Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

Ryker

" W ill you fucking stop?" I hiss as my damn inner grizzly bear snarls in my ear. He's been out of control lately—growling ferociously, pacing nonstop, and keeping me up all night with his bullshit.

He's always been a temperamental prick, but it's never been this bad.

"I'm driving," I snarl back as he tries to claw and hack his way out. I flex my arms, grit my teeth, and grunt as I force him back down. My truck swerves off the road, kicking up a cloud of dirt as I yank it back onto the concrete. The place I'm driving to is a secluded spot on some Montana farm, so there are no cars around, but still. I'd rather not wrap my new truck around a fucking tree because this furry asshole is having a temper tantrum.

My grizzly growls in frustration as he paces around, probably waiting for another chance to try and break free. He better not try that shit during my job interview. That's the last thing I need. I'll kill him if he blows this for us.

"If you chill out for the next two hours," I tell him, "I'll let you roam through the forest when we get home." I'm not sure if he understands, but he grumbles and settles down a little.

I look at the GPS now that he's not snarling in my ear. Eight minutes away.

I have a job interview at Spartan Shield Corp with a guy named Cerberus. My uncle Maddox hooked me up with a meeting after I told him I'd been having some trouble lately. He's worked with the company in the past and has made some good money as a bodyguard.

But it's not really the money I need. It's the action. I need a fight. I need to get my blood pumping. My bear is constantly on edge and I need something to keep him distracted. I need something to help burn through all of this adrenaline-fused aggression, and my uncle suggested this.

"Finally," I whisper when my bear settles down. His angry snarls turn into sad pathetic whimpers. I close my eyes and shake my head. I can't win with this fucking bear.

He's desperate to find our mate. It's driving him mad.

We've always had the intense longing and the unquenchable need to find her, but since I turned thirty-four last week, it's gone into overdrive. He's become overly obsessed with finding her.

I've tried. Believe me, I've tried. I've been looking for this girl for decades, but I've never even gotten a whiff of her scent.

Maybe she's just not out there. Maybe I don't need her…

A heaviness settles into my limbs and I let out a deep sigh.

"Stop," I say to myself. This is not the time to get into this. I have an interview in six minutes.

I turn the radio on and ignore my whimpering grizzly as I drive down the secluded road.

As I'm getting closer, my phone rings. It's my uncle Maddox.

" You almost there? " he asks.

"Yeah, I think so," I say as I turn the bend and a ranch comes into view. It's a large sprawling house with a wraparound porch. There's a huge barn in the back with cattle and horses grazing in the fields. It's a beautiful place surrounded by the spectacular Montana mountains. I want a place like this someday.

" How's your bear? "

"Cranky."

He chuckles. " Just remember what I told you about Cerberus and the coffee ."

I roll my eyes as I pull onto the long dirt road that leads to the house. Apparently, Cerberus roasts his own coffee and he gets pissed if you don't fawn over it enough.

"What the fuck kind of name is Cerberus anyway?"

" It comes from Greek Mythology, " Maddox says. " You remember that three-headed dog who guards the Underworld? "

"Wasn't that from Harry Potter?"

" Never read it, " Maddox says. " Everyone calls him Cerberus because he's always got three dogs following him around. They don't like shifters, so careful. "

They're the ones who have to be careful, not me. My grizzly would be thrilled to get into a brawl with three vicious dogs.

"I'm pulling up now," I say as I park my truck beside the other cars.

" Okay, well good luck ," Maddox says. " I think this is going to be good for you. Believe me, I know it's hard not to have your mate. This is going to be a nice little distraction and you'll earn some good money too. "

"Yeah," I say, hoping he's right. I need a big distraction from all of these intense swirling emotions. I need to get out of the house for a while. I need a break from the bitterness and frustration. Hopefully, this can get my mind on something else for a change.

"Thanks for setting it up," I say as I step out of my truck. "I'll talk to you later."

I'm hoping a job like this can chill my bear out, at least for a bit. And if it works for me, maybe it can work for my brother Kael too. He has it even worse than I do. He barely talks and hates to wear clothes. This guy is one step away from being feral with the way he lives. I've never seen such a grumpy grizzly bear in my whole life.

