 
**Touched By The White Bear**

JJ Jones

Copyright JJ Jones 2014

Published at Smashwords

### Summary

When a man points a gun to her head and orders her to drive Tanisha fears for her safety.

But little does she know, he is not actually a man...but a Werebear.

Logan is one of a rare breed. A handsome bear shifter that can take on a Polar Bear appearance and the last of his kind. He is being hunted by the FBI who claim he is a danger to society. But he claims the opposite.

Can Tanisha trust this musclebound, mysterious stranger? And is there more to this situation then meets the eye?

Contents

Chapter1

Chapter2

Chapter3

Chapter4

Chapter5

Chapter6

Chapter7

Chapter8

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Chapter1

"How is that you always have dates with hot guys?" I asked. "It's not that I always have dates with hot guys, Tanisha," my best friend, Chantel, laughed, "it's that I always make opportunities to meet hot guys, and they conveniently seem to ask me out." We both laughed.

After we both stopped laughing I became a little more serious. "I mean it though," I took a drink of my beer. "It seems like every weekend, you are going out with someone, and don't try and deny that he's always good looking."

"I won't deny it." She waved me off as she took a drink. "But Tanisha, you're just hung up on the fact that you can only date black dudes. You gotta step out of your comfort zone, and give other guys a chance," she looked around the bar.

"That's not fair," I tried to defend myself a little.

"Okay, then. Tell me the last time you dated somebody that wasn't black," Chantel looked back at me in the eye.

I stopped and tried hard to think about it for a minute. I couldn't think of anybody. She had me.

"See I told you. Just take a minute and look around the bar. Tell me of the guys you see, who around us would you date?" Chantel waited while I looked around the bar.

I studied the men seated through out the bar. No one in particular stood out to me. Maybe it was an off night for the bar, or maybe Chantel had a point. I needed to think about what I defined as attractive.

"Anything? Anyone?" Chantel broke my train of thought and snapped her fingers in front of my face.

"Not really," I smiled in defeat, "sorry."

"Admit it," she whirled back around to look down at the table, "I'm right then."

"Yes, Chantel," I conceded to her, "you're right."

"Ah, it's like music to my ears," she smiled back to me.

"I've just been screwed over so many times, it's hard to continue to put myself out there over and over again, ya know?" I said becoming a little more serious.

"Of course it is, but that's all part of the game. We have to put ourselves out there again and again in order to find the right person. If you're not willing to take the risk, then you'll never find the right guy." Chantel looked over to me and winked.

"I'm just ready to give up trying to find the right guy and wait for him to find me. Can I do that?" I asked.

"Well I suppose you could have that attitude, but it puts a lot of pressure on him to make all the right decisions and moves to find you? I'm not sure that's the easiest course to finding Mr. Right, although no one is stopping you from doing it."

"All I'm saying is that when the timing is right, we'll find each other, like fate or destiny or whatever," I suggested.

"You believe in that?" Chantel asked.

"Well yeah, kind of," I replied.

"Well if you believe that fate will bring you together, then I suppose you can sit back and relax and enjoy your life relying on fate to do the work for you," Chantel smiled at me. "As for those of us that believe we need to do a little work on our end in order to help fate along, we resort to things like online dating."

"Oh hell no," I stuck my hand in the air.

"Hey don't knock it before you try it. It's not what it used to be. I know that when it first came out like ten years ago there was all this stigma about online dating, but it's not so bad. There are lots of good guys, great guys actually on there." Chantel defended online dating.

"Whatever, knowing my luck, I'd probably get kidnapped or something with my very first date," I smiled and laughed.

Chantel laughed and we continued to drink and chat about work and other things.

A few minutes later Chantel's phone rang.

"Oh, I've got to take this," she called, "it'll just be a sec," she ran outside where she'd be able to hear the person on the other end.

I continued to look around the room trying to keep my perspective open as I inconspicuously checked out the guys around the room. I patiently waited for Chantel to come back while I glanced around the room. No one in particular caught my attention, and I resented to believe that maybe Chantel was right. Maybe I was too picky or too narrow-minded. Perhaps I needed to broaden my horizons.

I could see as Chantel walked back into the bar that she was feeling a little sheepish.

"What is it?" I said as she walked back up to our table.

"I know you're going to kill me," she started.

"But..." I pushed her.

"But there's this guy I met last night," she looked down to the floor, "and he just called. I really wanted to meet up with him, and he can't meet up the rest of this week because he's leaving town, so tonight's the only night we can get together." She looked at me with those pleading kind of eyes that made me feel extremely guilty for wanting to ask her to stay.

"Alright go ahead, but you owe me," I said.

"I know," her voice exploded with excitement. "You are the best. We'll catch up tomorrow. Hey maybe this is the opportunity you need. Stay here for a little while. Meet someone?"

"Ah, whatever. Just go before I change my mind," I waved her off.

I watched her practically run out the door. For a second I thought about leaving the rest of my drink and leaving as well, but decided against wasting a perfectly good beer. I settled into my seat and drank the rest of my beer before deciding to leave.

I didn't drink too fast either. People watching was one of my favorite pastimes. I let my eyes wander through out the room, wherever the noise drew them, not lingering too long on one place so as to not draw attention to myself. I had no intention of making any connections with any other guys. I just wanted to finish my beer and go home.

I fumbled with my keys as I approached my car. I wasn't excited about driving home. It was cold and since my car had been sitting outside for a few hours, I knew the heater wouldn't be warm immediately. My drive home wasn't too long, so by the time I arrived home, it still probably wouldn't be warm.

I didn't drive the nicest car in town, and envied those that had key less entry to their cars. I still had to put my key into the lock in order to unlock my car. I got in the car and tossed my purse onto the passenger seat. I tried blowing air into my hands to keep them warm as I put the keys into the ignition. I definitely felt a colder chill then normal in the air.

Then I felt something touch the back of my head. It was hard and cold.

"Put your hands on the wheel," his voice was low and quiet but with really deep.

I obeyed not knowing what else to do. "I don't have much money," I said my voice shaky. "But you can have everything I have in my wallet," I started to reach for my purse.

"Hands on the wheel," he said a little more aggressively. "I don't want your money. Money doesn't concern me."

I started to wonder what he wanted and became more nervous, feeling my palms begin to sweat. If a man is waiting in your car for you and does not want money it is usually one other thing. I looked up at the rear view mirror trying to get a look at him. It was too dark to see much. He also wore dark clothing and a hood up over most of face that made it mostly impossible to see most of his face.

"You're going to drive and follow my directions. There's no use screaming or resisting, I'll just kill you. In case you hadn't figured it out yet," he pushed harder against my skull, "this is a gun."

My entire body tensed at the word gun and I felt myself begin to panic.

