10. Gage

CHAPTER 10

GAGE

Earlier that day.

M adden’s intel from the squirrels and birds was right on point. They reported seeing scruffy men and actual coyotes coming and going from the old amusement park and occasionally from the deserted mining town.

One of the surveillance squirrels said he had seen the smugglers hustling an injured man into a building at the western park, and that was all Armel and Gage needed to hear to mobilize their team.

The good thing about being shifters was they all fit in one big SUV, even the moose. Madden drove separately and went ahead to rally the squirrels.

Sheriff Armel drove. Brandon navigated based on information provided by Madden. Gage sat with Liam, and the Lowe brothers took the rear seat. No one spoke on the trip, which took less than an hour.

Liam put a hand on Gage’s arm and gave him an encouraging smile. Gage managed to smile back, but he knew it was weak and worried.

They pulled into the old park’s lot, an expanse of faded asphalt with saplings growing through the cracks. Madden was already waiting for them, and Gage resolved to remember that the squirrel had a lead foot.

Gage hadn’t expected to be met by hundreds of red and gray squirrels who hurried over like a tide. Madden hunkered down and listened to their chatter, then nodded and placed a hand over his heart in thanks. The squirrels drew back but didn’t scatter.

He rose and turned to the others. “They saw Scott get loose and sneak into the haunted mine ride. And they also said the scruffy men came and went from there and brought boats out to the ride entrance where other people put boxes onto trucks.”

“So they’re making the drugs here,” Russ Lowe said with a grim expression.

“Or using the materials that come down from Canada for last steps,” his brother Drew pointed out.

“Please thank your friends,” Gage told Madden. “We couldn’t do this without them.”

“Let’s go fix this,” Sheriff Armell said with a thunderous expression.

They shifted and left their clothing in the SUV. Russ had a special clip on his dog collar that let him carry the key fob and his cell phone, and Brandon carried a pack with useful equipment. Madden and the squirrels surged ahead, leading the way.

Gage took in the faded FrontierWorld sign and the old-timey style of the remaining buildings. While the rides had been removed and some of the buildings were in bad shape, others had remained remarkably well-preserved aside from peeling paint.

The bear and two wolf shifters led the way, with the squirrels streaming beside them. After that came Gage and Liam, with Brandon’s moose bringing up the rear.

We are going to save our mate, his Mal said. I am ready to bite.

Just make sure you know who you’re biting. Don’t get carried away.

I won’t—but if our mate is hurt, I will bite.

Gage couldn’t blame his Malinois side for having strong opinions. Knowing that Scott was taken against his will and probably injured brought out all of Gage’s deep-rooted protective instincts. He wanted to fight the bad guys and make the ones responsible for hurting Scott pay. He wanted to fix the misunderstanding between them so he could stay close to Scott for the rest of their lives and make sure nothing bad ever happened to him again.

We will keep him safe, his Mal vowed.

He’s a government agent. We aren’t going to be able to protect him all the time, Gage warned.

We should always be together. His inner Malinois had definite opinions.

I brew beer. I’m not cut out for being a secret agent. Remember? That’s why we didn’t go into the family business.

It hadn’t just been human Gage who didn’t want the military life. His Mal did fine with loud noises and excelled at agility training but had an unfortunate tendency to faint at the sight of blood. Not all the time, but even once would be a serious problem in a combat situation.

Get a little woozy and no one ever lets you forget it, his Mal grumbled.

We swooned like a Disney princess, Gage reminded his other half as they headed toward the location the squirrels had identified.

Only once.

That’s okay, Gage soothed. Today we need to be Scott’s protector, and we can bite all the bad guys we can catch.

An explosion shook the ground beneath their feet, deafeningly loud. Gage saw a plume of smoke and fire rise from a spot a little farther into the park, and he stared in horror as the squirrels shrieked.

Scott. Fuck. What just happened?

Alert for trouble, their posse headed in the direction of the explosion. They shifted the approach order so the bear and moose led the way, with the wolves next. Liam and Gage brought up the rear, although Gage had already arranged with Armell to take point once they closed in on Scott’s location to utilize his tracking skills.

For now, the fireball in the sky gave them a pretty good idea of where Scott might be. Gage hoped that whatever caused the explosion, Scott was safe.

