Chosen Mate (Catamount Lion Shifters #2) by J.H. Croix Page B

was now and chasing after her. Yet, now that he’d experienced the intimacy he’d craved for years with her, he was near out of his mind with worry and fear.
    “Jake, you listening?”
    He glanced to Dane and back at the highway unrolling in front of him. “Huh?”
    Dane shook his head. “You drove past the exit for the hotel. Might want to turn around.”
    Jake swore and quickly took the next exit and headed back from where they came.
    Dane was quiet until they were back on the highway. “I’m guessing you’ve got Phoebe on the brain. Has she called yet?”
    “She left a message. When I tried to call back, it went straight to voice mail.”
    “Whatever’s going on between you two, you’re gonna have to play with a level head here.”
    Jake slanted his eyes to Dane. “No worries about that.”
    “Maybe you could convince me if you didn’t look so pissed off.”
    “I’m not pissed off. I’m worried. Big difference.”
    “Whatever. Keep a lid on it,” Dane said bluntly.
    Following Dane’s gesture, Jake exited and swiftly turned into the hotel parking lot Dane pointed out. He parked and turned to Dane. “You don’t need to worry. Just like you kept it together with what happened to Chloe, I’ll keep it together here. I’m not gonna relax until they’re back on a plane to Maine though.”
    Dane nodded. “You and me both.” He paused and glanced around. “I don’t see their rental car. Let me call Jon.”
    Jon Cross was one of Dane’s old college friends. Jake knew him in passing, but Dane had gotten to know him when they worked together at a landscaping company. Jon worked in private security and had agreed to monitor Shana and Phoebe. Dane tucked the phone against his shoulder while he spoke to Jon.
    “Where? Have you talked to them?” Dane asked, pausing and nodding along to whatever Jon was saying. “What? You’re fucking kidding me. We’re on our way.”
    Dane tossed his phone on the dashboard. “Go. They followed Shana and Phoebe to some place for lunch downtown. Shana knew I asked Jon to monitor them, I can’t fucking believe she lost them!”
    “What? What the hell do you mean?!”
    “Just what I said. They went to lunch, went to the restroom, which was out of sight, and that’s the last he saw of them. I don’t have time to tear him apart like I want, but we’re going to find them.”
    Jake’s heart clenched, fear and anger clashing inside. He tore out of the parking lot and back onto the highway. His anger was shoved out of the way with pounding fear. He couldn’t stand the thought of Phoebe putting herself in danger like this. He didn’t know if she and Shana had purposefully tried to dodge the protection Dane arranged, or if something else had happened. With what he’d pieced together from Callen’s online communications, he had multiple contacts in this area. They were interested enough in Catamount shifters to solicit allies within the community and send two shifters their way. Whatever that meant, it didn’t bode well for Phoebe’s safety. He knew she was bright and savvy—the opposite of a pushover, but she wasn’t a shifter. Unlike Shana, if she was physically threatened, she didn’t have the ability to shift and attack.
    He could hardly bear to consider the thought she could be hurt, but the reality of it loomed much closer than he wanted. His cat strained to get out, but he had to drive and they had to lay low. He tightened the reins on his control and drove as fast as he could.

Chapter 9

    “Shana,” Phoebe whispered fiercely.
    “Hang on, I’m trying to see where they are.”
    Phoebe sighed and leaned against the cabin. They were in the foothills of the mountains outside of Bozeman. Shana was convinced she’d seen Paul, the patient they’d thought to be a shifter at the hospital. She’d started to argue with Phoebe when Phoebe had pointed out they should wait for Jake and Dane. After waiting far too long for Shana to return from the bathroom at lunch,