All around them, people at the table had talked and conversed. Sometimes, like the man sitting right behind Jamie, very loudly. Brandy had kept the conversation around their table light.
After the dishes had been cleaned away, a small brass band started to play. Jamie and Cody headed to the bar to pick up some more drinks. On the way back to the table, Cody stopped.
“Not as bad as I thought,” Cody said.
Jamie nodded.
“Plus I think Aubrey enjoyed dressing up.”
“Well, I think there will be plenty of chances in the future for her to be girly,” Jamie said.
“So this is it?” Cody asked quietly.
Even over the music Jamie heard him. “What?”
“You waited so long to make your move. I was worried that once you started dating Brandy you would realize you had built her up in your mind and she wouldn’t meet your expectations.”
Not having considered that idea, Jamie had to think for a minute. “I was an idiot. I should have snatched her up the moment I met her. I’m very lucky no one else came along and stole her. She exceeds my expectations.”
“Glad to hear it,” Cody said, slapping him on the back.
“I think I love her,” Jamie admitted softly.
“Already knew that, man.”
“Huh?” Jamie snapped his eyes up to his friend’s.
“Dude, you were halfway in love with Brandy before you ever kissed her. Now that you’re together, it’s obvious to everyone.”
Jamie glanced around the room.
“Fuck. Relax, Jamie. We know you so we can see how you feel about her.”
Sheepishness crept over him. Jamie took a large gulp of his whiskey.
“And she feels the same way.”
Catching sight of Brandy and Aubrey heading in their direction, Jamie shot Cody a glare of warning. His buddy simply grinned back.
“How do you know?” Jamie asked.
“By the way she looks at you,” Cody murmured as the girls joined them.
“Think I could talk you into a dance?” Brandy asked as she wrapped an arm around his neck.
It took everything he had not to admit she could talk him into any damn thing. “Yes.”
“Good.” She took his hand and led him to the dance floor.
To his amusement, he saw Aubrey dragging Cody out too, although his friend was adamantly trying to argue against dancing.
Jamie didn’t mind, though. He’d take any excuse to hold Brandy close. She laid her head against his chest as they swayed to the music.
Leaving one arm at her lower back, he used his right hand to tip her chin up. She smiled, her gaze meeting his.
“Having a good time?” he asked.
“I’m glad to be here with you. I would have come anyway, but having you by my side means so much.”
Lowering his head, he kissed her gently. “I don’t want to be anywhere else.”
She sighed, hugging him closer.
They danced to three songs in a row before a faster song came on and Jamie took her hand. “Let’s get a drink.”
“Yes, please.”
They passed Cody and Aubrey at the side of the floor. He’d noticed Aubrey had only gotten one dance out of him.
“Bar?” Cody said hopefully.
Nodding, Jamie slung his free arm over Cody’s shoulder. “Come on, you lush.”
His phone beeped a received text message, but Jamie waited until they’d all ordered before digging his cell from his pants pocket.
Once he’d pulled up the message, his stomach dropped and the blood drained from his face.
“What is it?” Cody asked, instantly at his side.
Jamie grabbed Brandy and Aubrey. “Get out!” he ordered and pushed them toward the exit. He tossed his phone to Cody.
“Fuck!” Cody exclaimed.
“What?” Brandy stumbled but caught herself.
“Now, get to an exit. Get out of here!” Jamie yelled.
The message had been from Zak and it had been brief.
Get everyone out now. Bomb!
Chapter Seventeen
Brandy saw the horror on Jamie’s face as he pushed her and Aubrey away. She knew something was terribly wrong.
“Come on.” Aubrey grabbed her arm. “We have to leave.”
“What’s going on?” She couldn’t hear what Jamie and Cody were discussing as Aubrey hauled her away, but by the tilt of Aubrey’s head, Brandy was pretty sure Aubrey was using her shifter hearing. “What is it?”
Aubrey’s gaze met hers. “Bomb.”
Brandy tripped as the word seemed to echo all around her.
“Chris.” She spotted her cousin up front and went to run for him.
“Jamie will get him.” Aubrey tugged her back.
“We need to get everyone out,” Brandy said. She already saw Cody and Jamie going through the crowd, moving those they passed to the exits. They both flashed their badges.