"I don't want any trouble. I don't want to hurt you. I just need a little ride out of town. Understand?"

I nodded my head.

"Alright," he still spoke very quietly, his voice low and gruff. "Drive out of the parking lot and turn left, taking the two-lane highway that will lead you out of town."

"I don't think I have enough gas to get us very far," I said trying to think of any reason for us to stop somewhere.

"I took the liberty of taking care of that already. You have a full tank, sweetheart," the way he spoke the term of endearment sent chills up the back of my spine. Something about him was different. I wanted to be scared and nervous, but I wasn't. Somehow he seemed genuine, like he really didn't want to hurt me, only that he wanted to get out of town. It seemed crazy to think that way, but there was something about his voice, something that I had never encountered before. How had he broken into my car without leaving a scratch? And how did he fill up the tank? If I was being kidnapped he was probably the most polite kidnapper to have ever existed.

"Oh, okay," I put the car into reverse and drove out of the parking lot. I stopped at the exit and contemplated what I was about to do. If I turned right, I would head back into town and possibly find someone who could help me. If I turned left, I would be heading out of town and most likely away from any help.

"Left, remember, we are going left," his voice called from the back seat.

I turned left. I didn't know if I just sealed my fate forever, or if I had saved it, but regardless, I knew that things were about to change for me.

*

We drove in silence for a while. I tried to think of anything to say. I wanted to make conversation with this guy. I knew that in everything I had ever been told about these kinds of situations, I needed to make him see me as a person, as a real human being in order to help him question whether or not he should kill me.

But the other thing I couldn't do was get in a position where I could identify him later, because then he would have to kill me in order to protect himself. I sat there driving and debated back and forth about what I could say to him. Finally I just started talking out of nervousness.

"So where am I driving to?" I asked.

"Somewhere outside of town," he said allusively.

"Alright," I said. "So my name is Tanisha."

"It's nice to meet you, Tanisha," he said with a little sarcasm in his voice.

"Well I figured if we're going to be road-tripping together for a while, we might as well get to know each other a little." I said trying to lighten the mood a little.

"Well I guess that is a positive attitude, Tanisha. I'm not sure what my real name is to be honest, but my friends call me Logan, so I guess you can call me Logan."

"You don't know your real name?" I asked intrigued.

"It's a long story," Logan said sighing.

"It sounds as though we have a long car ride," I said looking back in the rear view mirror.

"Another time perhaps," Logan said with a sense finality telling me not to push the issue.

Silence spread between us, and I drove in the night filled with the adrenaline of everything that had happened. I wasn't sure if this man sitting in my backseat was going to kill me, rape me or step out of my car and walk away when all this was over. I was completely intrigued by his story and couldn't help but wonder what would put him in the situation we were currently facing.

"Alright," his voice startled me. "Pull over here."

I pulled the car over to the side of the road and waited for further instructions.

Logan clamored his way up into the passenger's seat and sat across from me.

"Tanisha," he started. "Like I told you before, I don't want any trouble. Here is $5,000 for your trouble so far." He handed me a wad of bills.

I was floored. I couldn't think of anything to say. He really is a polite kidnapper. This was the most bizarre night of my life.

I was finally able to get a good look at him. He was incredibly handsome. His skin was extremely fair, more fair than your typical white guy, but it was a smooth cream color. His jaw line was firm and strong, giving him the athletic and toned look, automatically drawing me to him. His hair was dark and course, which he kept shaggy and messy.

With the money in my hand, I wasn't exactly sure what was coming next. Was I free to drive away? I wasn't completely sure. I know I wanted to know more.

"Tanisha," he spoke again, "now you know I am genuine, I will give you another $5,000 if you'll do me a favor. I need more help and you can help me. There are some people after me, which will make it hard for me to be seen anywhere. So I can't get a place for the night. If you'll check me into a hotel, using your name and money, I'll give you the additional $5,000."

I stopped to think for a minute about his proposal. I already had the first five thousand, which for me was a lot of money. I didn't feel threatened by him anymore, so I felt like I was strongly considering his second proposal. He didn't seem dangerous at least to me. I felt that if he was going to do anything to me, he would have done it already. The only nagging thing that was eating away at me was the fact that someone or a group of people were after him, and if that was true, then there had to be something about him that was bad.

But in the end, I decided that an additional five thousand dollars would be really nice and my instincts were telling me that everything would work out okay. Then again I did not want to see what would happen if I did refuse.

"Alright," I said looking over to Logan. "I'll do it. Let's find a hotel."

"I've got one picked out," Logan replied. "It's just down the road, not far from here."

We drove down the road and parked. Logan stayed in the backseat, trying to stay hidden from anyone else while I checked in using my I.D. and cash.

"Hi, can I get a room?" I asked the front desk manager.

"Yeah, sure. Just for one?" he replied staring at a computer screen.

"Uh, yeah just one," I glanced around noticing a small television playing in the corner.

I immediately noticed that an emergency message was playing interrupting the regularly scheduled program. I couldn't hear the announcer speaking, but pictures of Logan flashed multiple times on the screen with the banner "FBI Manhunt" running across the screen.

My word, what have you got yourself into Tanisha?

*

"Cash or card?" the clerk asked bringing my attention back to the front desk and away from the television.

I turned a little disheveled from seeing Logan on the news. "Oh, yeah, sorry. Uh, cash." I fumbled through my purse and wallet to get the cash I needed to pay for the room. Almost bringing out the wad of $5000 in front of the man due to my nervousness.

"You all right?" he asked as I struggled to get the money together.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Sorry. I think I'm just a little tired. It's been kind of a long night," I replied finally regaining my composure and handing him the money. I gave him a reassuring smile and waited for the keys to the room.

"I can understand that," he said pulling out the keys to the room. "Alright, you're in room #6. It's just down that way," he pointed down to the left. "Check out is at eleven in the morning. If you need anything let me know. I'll be here all night, just call or stop by."

"Thanks. I'm sure I'll be fine. Just a bed to sleep on is what I'm looking for," I smiled and waved as I walked out the door. I thought about what I'd seen on the television. I still had my first cut of the cash he had given me. Logan was in my car, but I could still run.

I could even call him in and wait for the FBI or police to show up and "save me" from him. But everything told me that it wasn't right. Every instinct told me that there was more to this story than what I had seen on the television. I actually felt safe around this man and my mother always told me never to believe everything you see on TV. I decided not to walk out on Logan even though every logical part of me told me I was crazy for even beginning to think I should stay. My head was telling me to run, but my heart was telling me to stay. I can never say no to my heart.

I walked to the car and grabbed my purse. "Room number six," I said. "I'll leave the door unlocked. Just come in through the back or whatever. I told the front that I was alone."

"Alright, thanks." He nodded from the backseat where he had been laying down.

