A Lion Shame (Bear Creek Grizzlies Book 3) Read Online Free Page B
Author: Layla Nash, Callista Ball
down from the truck and brushed his hands off, nodding to Finn. "You got a second?"
The young guy, looking only half-dressed for the weather in a sweater and cargo pants, hung back as the others carried the packs into the Lodge. "Yeah, man. What's up?"
Tate glanced around and shoved his hands in his pockets, uneasy with bringing this up but not wanting the bears to be taken by surprise. Simon had worked hard up there to establish Bear Country Tours, and now that the company was taking off, Tate wasn't going to sit back and watch someone else's drama derail all that effort. "There might be trouble brewing down in town. Thought you might want to talk to some of your friends, just in case there's more trouble coming."
"What kind of trouble?" Finn ran a hand through his hair, frowning as he scanned the trees surrounding the Lodge. The kid worked with the forest rangers and local law enforcement quite a bit as a tracker and general woodsman expert. He moved through the trees like a fucking ghost, and always seemed more at home in the forest and in the most desolate parts of the mountain than anywhere around people.
"A girl showed up in town last night, a friend of Rosie's. She's young and has a kid, but the car she's driving stinks of drugs. Probably meth, maybe something worse."
"Meth?" Finn's dark eyebrows rose. "Out here? Shit. How much do you think? Is she selling it or just transporting?"
"It's gotta be at least a hundred pounds, for me to smell it from down the street in a blizzard. I don't know where it is in the car, but I didn't look real hard." Tate caught his little sister watching him from one of the wide windows in the Lodge, and waved as Zoe motioned for him to come inside. "I don't know what she's planning to do with it, but she looked scared as shit when she walked into the bar, and Rosie was surprised. I don't think she expected the girl to show up. If she's running from someone, though, or stole the meth from someone, they're not going to let her just walk away. Chances are they're on her heels, or might be here already. I don't want that trouble to end up on our doorstep. So just a head's up for your pals in the forest service, in case they see anything weird going on out in the backcountry."
"Thanks, man. I'll let a couple of guys know. Don't want to stir up too much shit over it, but it's good to get the word around." Finn slapped his shoulder and tilted his head at the Lodge. "I'll clean out the truck and gas it up for you, since you look like a fucking ice cube already. Zoe had something to talk to you about, too."
Tate grumbled and gave the guy a dark look over the ice cube comment, but headed for the Lodge anyway. "Thanks. I was built for the desert, not this snow bullshit."
Finn said something under his breath about precious kitties, but Tate ignored him and stomped the snow off his boots on the porch before pulling open the heavy oak door to the Lodge. Zoe was there with a steamy cup of hot chocolate, and helped pull off the hat and gloves and scarf and everything else. She was about six months pregnant and definitely showing, so he had a hard time looking anywhere but her face, which had also gotten fuller and rounder from the pregnancy weight.
Zoe hugged him tightly, worry drawing lines around her eyes, and hustled him over to the fire. "You look frozen solid. Is the heat out on the truck again?"
"Nah," Tate said, smiling at the tourists as they clamored over the giant fir Christmas tree in the corner and the sheepskin rugs everywhere and a few sets of different antlers on the wall. He enjoyed being at the Lodge when it was empty and he could relish the fire and quiet and space all by himself. He'd expected the tours to slow down during the winter months when the snow got bad, but apparently there was also a market for sleigh rides, waterfalls in winter, and other bullshit hipster tours that Simon came up with. Tate put his feet up and wiggled his toes, wondering where the hole in his sock
The young guy, looking only half-dressed for the weather in a sweater and cargo pants, hung back as the others carried the packs into the Lodge. "Yeah, man. What's up?"
Tate glanced around and shoved his hands in his pockets, uneasy with bringing this up but not wanting the bears to be taken by surprise. Simon had worked hard up there to establish Bear Country Tours, and now that the company was taking off, Tate wasn't going to sit back and watch someone else's drama derail all that effort. "There might be trouble brewing down in town. Thought you might want to talk to some of your friends, just in case there's more trouble coming."
"What kind of trouble?" Finn ran a hand through his hair, frowning as he scanned the trees surrounding the Lodge. The kid worked with the forest rangers and local law enforcement quite a bit as a tracker and general woodsman expert. He moved through the trees like a fucking ghost, and always seemed more at home in the forest and in the most desolate parts of the mountain than anywhere around people.
"A girl showed up in town last night, a friend of Rosie's. She's young and has a kid, but the car she's driving stinks of drugs. Probably meth, maybe something worse."
"Meth?" Finn's dark eyebrows rose. "Out here? Shit. How much do you think? Is she selling it or just transporting?"
"It's gotta be at least a hundred pounds, for me to smell it from down the street in a blizzard. I don't know where it is in the car, but I didn't look real hard." Tate caught his little sister watching him from one of the wide windows in the Lodge, and waved as Zoe motioned for him to come inside. "I don't know what she's planning to do with it, but she looked scared as shit when she walked into the bar, and Rosie was surprised. I don't think she expected the girl to show up. If she's running from someone, though, or stole the meth from someone, they're not going to let her just walk away. Chances are they're on her heels, or might be here already. I don't want that trouble to end up on our doorstep. So just a head's up for your pals in the forest service, in case they see anything weird going on out in the backcountry."
"Thanks, man. I'll let a couple of guys know. Don't want to stir up too much shit over it, but it's good to get the word around." Finn slapped his shoulder and tilted his head at the Lodge. "I'll clean out the truck and gas it up for you, since you look like a fucking ice cube already. Zoe had something to talk to you about, too."
Tate grumbled and gave the guy a dark look over the ice cube comment, but headed for the Lodge anyway. "Thanks. I was built for the desert, not this snow bullshit."
Finn said something under his breath about precious kitties, but Tate ignored him and stomped the snow off his boots on the porch before pulling open the heavy oak door to the Lodge. Zoe was there with a steamy cup of hot chocolate, and helped pull off the hat and gloves and scarf and everything else. She was about six months pregnant and definitely showing, so he had a hard time looking anywhere but her face, which had also gotten fuller and rounder from the pregnancy weight.
Zoe hugged him tightly, worry drawing lines around her eyes, and hustled him over to the fire. "You look frozen solid. Is the heat out on the truck again?"
"Nah," Tate said, smiling at the tourists as they clamored over the giant fir Christmas tree in the corner and the sheepskin rugs everywhere and a few sets of different antlers on the wall. He enjoyed being at the Lodge when it was empty and he could relish the fire and quiet and space all by himself. He'd expected the tours to slow down during the winter months when the snow got bad, but apparently there was also a market for sleigh rides, waterfalls in winter, and other bullshit hipster tours that Simon came up with. Tate put his feet up and wiggled his toes, wondering where the hole in his sock
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