Jamie was indeed heading toward her cousin. The people that had been at the auction tables didn’t seem be paying attention to what was happening below them.
“We have to warn them,” Brandy said, pointing.
Aubrey glanced up. “Shit. Okay, come on. But don’t you dare get hurt or Jamie will never forgive me.”
They took off at a run to get to the stage. Brandy stumbled again and kicked off her heels. She hopped up and started pushing at the backs of the guests.
“Everyone needs to get out of here!”
“Hey, lady. Stop, I’m writing here.”
“You need to get to an exit.” She yanked at the man’s arm.
The band stopped playing, and Chris’ shaky voice came over the microphone. “We need everyone to exit the building as quickly and carefully as possible. Please do not run. We have a reported electrical problem and need to vacate immediately.”
There were groans from the crowd but most started to make their way toward the doors.
They weren’t moving fast enough.
Aubrey was helping people down from the stage. Once the area was empty, Brandy hopped back onto the ballroom floor.
Jamie was clearing the other corner. Cody was waving people through the doors. But she didn’t see Chris anywhere.
“Let’s go.” Aubrey slid up beside her.
Brandy wondered briefly at what point the other woman had shed her shoes as well.
“Brandy?”
“I don’t see my cousin.”
“He’s probably already out. Jamie would have made sure.”
They dashed back in the direction of everyone else. She lost Aubrey in the rush of people. Almost toward her goal, Brandy caught her dress on one of the tables. Glancing own, she saw the tear. “Damn it.”
But she couldn’t worry about that right now. She turned to leave again and noticed an older gentleman with a cane stumbling toward her.
“Here.” She grabbed his arm and put it over her shoulder. “Let’s get out of here.”
She was almost to the door. The room had been completely cleared. Looking up, she caught sight of Jamie headed straight to her.
No more than maybe six feet away from her, he looked worried and a little worse for wear.
The sound of all hell breaking loose reached her. The explosion drowned out her screams. She clenched her eyes closed as the world brightened around her.
To find out that Brandy was still in the building nearly had Jamie losing his mind. They’d gotten almost everyone else out. When the bomb had detonated, he’d reached for her but he had been knocked off his feet.
His shift came over him and he knew he couldn’t stop it. He ripped at his suit jacket and shirt to get his clothes off.
Kicking off his shoes, he tried to maintain his control. He was about naked when he shifted. He was fully aware of his surroundings as he rose to his two furry feet. He roared, looking for his mate.
All around him, fire alarms wailed. The sprinkler system had turned on. People ran screaming in all directions.
The smoke obscured his vision so he used his best weapon—his nose—to find Brandy. She was all he could think about.
He found her sitting up disorientated, her eyes glassy and a confused expression on her face. Blood trickled from a gash in her forehead, black marks marred her cheeks and crisscrossed her nose and her hair stuck out in many directions. She stared at him as he closed the distance.
“Oh, damn, damn, damn, damn,” she muttered. “I really hope you’re Jamie.”
He opened his mouth and let out a small cry.
“Is that a yes?”
He had height over her when he was human. In his shifted form, he towered over her. Lowering his body, he tried to make himself less intimidating.
There hadn’t been a lot of talk about his other form. He should have given her some information just in case he ever shifted.
“I wanted to see you in your shifter form, but I was thinking it would happen in a better situation,” Brandy said, slowly rising up on her knees.
Jamie sat still. She crawled closer to him.
“Are you hurt?” she questioned.
He shook his head.
“Good. We’re both okay, then.” Tentatively raising her hand, she laid it on his arm. “And you know it’s me, right?”
Jamie nodded.
“Wow! I’m really touching a bear. I’m fucking touching a bear.”
Jamie grumbled. It came as a deep rumble from his chest.
“Shifter. I meant bear shifter.”
A screech erupted above their heads, and Jamie leaned back. Cody had also shifted and was obviously looking for him.
Jamie’s eyes watered and stung as he labored to breathe. He butted his head against Brandy.
“Is that Cody?” she asked, still looking above them.
Gently, Jamie head-butted her again.
“Okay, I’m getting up.”