I walked over to the room marked with a brass number six and unlocked the door. It swung open and I smelled the familiar smell of hotel cleaners and freshly laundered sheets and towels. I walked in and made sure to leave the door unlocked for Logan to follow me when the coast was clear.

Again I questioned whether I should lock the door and call the cops. It wouldn't be hard. I could call the front desk and tell the guy everything. I was sure the cops would be here before too long. Logan wouldn't be able to get to me if I locked the door. But again, my instincts told me there was more to the story than a wanted man on the television. I decided to wait it out and see what else I could learn about Logan before walking out. And not to mention I was pretty excited at the prospect of having another five grand in my wallet in the next few minutes.

I sat on an overstuffed chair in the corner and waited for Logan to join me. I thought about turning on the television, but decided against it, knowing that his picture might be plastered on every channel. It might make the situation a little more uncomfortable and complicated if he were to walk in and that were the first thing he saw. I thumbed through a outdated magazine on the table and waited for him.

After a few minutes, Logan quietly and quickly slid through the door, shut and locked it behind him. I waited for him to say something or do something. He walked around the room and seemed to be looking for something or someone. He checked all the windows and looked in the closet and bathroom. I realized then that he hadn't trusted me completely. He was checking to see that we were alone, completely alone.

I sat patiently waiting for him to come to the understanding that we were in fact alone and that he could trust me. When he finally came to that realization, he turned and smiled at me. It was the first time the entire night that I had seen him smile and relax a little.

"Thank you," Logan said.

"For what?" I said.

"For trusting me," he said simply.

I didn't know how to reply, so I just kind of sat in the chair and waited.

"It has been a long time since anyone trusted me, I mean really trusted me. In fact I can't remember the last time. Anyway, I said five grand, so here is your additional five grand. Thank you for all your help. I really appreciate everything you've done." He pulled an additional five thousand dollars from a backpack and handed it to me.

I don't think I had ever seen that kind of money ever in my life before. My bank account was usually down to zero by the middle of the month as I lived from pay check to pay check. It was completely different to hold that kind of money in your hands, instead of seeing the numbers on a screen in the bank. Having money in cash is just different. I just stood there holding the cash in my hands for a minute trying to think of all the things I could do with ten thousand dollars. This was life changing for me.

"Tanisha, I know you must think that I am a bad person, but really I'm not. You must think that I've done terrible things, but I really haven't, I promise. It's just, well it's just complicated, I guess."

"Yeah, I saw, well, let's just say that I know you're in some trouble. What kind of stuff are you caught up in?" I asked.

"It's long and involved, too involved to get into, but I'm just trying to get down to Mexico as soon as I can," Logan said.

"Oh, I see," I said. "Well I guess I'll go then. I hope you make it to Mexico, Logan. Good luck."

"Thanks, Tanisha, you've been a great help. I wish we could have met under different circumstances. I think we could have been good friends." He smiled briefly.

"Have a good night," I said as I approached the door. "Check out is tomorrow by noon." I moved to the door and started to leave. Part of me actually did not want to leave but another part of me wanted to get out and spend this money on some new shoes as soon as possible.

"Tanisha, wait," Logan called.

I hesitated and turned around. "I have another favor to ask of you, if you're interested. Just like last time, I am only asking this of you. It's just a choice."

"I'm listening," I said.

"I have a safety deposit box at a bank close by with a million dollars sitting in it, but I can't go in and get the money. I'm sure the box is being watched by the authorities, so the minute I walk into the bank, I'll be taken. But at the same time, I really need the money, too. But if you went into the bank, no one would suspect you walking into the bank. By the time they realized that you accessed my box, you and I would be long gone and they wouldn't be able to track us anymore."

I didn't respond knowing that he would answer the question that I was wondering.

"Oh, of course sorry I forgot to mention that of the million dollars in there, I would give you a hundred thousand for your help." Logan waited for me to respond.

The number was flashing in front of my face. I couldn't stop seeing the dollar signs as they danced around my head. It almost made me dizzy. If I thought ten thousand dollars was a lot of money, a hundred thousand dollars was something else entirely.

This was an opportunity that I couldn't let go.

"Tanisha?" Logan said, snapping me out of my trance.

"Yes," I replied. "Yes, Logan. I'll do it. I'll come back in the morning and pick you up and we'll go to the safety deposit box."

"Well that is the thing. I can't risk that. I can't risk you leaving and not coming back or letting the authorities know where I am. If you decide that you want to help me tomorrow, you have to stay tonight."

I stopped to think for a minute. It was a strange demand, but I had no one waiting for me at home, no one that would miss me if I didn't make it back tonight. I really didn't have anything for the next few days, so it didn't hurt to hang around. Regardless, Logan intrigued me and I wanted to know more about him. His incredibly toned body was probably part of that reason. I decided that maybe if I stuck around, he would cave in and tell me more about himself and what he was mixed up in that had gotten him in so much trouble.

"Alright, that's fine." I agreed and settled myself down for the night.

"Okay, I only have one last request before I'm done for the night," Logan said.

"Alright, what is it?" I said smiling.

"Handcuffs," he said revealing a set of police style handcuffs.

"What?" I said my smile fading. I did not feel totally comfortable with this request.

"I need to handcuff one hand to the bed while we sleep just to be safe," he said and then approached me and cuffed my hand to the headrest.

It was uncomfortable at first, but after awhile I didn't notice it anymore.

"I'm going to sneak out to the vending machine and get some snacks. Is there anything you want while I'm out there?" Logan asked.

"I'll eat anything, but to be completely honest, I'm not all that hungry, so don't get anything specifically for me," I admitted.

"Alright, well I'm starving, so we'll have to see if I even leave anything for you to eat if you don't request anything specific," he smiled as he left the room.

Once he was gone, I examined the handcuffs closely to see if they were real. I didn't really need to get out of them, but the fact that I was handcuffed to a bed was a little unnerving. I just wanted to know that if I needed to get out of them I could. I pulled at them but they were the real deal. Definitely the type the cops would use and not just bought from some kinky shop. It didn't take long to realize I was stuck and I wasn't going anywhere. I relented to the fact that I would have to remain Logan's prisoner until he decided to let me go, which hopefully was the morning.

Even though I was handcuffed to the bed, with a man I had only just met, I didn't feel scared or upset. He seemed nice and genuine. I hoped that when he came back we could talk more so I could find out exactly what they wanted him for.

Logan returned with a huge pile of snacks from the vending machine. I was shocked by the amount of food he carried back into the room with him. He must have not eaten in ages.

"Do you want any of it?" he motioned to the pile on the bed.

