Panthers’ Mate
(Black Panthers 4)
Erotic Romance, Menage, Paranormal, Shape-shifters, Romantic Suspense, MFM, HEACallie Zimmer lived a safe, secure life as a bank teller, but her security was shattered when the bank she worked in was robbed and she was taken hostage.
A freak accident left her stranded and alone in the mountains with darkness closing in.
When the police failed to find her, Brock Hale and Thomas Landon had been hired as trackers to find Callie, knowing as soon as they rescued her that she was their mate, a woman destined to belong to them.
Rescued by two handsome, exciting men, Callie decided that she wanted to stop living a boring life and go for the adventure of a lifetime.
But when she found out the truth about them, she knew that she might have bitten off more than she could chew.
But her pregnancy brought everything into clear focus.
Suddenly living a life that gave her the security she’d always needed, along with her newfound need for excitement, she found a love destined to last forever.
Excerpt
Handsome in a darkly erotic way, they looked at her often, giving her the sense that she had their almost undivided attention.
Looking up at Thomas, Callie couldn’t help but smile when both men immediately looked down at her. “Thank you for rescuing me. I guess you’ll be leaving now.”
Thomas drew in a breath. “Not yet. We’re going to go back into the mountains and find them.”
Callie felt a relief more intense than she’d anticipated. “I’m glad. I’m the only one who can identify them. I’m scared, though, that you’ll get hurt going after them.”
They glanced at each other as if her concern surprised them before Brock smiled down at her. “We’ll be fine.”
He approached the desk, bending to speak to the nurse. “We have a woman who needs to be seen immediately.”
They were shown to a room, the nurse telling Brock and Thomas that they had to leave.
Thomas carried Callie in and gently laid her on the examination table, totally ignoring the nurse as he settled the blanket Brock had retrieved from the back of the SUV more securely around her shoulders. “Are you warm enough?”
Callie smiled. “I am. Thanks to you and Brock. Thank you again for rescuing me and for taking care of me.”
Thomas smiled and touched her leg. “You’re very welcome. Would you like us to stay?”
More than a little embarrassed at how much she’d depended on them, she offered a smile. “No. Thank you. You’ve done enough.”
The disappointment in Thomas’s eyes made her uneasy, and although she tried to smile, she found her throat clogged with tears.
And she didn’t know why.
Blaming it on the trauma of the day, she forced a smile. “Will you come see me when you’re done?”
She not only wanted to make sure they were all right but she had an uncontrollable need to see them again.
Brock inclined his head. “Yes.” He reached into a pocket and pulled out a card. “If you need anything, call me.”
Callie smiled and accepted the card. “I appreciate that, but I don’t have a phone.”
When a police officer appeared in the doorway, Callie stiffened, wincing as her sore body protested the movement.
The policeman inclined his head in Brock and Thomas’s direction, his smile tense as he turned his attention to her. “Miss Zimmer. I’m Captain Sparks. I’m relieved to see that you’re safe. A lot of people have been anxiously waiting to hear that you’d been found. Of course, I’ll need a statement from you.”
She glanced at Brock and Thomas, finding it odd that she felt more comfortable with them than with the nurse or the policeman. “Of course.”
The nurse moved the blanket aside and strapped on the blood pressure cuff. “Later. I’ve got to get her to x-ray.”
Unable to understand why the thought of leaving Thomas and Brock left her shaken, Callie forced a smile, wanting nothing more than to get the entire ordeal over with and get home. “I’ll be happy to answer whatever I can. How is John Cramer?”
“The bank manager? He’s stable now. He was very worried when he heard you’d been taken hostage. Your picture has been all over the news.”
Thomas whirled. “What? How did you allow that?”
Captain Sparks grimaced. “I didn’t. The media interviewed some of the bank employees. The reporters got your name from them. From there, they got your picture and are even now standing out front of your apartment.”
Thomas cursed. “I was afraid of that. She can’t go back there.”
The captain raised a brow. “Is that why you didn’t text me that you were on your way here until you pulled into the parking lot?”
“Yes. We’ve seen more than a few law enforcement officers say more than is safe in order to look good while putting the person we’re protecting in danger.”
Brock moved closer to her and eyed the captain. “I appreciate that you have questions for your report, but let her get treated first.”
The anger tightening Brock’s and Thomas’s features and the narrowing of their eyes made it clear that there would be a heated discussion once she left the room.
“Of course.”
Thomas reached out to touch her uninjured foot. “We’ll be waiting here for you when you get back.”
Captain Sparks grimaced. “I’d hoped to find you both here. We’ve got a situation.”
Thomas raised a brow. “Oh? What kind of situation?”
Alarmed by the captain’s tone, Callie looked around the nurse to see the three men. “They did something, didn’t they?”
Captain Sparks inclined his head. “They did. Evidently they wanted a way out of there and needed a vehicle. There were two men leaving that had spent the day hiking, and the suspects held guns on them, took their car, and shot them anyway.”
Callie sat up higher. “Oh my God! Are they all right?”
“They’re in surgery now.” Captain Sparks turned to fully face Brock and Thomas. “They tried to escape the mountains, and luckily we had a roadblock set up on the road they tried to use for escape. They tried to turn around when they saw the roadblock, ran into a tree, and bailed out. They disappeared into the trees, and my men haven’t been able to find them. We want them found before they hurt anyone else.”
Both Brock and Thomas turned to her, clearly unwilling to leave her.
She looked from Brock to Thomas. “Do you think you can find them?”
“Of course.” Brock offered her a faint smile. “We found you, didn’t we?”