a hole in the roof, Elise’s shoe squelched on the carpet.
    He took her to the bedroom Cecil had been sleeping in when he’d been hiding from the bikers. Ponytail knocked on the door in a series of rapid taps. Some kind of code, she thought.
    “We’ve got the girl,” said Ponytail.
    They were let in.
    Lyle was prowling, from one side of the room to the other, back and forth. When he saw her, though, he stopped.
    “How nice of you to join us.” He giggled, hysterical and grating. Now that she knew what he was, she could almost see the hyena in him, just below the surface. “You must care for your brother very much.”
    “I did what you wanted. Now where is my brother?” she demanded, with more bravery than she felt.
    His eyes glittered a sick yellow, settling on the bag at her side. “I certainly hope you did.”
    She took a deep breath, handing the bag over. “I promise this is it.”
    “Promises don’t mean much. I have a better idea. Maybe I’ll keep your brother for a while as I verify your cooperation.”
    Something tightened around Elise’s heart like a hand. She’d been counting on Cecil being here, with the bikers, and that was what Noah thought, too. If the bikers were holding him hostage somewhere else, that was a major complication they hadn’t taken into account.
    “You promised!” Elise said, tears springing to her eyes. Her fists were clenched at her sides.
    “Oh, he’s safe,” Lyle assured her. He snapped his fingers, and one of his henchmen showed her a tablet. On the screen was Cecil, in a small room on top of a dirty mattress.
    “This is a live feed. Cooperate, and he’ll stay alive and unharmed. If you make trouble for me, on the other hand…” He smiled unpleasantly, his teeth bared.
    “What more can I do? I've already done everything you've asked for!” she protested.
    Lyle smiled thinly. “I've been told I'm an ambitious man.”
    “I don't have anything else. This is it.” She pointed at the bag. The longer she could stall Lyle and his gang, the more time she gave Noah.
    “That's not quite true.” He spread his arms, gesturing at the space surrounding them.
    Elise stared at him. “The house? What could you possibly want with this place?”
    “True, it's a dump—”
    Even though it was true, Elise's hackles rose and she gritted her teeth.
    “—but as they say, one man's trash is another’s treasure. Maybe I'll go into house-flipping. What do you think it could get on the market? Realistically.”
    The real reason for all of this wasn't the money, Elise knew. It wasn't about the trust fund or the house. It was about the power. He was petty and thuggish, and this was all because Cecil had defied him. Now he was going to take everything.
    She swallowed. “So you want the deed? Is that it? I— I'll get it for you.” Even though she didn't mean it, the words were still hard to choke out.
    “But how will I know you'll really come back?” His tone was innocent. “Or that you won't bring the police next time?”
    “You still have Cecil. And I didn't this time, did I?”
    “Desperate people do desperate things. Stupid things.” Lyle smiled. “But if I mark you, you’ll have to come back.”
    Elise’s