I shook my head, deciding against eating anything, and then watched him devour the entire pile in a matter of minutes. Watching him eat was like watching an animal without the mess. It wasn't gross, but it was fast and an immense amount of food. I was shocked at how fast the food was gone. Sandwiches, chocolates, jerky, all gone within minutes.

He must have noticed me staring because he looked up and his face turned red.

I looked away embarrassed for staring.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have stared," I said looking out the window.

"No, I need to learn to eat slower. I usually can control myself better, but when I get this hungry sometimes it's hard for me to control myself." He gulped down a sports drink.

"You seem different from most people," I started.

"That's because I am different," Logan replied.

"Different isn't always a bad thing," I said carefully.

"No, but most people feel that different is some kind of threat," Logan's voice started to rise and I could see the passion growing within him.

"And is that why people are after you, because you are different?" I asked.

"Never mind, the less you know the better Tanisha." He replied.

"Well, I am handcuffed to a bed right now and tomorrow I am going to help you get a million dollars which might not even be yours. I think I deserve some answers". I shot back.

"Hmmm, OK. Well, it's better if you see for yourself, but once I show you, there is no going back.." he said.

I was confused, wondering what exactly he meant, but then the room filled with heat, like a hot steam. I saw Logan fold down into himself. I wondered for a second if he was hurt or in pain and moved to help him. But then from the heat and steam a new figure arose and transformed. A white grizzly bear, almost like a Polar bear, emerged where Logan had been. The shift was noiseless and beautiful. I watched as man became beast.

I sat in awe and wonder watching this white bear stand before me, knowing that I should be scared and screaming, but instead I was impressed. He was beautiful. Our eyes met and the same eyes that I had seen when I first looked at Logan were the same eyes that I now saw in his bear form.

I did not get long to look at him as Logan then shifted back to his human form and waited for me to say something, but I was so entranced by what I had just seen, that I couldn't think of anything to say.

"I'm sorry, I really should not have done that, did I scare you?" he said.

"No, not at all," I replied. "I thought it was beautiful."

"Really?" he raised his eyebrows.

"Yes, really. You're like a shifter. I thought you were only myth or legend. I never realized that your kind actually existed in real life. Me and my friends used to debate about this at school."

"I am a Werebear and yes, we exist," his voice kind of drifted off.

"I've read stories about your kind before. Plenty of stories before. I used to read werewolf and Vampire erotica stories myself," I admitted feeling a little embarrassed.

"But that's just it, Tanisha. I need you to understand. We are real, and there are more than just me. There are werebears, werewolves and werecats. We are all over the country and that's why I am running. The government is trying to find us all and kill us or at least control us. If they catch someone like me they either kill us, or worse, they will put us in a lab for testing."

"That's awful," I replied.

"I know, and it's all because we are different. They believe that just because we are different and have super human abilities, we are a threat to them. They can't see that we can co-exist peacefully. Maybe we could even help humans." Logan moved around the room pacing.

"Wow, I never even knew." I took a deep breath and sat back against the headboard.

"There are shifters all over the country. You probably know one or even two, and you never even knew. We are very good at hiding ourselves among regular humans. Most of the time, we live our lives so that we would never be identified as a shifter. It's just easier that way. But it's sad because I'm sure that I've encountered other shifters and I didn't know it. I feel like we could have some sort of a comrade, but if we are always in hiding, we won't even know where the shifters are."

"I can't believe that I may have known one, that just seems crazy." I felt a little overwhelmed at the prospect.

"Shifters are good people, most of us anyway. We have no ill intent to do humans any harm. Many of us probably would rather not be shifters if we had the choice, since we are treated so poorly. It's kind of like a disease. Once you've caught the disease and you are infected, you have the disease forever. You can't get rid of it and everyone treats you differently because you have it."

"I can see that," I said nodding my head in understanding.

"I just think that if the rest of society knew about us and about everything we've been through they would see us differently. I think in the end society would be a lot more forgiving and understanding. But the government, they won't even let us make a case. They won't even let us try and tell the rest of the public. They just want to hunt us down and kill us or put us in camps to run tests on us." He continued pacing around the room.

"How long has the government been doing this?" I asked.

"As far as I know, the government has been hunting our kind for at last a hundred years, maybe more. I wish we could find a way to expose the government, but I just don't think that is possible." Logan stopped pacing and came and sat down at the foot of bed.

"I'm sorry that has happened to you. I can't say I understand it at all. It's unfair and completely unacceptable. I saw you on the news tonight. The FBI has a manhunt out for you in the area. Your picture and face are all over the news. We'll have to be careful in order for you not to be caught. Someone is sure to recognize you if they see you." I told him.

"I wondered if you had seen it. I was sure it was all over the television by now. I thought maybe we had avoided all that, but it sounds like it doesn't matter now." Logan looked up at me.

"Logan it doesn't matter now. I know the truth, and they are the enemy, not you. It's awful what they've done to you, and what they'll do to you if you get caught. I'll help you get to Mexico however I can, so that they can't either kill you or experiment on you." I knew that I was taking a huge risk, but I also knew that it was right thing to do. This man before me was not a threat to anyone, he was a victim.

"Thank you, Tanisha. I really appreciate everything you're offering. Hopefully I won't need much help from you." Logan smiled.

"So tell me more about you," I said. "I'm curious about werebears. I obviously don't know a lot."

"Well I am a little different from other werebears. I am what they call a 'Snowbear.' That's why I have the white fur as opposed to any other color. I don't know of any other snowbears that are still alive today. I have heard rumors of a couple of other snowbears in Canada, but I have yet to meet them or truly meet anyone who has ever met them personally, so I'm not sure they even really exist. I hope I'm not the last snowbear to ever live though. It would be sad." His tone changed to become somewhat more nostalgic.

"Why do you say that?" I asked.

"Oh I don't' know, it would just be like being the last of a tribe I guess," he replied with the same sad tone.

"Oh," I said. "So tell me more about being a shifter."

"Well there's not much else, I guess. That's about it, but like I said, the less you know the better." he shrugged his shoulders and turned away. "So what about you? Tell me more about you."

"Oh I'm not that interesting," I began. "I live and work here in Pittsburg, but I wasn't born here. I lived most of my life in Texas, so moving up here was a lot different for me. I only moved up here for school and then stayed up here when I got a good job. I don't mind it though, although I'd like to be closer to my family."

"Texas, huh?" Logan laughed. "I wouldn't have pegged you for a Southern girl."

"I think I've lost most of my Southern charm over the last few years," I laughed, too. "I would move back there in a heartbeat if I had the kind of job I have up here. Maybe after all this, I'll consider moving back there. If anything, the weather sure is better down there. Nothing like the winters up here," I shivered and giggled.

Logan laughed a little, too.

"I guess as a werebear you wouldn't really have to worry about getting too cold, huh?" I asked.