Coyotes burst into sight from everywhere. Half a dozen came running from the direction of the explosion. The bear sent one sprawling with a smack of his huge paw while the two wolves snapped and growled at another pair until the coyotes hunched in surrender. Squirrels hedged them in from all sides, and the moose reared, threatening to bring his hooves down on the coyotes, who cowered.

Gage spotted the old-time town jail and barked, leading the others inside, where a usable cell sat with an open door. Armel and the Lowe brothers shifted long enough to bind the coyotes with collars of silver chain that would keep them from changing back to human.

Gage nudged the door farther open and stood back, letting his friends herd the coyotes into the cell before swinging it shut. The bars were surprisingly solid, and Armel secured the cell door with more silver chain before he and the others shifted back.

Gage sprinted ahead, sure that Scott would be nearby. He relied on his mate bond to assure him Scott was still alive despite the explosion. As he neared the haunted mine ride, he sensed Scott not far ahead.

A big wooden building that had been the passenger intake and haunted house part of the ride blazed above a smoldering crater inside splintered wooden walls, open to the mechanical room below.

Farther on, Gage saw where boats came from beneath the building to float in a concrete canal that led to a stretch of land still decorated with figures of ghostly miners and frightening monsters.

The air smelled of smoke, burning wood, and an acrid chemical tang that suggested the smugglers had been using the building for their cargo. He heard voices up ahead and began to run, drawing on all the agility training his family had demanded in his childhood.

Our mate is in danger! We must protect.

Gage agreed with his Mal one hundred percent. As he came around the corner, he saw a scruffy man aiming a rifle at Gage, who was too close for the shot to miss. Instinct took over. Gage leaped, flying across the gap between him and the gunman, and snapped his powerful jaws shut on the man’s wrist as they both tumbled to the ground.

The shot went wild, but Gage made sure the shooter remained pinned. He felt a surge of relief when he realized that he and Scott hadn’t been shot.

The others were nearby. He heard their howls, shrieks, and roars as well as the unquestionable thunder of a loose moose. Brandon came barreling toward them and his broad antlers looked like they took up the entire width of the passageway. The bear followed in its wake while the fox, wolves, and squirrels hurried along behind them.

Gage didn’t let go of the would-be shooter until the sheriff shifted back to human form, long enough to use silver handcuffs from Brandon’s bag to bind the man and toss him over Brandon’s back, face down like a sack of flour.

Gage spat to get the taste of blood out of his mouth. He nuzzled Scott’s leg, sending his feelings through the mate bond.

Relief flooded through Gage, his own and what he sensed from Scott. The sight of Scott’s bruised face and black eye raised a growl deep in Gage’s chest. He eyed the shooter, thinking that perhaps he hadn’t bitten hard enough since the man’s hand was still attached.

“Down, boy.” Scott gave a relieved laugh that bordered on hysteria as he struggled to sit up. “Is that you, Gage?”

Gage placed his front paws on Scott’s shoulders and licked the undamaged side of his face.

“I’m glad to see you too.” Scott scratched Gage’s ears. “Looks like you brought the whole crew.”

“Come on,” the sheriff said. “You can tell us how you blew the roof off later. Before the rest comes tumbling down, let’s get out of here. Can you walk?”

Gage growled. If Scott needed to ride Brandon, he would be fine with dragging the cuffed shifter along by the ankle.

“I think so,” Scott told him. Armel shifted into his bear half, and they headed back toward where the rescue party had entered.

Gage stuck next to Scott, glued to his leg. What about the bad shifters in the jail? his Mal asked.

The sheriff will send someone back for them. Eventually, Gage told his other half.

There were so many things Gage wanted to say, so many questions he needed to ask.

Did you cause the explosion? Why did you blow up the ride? Are you hurt? Who hit you so I can chew on their leg?

Sometimes Gage disagreed with his Mal’s very direct way of viewing the world, but when it came to dealing with the men who kidnapped Scott, he was all for leaving scars to remind them of their poor life choices.

When they got to the gate, an army of squirrels and birds were waiting for them. The guards Scott had glimpsed before were nowhere in sight.

“What the—” Scott took in the scene wide-eyed, but Gage would have to wait to explain it.

Scott looked at him. “One of your shifter friends did something?”

Gage nodded.

