The hybrid finally released him and Stein let out a breath. “Finally! Thank—” A big hand rammed Stein’s head into the side of the SUV, black dots swirling through his vision.

But when his sight cleared, he stared up—way up—at three polar bears. Dave Smolinski and his two brothers.

“Hiya, Steiny,” Dave said. “We’ve been looking just everywhere for you.” Ric and Hannah were nearly back at the SUV when Abby gripped the back of Ric’s jeans and held on. It seemed as if she was trying to drag him back to the market, but he had no idea why.

He stopped and gazed down at her. “Do you know what she’s doing?” he asked Hannah.

“Why would I know?”

“You seem to spend the most time with her.”

“She won’t leave me alone. It’s not like I invite her anywhere.”

“Well, if you had to guess.”

“She doesn’t want you to walk over to the SUV.”

“Why?”

“This would be much simpler if she would just shift to human.”

“Except there’d be a sixteen-year-old naked girl biting at my jeans. I’m almost positive that would only go badly for me.”

“That’s a valid point.”

Ric lifted his nose, sniffed the air. “Bears.”

“That’s probably me.”

He turned his head, took another sniff from her neck. “No. Not you.”

“All I have to say is . . . that was kind of weird.”

“You’ll get used to it.” He sniffed the air again. “Polar bears.” And fear. He smelled Stein’s fear, and his rage. Yet something didn’t seem right to Ric. Why were the bears lingering around? Did they want Ric to pay since they couldn’t get their money from Stein? Maybe, but still . . .

“Go back to the market, Hannah. Take Abby with you.”

“Why?”

Ric added the bags he held to the bunch Hannah had. “Don’t question. Just do.” Hannah nodded and returned to the market, Abby following behind her, but stopping every few feet to look back at Ric.

“It’s all right, Abby. Go.”

Once she and Hannah were gone, Ric crouched down and pulled the gun he kept holstered on his ankle. He stuck it into the back of his jeans and covered it with his T-shirt. Taking a breath, he headed back to the SUV, easing around the front of the vehicle. But he stopped short when he found nothing.

No bears. No Stein.

Ric casted for the scent again, locked on, and followed. He tracked them to a row of stores closed due to the holiday and around to the back. There were two of them battering Stein around. The poor kid hit the ground, blood pouring from gashes on his face and neck. When he saw Ric, he shook his head. “Go, Ric. Go. It’s not methey—”

A tugboat of a foot slammed into Stein’s gut, cutting off the rest of his words.

“That won’t be necessary,” Ric explained, knowing that unlike some other species, bears could be quite rational when one didn’t startle them into unnecessary violence. “I can get you your money if you’d only allow me to—” Ric abruptly spun, catching the hand holding the gun that was about to be placed against the back of his head and slamming his foot into the weak spot on the third bear’s kneecap, fracturing it.

“I’ve spent months,” Ric explained over the screaming of the bear at his feet, “learning to sense the presence of the most lethal She-wolf in the world. So your tiptoeing sounds more like an elephant stomping through dry brush to me.”

He pressed the bear’s gun to the back of its owner’s head. The safety was already off and Ric had the feeling that his death was their intent, not merely getting money from Stein.

“Why are you here?” he asked. The bears stared at each other, the other two still holding on tight to Ric’s cousin.

When no one answered, Ric pointed the gun at the taller bear across from him and pulled the trigger. Another kneecap damaged, the bear went down screaming.

“I’ll ask again because I really have to get back and make breakfast for my guests. Why are you here?”

“Why do you think?” the one he held replied, his voice thick with pain while he lay on his side.

“The kid’s debt was bought,” the uninjured one volunteered. “But we were offered an extra fifty grand on top of that.”

“As payment for killing me?”

“Ain’t killin’ nobody for fifty K, but we’ll mess you up good. Good enough that you won’t be gettin’ up again for a while.”

Ric knew he should feel pain. Acute, ripping pain deep into his soul at such a betrayal—but he felt nothing. Not pain or surprise—not even fear.

“Thank you for the information, gentlemen. I’ll assume I won’t be hearing from you again.”

“You’re not really worth the trouble—and we’ve already gotten the money for what he owed us.”

“Let’s go, Stein.”

Stein picked himself up off the ground and limped his way over to Ric’s side, following as Ric headed back onto the deserted street. All the activity was on the other side of the small town where they’d had a parade and set up a carnival with rides for the locals and tourists.

“Who was he talking about?” Stein asked him. “Who bought the debt? Who would do this to you?”

Ric stopped and faced his cousin. “Who do you think?” He shrugged a little. “My father.”