"Well if we could shift as we pleased, sure. But I don't shift very often anymore, so just like you, Miss Texas, I feel the heat and cold."

"Oh," I laughed.

"So what do you enjoy doing?" Logan asked.

"I'm pretty athletic, came in my genes. So I like pretty much any sport, basketball, volleyball, tennis, and I'll even play football."

"Hey me too, although I can't say I'm much into volleyball. I have played on the beach a time or two, but other than that..." his voice trailed off. "It would be fun to play a pick up game of basketball."

"Yeah, that would be fun," I said. "But you better be okay being beaten by a girl," I taunted.

"Oh really?" Logan taunted back.

"Yeah that's right, because I have a pretty mean three-pointer and if you're not watching I'll steal the ball and fast-break down the court for a lay-up before you can blink."

"Oh look who's talking smack. Well I hope all those words come with some real ballin' cause when this is all over, we're gonna have a game and we're gonna see who the real baller is," Logan jeered.

I started laughing. "Bring it on."

Logan nodded his head as he moved around the room pretending to shoot baskets and dribble a basketball. He was so cute.

Chapter2

Logan continued moving around the room joking around about his basketball skills for a while. I watched him as he walked around the room. He wasn't abnormally tall, but he wasn't short either. He seemed an average height, but I could tell even with his clothes on that he was pretty ripped. He looked extremely fit and in shape.

"Do you play at a gym or something?" I asked.

"Nah," he said. "I don't have time for the gym. I just play pick up games with guys I work with."

"So you don't work out?" I asked a little surprised.

"No," he replied obviously a little confused.

"You just look like you work out all the time. I figured you lifted weights at least three or four times a week or something like that." I shrugged my shoulders.

"Oh, that," he said, "it just comes with the territory. I don't have to work out to look like this. I guess it's one perk of being what I am" he smiled.

I laughed. "Pretty good perk," I said. "But that doesn't explain your amazing basketball skills, or do werebears also come with those skills, too?" I joked.

Logan laughed. "Well, I've had plenty of time to hone my skills," he said kidding around.

"Really?" I asked. "I'm sure you've had about the same amount of time as me. Probably around twenty some odd years, I'm guessing. You can't be more than in your late twenties," I said guessing.

"That's how old you think I am?" Logan said becoming more serious.

"Well yeah," I said. "Are you older than that?" I asked.

"A little," he said.

"Thirty?" I asked.

He didn't reply.

"You can't be forty," I said astonished.

He still didn't reply.

"No way," I sat in awe. I looked across his face, looking for signs of age, and saw none. He looked youthful and full of life. His hair was a beautiful wavy dark brown with no signs of greying like most forty year old men that I knew. Nothing about Logan even began to hint that he was over thirty, let alone over forty.

"Werebears don't age like most people. I'm actually well over a hundred. I'm probably older than your grandmother, or even your great-grandmother."

"How is that possible?" I asked.

"Well you stay the age you are when you are infected, so I will look this way forever, even though mentally I continue to age," Logan explained.

"Wow, that's so crazy," I said trying to take everything in.

"Sorry, I guess I shouldn't just tell you everything. It's a lot for one person to take in all at once," he said understanding my position.

"Yeah, I've just never really been in a position like this before," I admitted. "I have so many questions, but at the same time, I feel like my head is reeling with new information, too."

"Yeah, maybe we should just talk about normal stuff for awhile. It'll be easier for both of us," Logan said.

"Sure," I said.

An awkward silence spread between us, as we both tried to think of something else to talk about.

"So what about work?" I asked. "Do you work, or did you work?"

"Yeah, I've had odd jobs here and there," he said. "Mostly I tried to do things that would keep me off the radar though. Things like construction or working on oil rigs. I changed jobs every six months to a year. I have always tried not to stay in one place to long. It's hard, but I've always been a little transient, it's just easier that way."

"Sure, I understand," I said. "So if you could choose any job in the world to do, what would you choose?"

"That's a tough question," Logan pondered for a moment before answering. "I think I would have to choose some sort of engineer. I love the way things work together. I love to build things mechanically and make them work together. But being an engineer requires a lot of work and education. I've never been one to be able to put the time into something like that."

"Oh," I replied.

"So what about you?" he asked.

"Huh?" I asked.

"If you could do any job in the world, what would you do?"

"Oh, that's an easy question for me," I replied. "I would be a fashion designer, hands down. But being a fashion designer is a hard field to break in to. It either takes knowing someone, or having incredible luck, both of which, I have found that I don't have in life." I smiled.

"Well maybe with the money you'll get from me, your luck might change," Logan said.

"Maybe," I said.

I let my mind start to daydream about what I could do with the money I was going to receive from Logan the following day. As my mind wandered, I thought about all the things that had been going sour in my life lately, and hoped with the money that things might begin to look up.

"So have you been in many relationships?" I asked trying to keep the conversation going. "I mean are there many werebears to have relationships with?"

"Well, no, uh," Logan looked down at the ground, "not really. I keep to myself mostly. It's easier that way I guess. I mean I have friends sometimes. But not really girlfriends."

I immediately felt bad for asking the question. "Oh, well don't worry. I don't have any luck with relationships either. All the relationships I've ever been in have always turned out sour. I always seem to find the terrible guys." I looked over to him hoping to have made things better. "I can't remember the last time I went out with a genuinely nice guy that didn't have ill intentions of some sort." I shrugged my shoulders.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Tanisha. If it means anything I think you one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen," Logan admitted, but I could see that he looked a little embarrassed as he said it. "All those other guys must be crazy to have treated you that way. I can't imagine for one second taking advantage of someone like you." He seemed so genuine as he spoke, but even as he said it, my caution flags flew in front of my face.

I had been here before. Other guys had said things like this to me before and I had fallen for it only to be hurt. Should I really put myself out there again with someone else? Was I ready to be hurt again?

Logan stood and walked away from me. "It's hard for me to have relationships with anyone, let alone women, Tanisha. I can't ever have a normal relationship with someone. I can't live the typical family life with someone. I can't love someone and get married and have children. If I were to have children, they would carry my condition. I could never condemn my children to this fate." He shook his head as he spoke. "I have always wanted children, but to think that I would be passing this kind of life onto them, is something I could never do to another person. That is why I can't subject myself to fall in love with someone else. It's just too hard for me." He ran his hands through his dark brown hair outwardly showing his frustration.

I sat on the bed and listened to him speak. It was hard to listen to him, knowing that he was so passionate about what he was saying, but also knowing that I was falling for him at the same time. I wanted to be with him, hold him, tell him that everything would be okay. I wanted him to know that we would figure things out, together.

"Logan," I began, "I want you to know..." I couldn't think of what else to say. I wanted to say something to let him know how I felt, but the words wouldn't come.