Despite everything Scott burst out laughing. “That’s fuckin’ awesome! This is the best Disney rescue ever !”

The bear snorted and tossed his head but still managed to look amused.

“Don’t worry—I won’t break into song,” Scott added. That he could still crack jokes eased the cold fear that had gripped Gage since Scott disappeared.

He figured his boyfriend would crash later when the adrenaline faded, and would need to deal with the trauma after things settled. But for now, Scott was able to walk out, his injuries appeared to be superficial, and they had the bad guys in custody.

No win was ever perfect, but this came pretty close.

Back at the vehicles, the rescuers shifted and dressed. Sheriff Armel called a friend in the FBSI located in Lake George and explained the situation, asking for backup to take the shifters into custody. Brandon, Liam, and Russ went back to the jail with guns to keep an eye on the coyotes, while the Sheriff and Drew intended to stay with the SUV to wait for the FBSI to arrive.

They threw the handcuffed coyote into the cargo area of the SUV none too gently, and he landed with a quiet oof . Scott left a message for April about capturing the coyotes and destroying the lab, plus turning the drug runners over to paranormal law enforcement. This time he was able to get through to her voicemail and leave a full message without a problem.

Madden had driven separately, so he agreed to take Scott and Gage to the hospital in Fox Hollow once Gage made quick introductions and they had thanked the squirrels and birds.

“How are you doing, Scott?” Madden asked as he drove, sparing a glance in the rearview mirror to the back seat where Scott and Gage clung to one another like they would never let go.

“Better—now.” Scott sounded a little shaky. “Thank you all for coming for me.”

“Seems like you did a pretty good job rescuing yourself,” Madden said. “That was one hell of a distress signal you sent up!”

“I didn’t expect it to be quite such a big explosion,” Scott admitted. “But all I had was a pack of matches, so I needed to improvise.”

“Scared the shit out of the squirrels, but at least they knew where to find you,” Madden added.

“Please give them my thanks. You had a big posse back there.”

Madden grinned. “They enjoyed it. It can get boring, sitting around staring at your nuts.” The twinkle in his eye made it clear the double meaning was intentional.

“Kind of a shame about the park itself,” Gage said. “I bet it was fun for kids back in the day. Sorry to see those places close.”

Scott shivered. “I think it’s going to be a long, long time before I watch another western.”

Gage and Scott held hands tightly. They sat pressed together from hip to knee, bumping shoulders. Gage’s Mal drank in Scott’s scent, and the connection of the mate bond comforted them.

Gage turned to him, thinking of all the things he wanted to say when they were alone. I missed you. I worried about you. Don’t ever leave. I love you.

That would wait until they were back in Fox Hollow and a doctor had treated Scott for his injuries. Gage hadn’t noticed Scott moving like he was hurt, but he didn’t know if there had been other damage.

“I have no idea how I’m going to write this up in my case notes.” Scott sighed. “Then again, I get the impression that a lot of the agents at SPAM aren’t exactly conventional .”

“You did pretty well,” Gage pointed out. “Nabbed the bad guys, blew up the lab, and burned their inventory.”

“I’m betting that when the feds pick up those coyotes in the jail, they’ll tell everything they know about the Canadian connection,” Madden said from the front.

“If they had a lab here, they weren’t moving finished product as much as raw materials. Knowing that will help the rangers and customs folks look for the right leads. This will go a long way toward shutting down their operation—at least, in this area,” Gage chimed in. “And the sheriff put the feds wise to that abandoned mining town, so that’s a second bust.”

Gage had overheard enough conversations in his family to know that most of the time, the bad guys who didn’t get caught just packed up shop and moved elsewhere instead of going away for good. Still, disrupting their channels and deliveries could make it expensive or impossible for the smugglers to continue. They might clear out and leave. While they were likely to just find another location, it still felt like a win that they wouldn’t still be here.

Our mate is safe. Our friends were brave. No one is badly hurt. It is a good day, his Mal proclaimed proudly.

And you’re awesome, Gage told his other half. He swore he could feel the Mal blush under his fur.

We have him back. That’s what matters.

Gage squeezed Scott’s hand and shifted slightly closer, anchoring them both in the knowledge that they were together, and the nightmare was over.

“I’m going to take Scott to the hospital so he can get checked out,” Madden said.