He watched her closely. She stood and tilted to the side almost immediately. Trying to be as gentle as he could, Jamie used his massive paws to lift her.
Brandy cried out in surprise as her feet left the ground. Cody screeched again, so Jamie roared to tell him they were okay.
Glass had sprayed the entire place, and he had to maneuver around fallen beams and debris. Reaching the entrance where they’d initially came in, he saw Ray and Aubrey and several uniformed police officers.
He knew the Coalition teams would soon be there as well.
Ray spotted them first and shook Aubrey’s arm. “There they are.”
Aubrey rushed forward. “Jesus, girl, you scared the shit out of me!”
Jamie didn’t want to let her go, but both Aubrey and Ray were taking him from her.
“Are you injured?” Ray asked her.
“No, I’m fine. What about everyone else? Did they get out?”
“The police are checking now,” Ray said. “Hey, boss, let’s get to your truck so you can shift back.”
He wanted to touch Brandy again, but he wasn’t certain how she would react. So far, she hadn’t freaked out. He didn’t think the explosion had really registered with her yet.
“I’m fine,” she said and ran her hand over his snout. “As much as I like this form, I would really prefer to kiss you as a human.”
That was all the incentive he needed. People scrambled out of his way as he lumbered past. Ray did his best to keep himself between the people and Jamie.
Once they reached his truck, Cody glided down from the sky and landed in the back of Jaime’s truck.
Years of experience had Jamie prepared for unexpected shifts. Inside the toolbox, he kept several sets of clothes plus extra keys and identification.
He started his change back to human. By the time he was finished, his legs shook and he panted. Cody sat on the tailgate beside him, gasping for breath.
It was always more difficult to shift two times so quickly together.
“Clothes?” Ray asked.
Jamie motioned to the toolbox. Ray went over and started pulling out jeans and T-shirts. He tossed them over to Jamie, who separated the clothing for him and Cody. His jeans would be a little big on Cody, but they would do.
Once the two men were dressed, Jamie jumped off the tailgate.
“How do you want to handle this?” Cody asked.
“I want two teams here gathering evidence. Your unit and mine are heading straight to the building on Market. We’re bringing those kids in tonight.”
“I’ll call our people,” Ray told him.
“My team will be ready to roll when you give the word,” Cody assured him.
“Let’s check on Brandy and Aubrey, then we’re going to get this down. Our suspects have gone from vandalism and assault to attempted murder and terrorism. I want them off the streets. We’ll leave the big fish for Zak.”
News vans and more people had crowded into the area so Jamie literally pushed his way through.
He found Brandy a couple of yards from where he’d left her. Someone had thrown a blanket around her shoulders and had cleaned her head wound, placing a bandage over the area.
Chris was at her side with his hand on her knee. They both looked shaky.
Dropping down in front of her, Jamie pulled her into his arms. She kissed his neck and ran her hands over his shoulders.
“Thank God you’re okay,” he said softly.
“What in the hell is going on?”
“I’ll find out. Aubrey is going to take you home.”
“No, I want to stay with you.”
He shook his head. “I have to investigate this. We’ll get whoever is responsible, but I have to leave now to do it.”
She bit her lip, looking distressed but she finally nodded. “You’ll come back to my house when you’re done.”
“Yes, although I don’t know what time. We have a lot to do but I will be there,” he said then kissed her firmly.
Brandy clung to him, trembling. He sensed her adrenaline wearing off. Soon she would be dealing with shock.
“I wish I could stay with you. But I have to go.”
“I understand. You catch who’s responsible for this.”
“Brandy! Chris!”
They both turned to the new voices. Two men ran toward them. Jamie recognized the first guy from Brandy’s house days earlier. The second man skidded to a stop and dropped to his knees. He grabbed Brandy, hugging her tightly.
“William?” she spoke quietly.
“I was so fucking scared,” he said, pulling back. Then, spotting Chris, he yanked him over into is arms next. “Jeez, you two. I about had a heart attack on the way here.”
Jamie backed away from the trio. The scent of the stranger and resemblance to Brandy was enough that he knew he was family.
“What are you doing here?” Brandy finally wiggled loose from William’s hold.