I hang up and head to the front door. As soon as I knock, an angry chorus of barking dogs fills the air.

My bear is instantly alert. He's snarling back and pacing around, hoping I'm going to let him out.

Not now , I tell him. Don't even try.

"Zeus!" a deep voice booms through the door. "Get back."

The door swings open and I'm greeted by a big tattooed guy with a gold tooth and a buzzed haircut. He looks like he was shredded at one point but traded in his protein drinks for donuts. Three German Shepherds are lurking behind him, snarling viciously at me.

"Don't mind them," he says with a laugh as he steps onto the porch. "They're good dogs but they hate shifters."

He closes the door and all three of them start jumping on it, barking their heads off.

"Hades! Apollo!" Cerberus barks to no avail. They do not like me and my bear on their property. We walk down the steps toward the barn where the barking is a little less disruptive.

"So, you're Maddox's nephew, right?" Cerberus says as he looks me up and down. "Ever do security before?"

"No."

He laughs and smacks my shoulder. "Well, you're big enough to scare anyone straight. I think you'll do just fine."

A horse wanders over and Cerberus pets its neck. "You looking for light work or something a little juicier?"

"What do you have?"

"If you want something light," he says. "I have a pub in town looking for a bouncer. If you want something a little more exciting, I have something for that too."

"I want some action," I tell him. "I want to get my hands dirty."

He grins as he looks me over. "That's what I like to hear. Just like your uncle. Do you have a valid passport?"

"I do." I got it three years ago when I was logging up in Canada.

"Perfect," he says as he lets the horse go. "Let's go back inside. I could use a coffee and I'll get the contract ready."

We walk back into the house and the three dogs growl at me the entire time. Whenever one gets close, I glare at them and let my bear come a little closer to the surface. They must smell the grizzly because they wisely keep their distance.

"Want a coffee?" Cerberus asks as he fiddles with this huge brass coffee machine. "I roast my own beans. I got a new shipment in from Costa Rica yesterday. It's to die for."

"Sure," I say as I sit at the kitchen table. "I take it black."

"Good," he says with a chuckle. "You put cream or sugar in my coffee and we'll have some problems."

"So, what's the job?" I ask as he turns a nob and a hiss of steam shoots out of the machine. "And why the passport?"

"You ever hear of El Nicanduras?"

"The country? Yeah, isn't that the one overrun by drug cartels?"

" Vicious drug cartels," Cerberus says as he fiddles with the machine. "But there's none worse than Los Lobos de la Muerte led by Hector Contreras. These fuckers terrorize the local population. I'm talking torture, murder, extortion, and they make billions in drug trafficking."

"I'm not working security for a piece of shit like that," I say as I stand up, ready to march out. I'm surprised my uncle would vouch for a guy who takes jobs like this. I'm going to let him hear it as soon as I get in my truck.

"Not for him," Cerberus says with a laugh. "It's for a reporter. She has an exclusive interview with Hector Contreras and she needs some muscle."

"Sounds like she needs a whole army."

"Or someone who knows what he's doing. You want action, this is it. It doesn't get hotter than this."

I look at him for a long moment as the coffee starts brewing into a glass container and then I sit back down. The dogs growl from the other room. My inner bear continues pacing angrily.

"I'll have to fly to El Nicanduras?" I ask.

He nods. "You'll be pretending you're her cameraman, but you'll really be there for her protection. Although, you'll probably have to videotape the interview too since it will just be the two of you."

I can point a camera. How hard can that be?

"If things go well," he says, "you'll do the interview and leave. A quick thirty grand for a couple days work."

"And if things don't go well?"

He grins as he pours the coffee into a cup and hands it to me. "Then your bear is going to get one hell of a workout."

He's smiling—his gold tooth shining—as I take the mug and take a sip.

"And?" he asks with a big expectant grin.

"It's the best damn coffee I've ever had," I say, laying it on thick. He looks happy enough with my reaction.

"Great," he says, slapping my shoulder. "You get paid in cash, don't kiss the clients, and Spartan Shield Corp has a one hundred percent success rate, so don't fuck it up or I'll feed you to the dogs."

All three of them are growling at me.

Cerberus grins as he grabs a file of papers. "Let's get some ink on that contract!"