Gage had already contacted his team at the taproom to let them know he wouldn’t be in tonight and to handle the evening without him. He didn’t have any events or tastings, so the others could take care of anything that came up.

He had no intention of letting Scott out of his sight—or his arms—for the foreseeable future.

“Come to the hospital with me, please,” Scott said quietly. “I think I’m okay, but I’d feel better if you were with me.”

Gage leaned in to press a quick kiss to his cheek, hoping there would be an opportunity to show Scott later just how much he missed him. “I have no intention of going anywhere without you,” he promised. Ever, if I have anything to say about it.

Mate. Forever, his Mal agreed.

“Good—because I want us together,” Scott said. “We’ll figure out the details once I get over my near-death experience.”

Madden drove straight to the hospital. He let Gage and Scott out and promised to be in touch after they got settled.

Scott kept a tight grip on Gage’s hand as they walked into the building and went to the admissions desk.

The intake nurse didn’t ask why they were there. “We were expecting you.” Either she was psychic—a real possibility here—or Armel called ahead and told them what to expect. She looked at Gage. “Are you related? If not, we have a nice waiting area just down the hall.”

Gage opened his mouth, but Scott beat him to it. “He’s my boyfriend, and I really want to have him with me.”

The nurse shrugged. “As long as he has your permission and doesn’t interfere with the examination, that’s up to you.”

She ushered them into a waiting room and promised that someone would be with them shortly, then left and closed the door behind her.

Alone with each other for the first time since the rescue, Scott choked back a sob. His hands shook, and Gage could feel how hard the other man’s heart pounded.

Gage wrapped his arms around him. “It’s okay. Just let it all process. You can cry, or yell, or sit quietly. Whatever you need—I’m here.” Gage’s experience with a military and law enforcement family gave him insight into the aftermath of trauma.

“Thank you,” Scott managed. “I knew that you and the sheriff would look for me, but when they took me to that old park, I didn’t know how you’d find me.”

“Good thing lots of people in this town are psychic.” Gage forced a smile. “Everyone pulled together as soon as I told them what happened. This is a pretty awesome place.”

Scott nodded, still struggling with his raw emotions. “Yeah. It is. And you’re amazing. All I could think about besides getting free was that I couldn’t die because I hadn’t told you I love you.”

Gage caught his breath before his brain came back online to respond. “I figured out that I love you too.”

“I know it’s fast, and we have a lot of getting to know each other to do,” Scott went on as if he needed to fill the silence, “but I want more with you. I’ll talk to my office when this is over and move to a place where we don’t have as far between us.”

“Do you think they’d let you move to Fox Hollow?” Gage asked. “Maybe you can sell them on the proximity to Canada without putting the town on the government’s radar.”

“We’ll think of something. SPAM already seemed to know a little about the shifter side, and the Fox Institute and the psychics have been pretty famous for over a century,” Scott pointed out. “I can figure out something. My boss, April, seems tough but open-minded. And if it doesn’t work out, there’s a taproom where I might be able to bus tables.”

Gage leaned over and kissed him. “I am all in favor of nepotism, but I bet you can get a transfer to work out. After all, aren’t they supposed to be psychic?”

“Good point.”

A man in a white coat came in just then. “Scott?” he asked, and Scott nodded. “I’m Doctor Dunn. I hear you’ve had an unusual last few days.”

“This is my partner,” Scott said before the doctor could ask. “I want him to stay. It’ll help me be calmer to talk about what happened.”

Gage’s Mal was braced for a fight, but the doctor just shrugged. “As long as you sign a permission waiver, it’s fine with me.” He handed off a clipboard and pen with a form, and Gage suspected the man had been warned ahead of time about their request.

Scott skimmed the document, signed it, and handed the board back.

“Now that the paperwork is done, how are you feeling?”

“My head hurts, my chest feels funny, and I’m groggy, but at the same time, super-twitchy,” Scott reported.

“Okay, that gives me an idea of where to start. What happened?”

“Someone hit me over the head and knocked me out in the parking lot. When I came around the next day, I was tied up inside one of the old rides at the abandoned frontier park. I think they drugged me. I managed to get out of the ropes,” Scott replied.

“I blew up a meth lab and hid underwater in the old haunted mine ride until the fireball passed overhead. Some of the ceiling must have fallen on me.”