He turned to look at me, and our eyes met. I felt the power of our emotions move between us like electricity. I knew that he understood what I wanted to say.

Logan moved over to the bed. At first he sat at my feet. I could feel his body heat radiating on my skin. I wanted to feel his touch, to know what his skin felt like against mine.

He slid closer to me, our eyes locked. I reassured him that I wanted this. I put my hand on his and squeezed gently. He leaned in to my mouth and gently touched his lips to mine. His lips were soft and wet. His kisses were playful at first, but soon became more and more passionate. I felt the hunger inside me growing as we continued kissing.

His body moved on top of mine, and he thrust hard against me. I felt the weight of his body against my own. I pulled at his shirt with my free arm until I revealed his bare chest. It was obvious that he worked out now that I saw him with his shirt off. I felt my body ache for him.

I placed my hand at the small of his back and pulled him down on top of me again and again, rubbing myself against him feeling my own arousal mounting. Logan nibbled gently on my ear before sucking on my neck.

I moaned loudly.

His hands pushed my shirt and bra up and over my head, leaving my breasts exposed. Logan took my nipple between two fingers and rolled it gently back and forth until it became hard for him. Again I couldn't help but moan aloud in pleasure. He continued playing with my nipples, sucking on them and squeezing them with his hands as I felt him become harder and harder.

His hand moved and unbuttoned my pants. He forced his way inside and rubbed gently against me with his fingers. With his other hand, he pushed my pants to my ankles where I easily kicked them free of my legs to the floor. I spread my legs wide for him, giving him full access to my body.

I felt his lips kiss my neck and begin to work their way down my body. As if Logan was trying to tease me, his tongue created a trail from my breasts to my pubis. It had been so long since I had been with a man who was going to take care of my needs first.

"Yes, don't stop now" I moaned.

Using his fingers Logan separated my pussy lips and found my clitoris. At first Logan began to suck on my clitoris, the arousal was overwhelming. As my clit began to swell I felt Logan transition the sucking into licking. His tongue flickering over my clitoris again-and-again the orgasmic pleasure stirred inside my loins. I grabbed the back of this head and pulled at his hair as my body convulsed.

"Oh my god, I'm cumming" I yelled.

Suddenly, the heat in the room became almost overwhelming as we shifted positions and Logan lifted me effortlessly on top of him. His body felt different somehow, but in the dark, all I could feel was the passion between us. I wanted to feel his cock inside me.

I realized that I was still handcuffed to the bed, but the bondage made everything even more hot. Part of me wished my other hand was handcuffed as well. I pulled at the handcuff as my pleasure mounted, feeling the handcuff dig into my wrist enjoying the pain.

I reached up with my free hand to stroke his body, and realized that I was grabbing fur. He had shifted to be half bear half man. It didn't matter, I wanted him inside my wet swollen pussy. I let out a moan of pure pleasure as in the same instant I felt him inside my wetness. His cock was enormous and he thrust deeper and harder than any man I'd ever been with.

"Harder," I groaned, knowing he could give me more.

He thrust again as my pleasure continued to mount.

"Yes, again, again," I whispered, barely able to breathe.

I searched for part of him to grab and pull him deeper into me. I felt every part of myself aching for more. I knew I was close to cumming again, and this last thrust would take me over the threshold. I needed it to be hard and deep.

"Fuck me as hard as you can!" I cried.

I brought my body to his and felt chills spread across my entire body, filling myself with orgasmic pleasure like I had never experienced before. I couldn't help but shudder as I finished.

I felt Logan pull away from me, but I didn't let him. I pulled him back toward me and curled my body into his, letting his body cover me like a blanket. I stroked his white fur gently back and forth as I felt his heart racing and tried to calm my own breathing down. I took deep breaths and waited until both of us seemed to have calmed down. After a while, we both drifted off to sleep.

At some point, I woke up and Logan had shifted back to his human form. I noticed that he had unhandcuffed me, too. I reached down and pulled a blanket up over both of us and fell back asleep still curled up in his arms.

Chapter3

In the morning, I woke still cuddled in Logan's muscular arms. I looked up at him and stared at the man I had been with the night before. I noticed his strong jaw line and the way his dark hair fell across his face as he slept. He looked so young and peaceful, but then I remembered our conversation from the night before. I couldn't believe that he was really as old as my grandmother. I didn't mind that he was that old as he did not look old, but it did feel a little odd to think about.

I felt as though I could have stayed there for hours, but one glance at the clock told me we had to get moving. It was already nine-thirty, and we had a full day ahead of us. My rustling woke Logan as well.

"Morning," he said smiling.

"Hi," I said smiling back.

"Did you sleep okay?" he asked.

"I slept just fine," I replied.

"That's good. I took off the handcuff," he said, "but it looks like you'll have a bit of a mark for awhile."

I looked down at my wrist. It was obvious where the handcuff had been. While we had made love, I must have pulled hard enough to break the skin. "It's okay, I don't mind," I said smiling.

"Sorry, I guess I really didn't need to handcuff you after all," he said looking a little sheepish.

"Logan, really it's okay," I said trying to reassure him that it was alright.

"I know that I have already asked so much of you, but can I ask something else as well?" Logan asked as he moved about the room gathering things.

"Sure of course," I said.

"After this, will you drive me to the border? I have a private jet waiting for me at an airport to take me across to Mexico. After we stop at the bank, we can start the drive. I know it is asking a lot, but would you do that for me?" Logan looked over at me, and his eyes won me over.

"Yeah, I'd love to," I said, knowing that I'd enjoyed the time we'd spent together so far, and hoping to spend a few more days together before we had to say goodbye.

"I really appreciate it," Logan said. "I will make it worth your time. I promise." He looked at me, and I knew that he was being honest.

"Logan, you are already doing so much for me. I don't need anything else. I am enjoying our time together. It's nice just to have someone to be with that I don't feel is using me."

"And I don't want you to feel that I'm using you, Tanisha. I know that I'm asking you to help me with a lot of things right now, but I do enjoy being with you, too. It's been nice to get to know you and be with you. You don't know how long it has been since I have been with someone. I just don't have a lot of people in my life that I can trust like that." He looked around the room.

"I'm glad you feel like you can trust me, Logan. I want to be with you and help you out for as long as we can be together. I know that the time is short, but I'm enjoying it. Don't feel like you need to repay me for the favors." I was being genuinely honest.

"We will just take everything one step at a time. For now, we need to get to the bank and see about getting the money out of the safety deposit box. That's our first step of the day. Do you think you're still up for the task?" he asked.

"Yes, of course," I replied. "Just let me take a quick shower and clean up a bit. I feel a little gross."

"Sure, of course. I'll just watch some television until you're ready to take off. Maybe I am still on the news."