The doctor blinked once, then twice. Gage could see the man struggled to keep his professional demeanor. “I’m sorry. I thought you said?—”

“He did. It’s been a very strange day,” Gage said. His Mal stirred, restless, and Gage struggled to tell his other half that the doctor was not a threat and might be a helper.

He doesn’t understand. He isn’t helping, his Mal fretted.

He doesn’t have to know everything. Just enough to make Scott feel better. You can’t bite him.

I want to.

You can’t. We live here. We might need to come back to the hospital someday.

The doctor recovered quickly. “All right, then. Let’s have a look at you.” He gestured for Scott to get on the examining table while Gage took a seat along the wall where he could make encouraging eye contact with Scott.

Gage’s Mal paced in his mind as the doctor examined Scott. Dude. Sit down. You’re driving me nuts. You’d be wearing a groove in the floor by now.

I’m worried about our mate. And I still want to bite the bad man.

The sheriff will take care of the bad man. You already nearly bit his hand off. And by the way, eww. Blood tastes bad. I probably need a shot.

His Mal preened. Maligator!

The doctor poked and prodded Scott, checking his sight and reflexes and gently touching the back of his head. He examined the rope chafing and the small burns, swabbed Scott’s nose and throat, listened to his breathing, and took a blood sample.

“I’m going to have them take you down to the lab to run a few more tests, and I’ll be back to discuss the results. Sit tight and try to relax. It sounds like you deserve it.” With that, he left them alone. The examining room seemed unnaturally quiet after all the excitement.

A nurse wheeled Scott out of the room for more tests, promising Gage they would be back soon. Gage paced until Scott returned.

“How do you feel?” Gage had an inkling through the mate bond, but he thought conversation might take Scott’s mind off what had happened.

“Honestly? I think I’m in shock. That sets in afterward, right? I’m beginning to think that there’s a lot SPAM didn’t cover in their Introduction to Being a Supe class. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised—it was a slideshow with Q he just didn’t know when, and it seemed that reckoning was now.

Gage soaped up and let the spray sluice away the sweat and jizz, used a washcloth to help Scott freshen up, then turned off the water and reached for the towels. He gentled Scott away from the wall and rubbed him down, trying to drive away the chill even though he suspected it had nothing to do with the temperature. Once Scott was dry and no longer shaking, Gage toweled them both off fast and guided Scott out of the enclosure.

“Sit here, and I’ll get clothes,” he said, helping Scott sit on the edge of the tub.

Gage hurried back with the sweatpants and a soft T-shirt. He helped Scott balance as he pulled the pants on and maneuvered his arms into the shirt.

“How come I feel a little drunk, and I didn’t drink?” Scott sounded adorably sleepy, but Gage listened to make sure he didn’t slur his words, which would be a sign that the concussion was worse.

“Because you got smacked on the head.” Gage guided Scott back to the freshly remade bed. He held out a hand with Scott’s evening pills and the glass of water he had placed at the bedside.

“Take these. They’ll help with the pain and get you to sleep. I’ll be here if you need anything,” Gage promised.

“You take good care of me,” Scott murmured.

“That’s what you do when you love someone.” Gage leaned in to kiss Scott on the top of the head.

He watched to make sure Scott took his medicine, placed the glass on the nightstand, and helped get Scott into bed, kissing him gently on the lips.

“I’m going to go check the locks, and then I’ll be in so we can sleep together,” Gage told him when Scott patted the empty side of the bed.

“Want you close,” Scott pouted.

“I will be close, but I need to make sure everything is set for the night. I won’t be long.”

Gage kissed him again and made the rounds, assuring himself everything was secure. Although the coyote problem had been solved—at least for now—Gage intended to speak to the sheriff about how to ensure that they had, in fact, eliminated the smuggling risk.

He had seen enough thriller movies to know that even James Bond never got all the bad guys. Movie sequels were good, but Gage had no interest in living through a repeat of today’s drama.

If I can’t deal with it, can we make a go of this? After all, he is a secret agent. If he wants to stay with SPAM, this sort of thing goes with the territory. Do they ever do less dangerous work? Like white collar embezzlement or fashion forgery? I guess it’s going to depend on what Scott wants to do when he’s had a chance to think about it. Am I cut out to love a spy? Could I live with that? Because I don’t think I can live without him.