I tried to hurry as fast as I could, getting ready. I stared at myself in the mirror for a few minutes though just taking in everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours. If I had any sense at all, I would run out of the room and head for the police station as fast as my car would take me. But all my emotions told me otherwise. I couldn't leave now. I was emotionally invested in this, and I felt a pretty strong connection to Logan. It wasn't just the sex either, although it had been by far the best sex I'd ever had.

Logan was different, different from any guy I'd ever been with. There was just something about him that made everything feel good about my own life. I couldn't quite put my finger on it yet, but something felt right about being with him.

After I was finally ready to go, we gathered our things and made a quick plan.

"I'll head out to the car alone, and then I'll pull around back and you can meet me there," I suggested to Logan as I checked the room to make sure I had everything.

"Sounds good to me. Just make sure that no one is following you, or even looks suspicious. If so, just drive away."

"Then what about you?" I asked.

"Well let's set a meeting point. How about a block away down that way," he pointed in a direction away from the hotel.

"Alright, sounds good." I stated as I pulled my car keys out of my purse.

I left the room first and went out to my car. I looked around cautiously to see if anyone looked suspicious, but I didn't see anyone. So I pulled the car around to the back and waited patiently for Logan to join me where we had agreed I would pick him up. It didn't take too long before I saw him slink carefully out of the room and around the back. He made his way carefully to the car and into the passengers seat. It wasn't much of an exit, but I was pretty sure we left without anyone noticing Logan or that I had anyone else in my room.

We drove back into town and to the bank where Logan's safety deposit box was located. Logan gave me all the information I needed to access the box. We parked a few blocks away in order to avoid being seen by anyone.

"If anyone seems to notice you, just run back to car without accessing the box. It's not that important. Don't get caught," Logan told me.

"Okay," I said nervously.

"You'll be fine. They'll never expect that I'd be working with someone like you," he said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I said a little hurt.

"Sorry, it's not what it came out like," Logan tried to back peddle, "they just won't suspect a black woman to be helping me, that's all."

"Whatever," I got out of the car, not quite sure how to take that comment.

"Tanisha," he called after me.

"Logan, it's fine. Let's just get this over with," I said as I slammed the door.

I put on my sunglasses and walked toward the building with the information tucked safely in my pocket. As I turned the corner and approached the front of the building, I started to notice all the "undercover" agents lurking around the building. They were easy to spot. I tried to seem as calm as possible as I walked into the building, even though my heart was racing and I could feel my breaths becoming shorter. But the agents didn't even look at me twice. I breathed a short sigh of relief as I pulled open the door and walked inside.

I pulled off my sunglasses, letting my eyes adjust to the change of light. A television blared in the corner. Logan's picture was plastered on the screen. There was a reward of a million dollars now just for information. I was shocked. I stood there for a brief moment staring at the screen. A million dollars – that was a lot of money. Of course I was tempted just for a moment, but I couldn't do it. I knew what they would do to him if I turned him over. It was inhumane. They would kill him or turn him into some kind of human experiment. Either way, I knew that it wasn't worth a million dollars in my bank account to see that happen to anyone. Even living a life of luxury, I wouldn't be able to live with myself, knowing that I had turned him in to a fate like that. I turned away from the television and walked toward the front desk of the bank where I would need to give the required information.

There were multiple agents posted inside as well. Again, they didn't seem to notice me. I watched as they targeted two other individuals that were inside the bank instead. I was relieved that they were there. It was going to make my job easier. I noticed that they had cornered the two individuals and were starting to ask them questions. I tried not to stare, but one of them was making quite a scene. It was a woman and she was acting quite offended for being targeted. I think her attitude only raised more questions with the FBI agents. Maybe Logan was right and being black would help.

I continued walking slowly to the front desk and pulled my gaze away from the woman as the FBI agents were escorting her to a small room off the lobby.

"Good morning, how may I help you?" a man stood behind the counter looking a little flustered with all the commotion.

"Morning," I said trying to keep my voice calm and act normal. "I need to access my safety deposit box."

"Sure of course, do you have the box number?" he asked.

"1307," I said still trying to keep my cool.

I saw his face contort slightly as I said the number of the box, but he said nothing about it.

"Do you have your key?" he asked.

"Yes," I said trying to sound confident. I wondered for a moment if all of these questions were standard or if he was beginning to interrogate me because I was accessing Logan's box.

"Alright, I will just have you sign in the register, please fill in all the boxes with your information and then I'll escort you back." He turned around a book with places for my name, signature, the date, time and box number.

Logan had warned me about this and told me I wouldn't be able to falsify my information. The man would ask for my driver's license or passport after I had written down the information to verify that it was the same. I quickly wrote down all the information and spun the book around for him to see.

"Great, thank you, Miss Barnes. Do you have an identification with you that I can verify your information? Like a drivers license or passport?" he asked politely.

"Yes, of course," I quickly dug in my purse for my wallet where I was able to retrieve my license. I handed it to him where he inspected it for what felt like hours. I tried to keep myself calm, telling myself that everything was going to be fine, but I couldn't tell if he was stalling or trying to make this take longer than it normally would. Every second seemed to take minutes and every minute seemed to take hours.

Finally he handed back my license. I shoved it back in my wallet. "Please follow me," he said leading the way back to the safety deposit boxes. As we walked I felt my knees knocking together nervously. I had to take deep breaths to keep myself from hyperventilating.

"Please wait here, I will bring your box to you." He walked away to a separate room. I could see him the entire time behind a gate as he accessed the box and pulled it from the wall. The box was larger than I had expected it to be. I reached into my pocket and felt the key tucked safely inside. I waited as he brought the box back out of the gated room and into the room where I sat comfortably on a chair in front of table.

He brought the box back and placed it in front of me on the table.

"Thank you," I said politely.

"Of course, mam. If you need anything, I will be out front. When you are finished, please press the button by the door and I will come back and replace the box. I will also need you to sign the register again as you leave."

"Yes of course," I said as he left the room.

I quickly unlocked the box to see the contents inside. A large rucksack had been stuffed inside. I'm not sure what I had expected to see, knowing that Logan had told me a million dollars was in there, but I had hoped it would have been a little less bulky and inconspicuous.

Regardless, I didn't have time to sit and examine the contents of the bag. I pulled it from the box, a little overwhelmed by the weight. Not that I had ever carried a million dollars before, but it sure felt heavier than just money. I shut the box quickly and re-locked it. I pressed the button by the door and waited for the man to come back.

Part of me expected him to come back with the FBI agents, but he came back alone.

"Finished?" he said taking a look at the rucksack I had slung around my shoulder.

"Yes, thank you," I replied.

"Alright, let me put the box away for you," he said.

"I'll just make my way back out if that's alright," I said. "I won't forget to sign the register as I leave." I said a little playfully putting my hand on his shoulder teasingly.

"Yes, of course that's fine," he said smiling back at me.

I had no idea if that was normal protocol, but I was glad that my womanly charm had done the trick to get me out of there. I walked quickly to the front and signed the register indicating my time of departure from the bank.

I looked around for the undercover FBI agents and didn't see them. There were either still questioning the other woman, or were off doing something else. I was grateful they weren't out in the deserted lobby as I practically ran to the exit.

I knew that I wasn't out of the woods yet. Now I had to get back to the car and Logan with a huge bag slung around my shoulder. I was sure to raise a little attention from some of the FBI agents as I exited the bank just for the nature of the bag.

I pulled out my sunglasses and tried to walk normally as I could. I dropped the bag to my side hoping to shield it's size somewhat as I walked. It was bulky and awkward. As it brushed against my leg, something continually jabbed me that sure didn't feel like cash. Again I wondered what else might be in the bag other than the cash.

As I walked I kept expecting to be surrounded by fifteen or twenty FBI agents. I thought that maybe they had let me go inside and get whatever was inside the safety deposit box just so they could seize its contents. For a second, I thought that I had been so stupid to think they wouldn't take notice of me. Now they were just waiting for the perfect moment to take me in. Were they watching me now just to lead them back to Logan. I felt myself becoming paranoid the further away I got from the bank. I hadn't had a single person approach me. It seemed unreal that they wouldn't have even asked me any questions. Everything seemed too good to be true. I started to look behind me and around me wondering where all the FBI agents were hiding.

In the end, I walked around the corner and no one even approached me. No one followed me and no one talked to me. Perhaps Logan didn't have the smartest FBI agents after him, because I was able to turn the corner, and was pretty sure no one was following me. I glanced behind me multiple times, but I felt pretty confident that I had made it. Relief spread through me and I took a deep breath as I turned back around.

As I turned back around I was startled when suddenly a man appeared in front of me out of nowhere.

"Excuse me, mam," he said quickly, "do you have the time?"

"Uh," I was caught off-guard and unsure how to respond for a second, "I'm sorry, I don't." I noticed that he was dressed in normal clothing and didn't look at all like any of the FBI agents, so I wasn't worried about that. He flashed a smile at me, that kind of smile that creeped me out. I thought maybe he was hitting on me or something. More than anything, I just wanted to get passed him and back to the car and Logan. I quickly sidestepped him and continued walking.

"Excuse me, I can't help but notice that you are wearing a watch. I just asked you for the time. Is it that hard to look at your watch and give me the time?" his tone changed a little as he pressed me for the time.

"Oh, I'm sorry," I said startled by his brashness. "I don't normally wear it," I looked down at my wrist, "It's 10:33," I said.

"Where is he?" he snarled grabbing my arm as I looked back up.

I knew immediately that this man was not FBI, but I wasn't sure what he was. I looked into his eyes and saw that they were blood red and the longer I refused to reply, the more angry he became. And the more angry he became, the more his face contorted. His teeth were sharp and jagged reminding me of a wild animal. He had hair that was shaggy and unkempt. His sideburns connected with his beard which was long and scraggly. He looked horrifying. Everything about him reminded me of something, but I wasn't quite sure what.

I was unsure what to do for a moment. I didn't want to turn on Logan, but I also didn't know if this thing would harm me in order to find Logan.

"Where is he?" he hissed into my ear as he grabbed me with both arms. I dropped the rucksack to the ground and struggled against his grip. I felt his hands tighten and squeeze harder and he continued to ask for Logan's location.

I still refused to speak, both out of terror and loyalty.

The man began to shake me, as he yelled, "Where is he? Come on, you bitch. I know you know where he is, just tell me."

For a brief moment, I thought he would tear my body apart limb from limb from the fierceness of his shaking. I wanted to scream, to run, to do anything to get away from him, but I couldn't do anything. I was no match for him or his strength. I felt the life being squeezed from my body, and even if I had wanted to speak, I don't think my lungs would have worked.

Then a flash of color, a blur and a rush of air came back into my lungs. I felt my body collapse onto the hard concrete sidewalk, but I welcomed the feeling compared to what I had just experienced. Through my blurred vision, I saw my white bear use super human strength to throw the man to the other end of the block with ease.

I felt my body picked up, and at first I assumed it was Logan, but the scent was unfamiliar to me. I smelled blood and dirt. I knew that Logan didn't smell like that. For the second time in twenty-four hours I felt a gun pointed at the side of my head.

"Don't move, or I will shoot you," a second man hissed in my ear.

I stood stark still, believing that this man really would shoot me if I moved. I shifted my gaze to look at Logan who was just turning around from sending the other man down the block.

"We don't want her, we want you," the man said still holding the gun to my head.

"So take that gun away from her head and turn it toward me," Logan snarled back.

"That's not exactly how this works, Logan," the man curled his upper lip into a smile and wrapped his hand gingerly around the gun.

"Is this pretty thing someone special to you? Do you care about her, Logan?" the man picked up a piece of my hair and twirled it in his fingers. I shuddered at his touch.

"Don't touch her," Logan said protectively.

"Oh, so she does mean something to you," he confirmed. "Well then we will be able to make an easy trade here."

"I'm listening," Logan said through clenched teeth.

"We will walk back to wherever you have your car stowed. I will escort our little lady here and you will walk in front of us. Any funny business and she gets shot."

"And then?" Logan said.

"And then we'll discuss our plan from there," he said. "For now we walk, you first." He waved his gun at Logan indicating for him to start walking.

But the man had made his mistake. He had taken the gun away from my head just long enough for Logan to make his move. I had a hard time even processing everything as it happened so fast.

Logan moved in between me and the man. I heard snarling and growling back and forth. The next sound I heard was a gunshot. I felt a warm sticky sensation spread across my face and arms. I reached up to touch my face and pulling my hand away, I saw that it was coated with blood. I immediately thought of myself and wondered if I had been shot somewhere, but I felt no pain. I looked around me, and saw that blood was oozing from a wound in Logan's shoulder.

Logan turned to face me and I briefly saw the other man was crumpled to the ground in the fetal position. I hadn't seen what Logan had done to him, but whatever it was, he wasn't moving. Logan quickly picked me up with his uninjured arm and swiftly moved back to the car. My mind was focused on Logan's shoulder where he had been shot.

"Come on, we have to get going," he said quickly. "All the chaos and noise will have alerted the FBI. I'm sure they will find their way here soon. We need to get out here now."

"But Logan, you're hurt," I clamored still looking at his shoulder.

"We'll deal with it once we are safe. For now, don't worry about it," his tone was commanding and final. We arrived at the car. "I need you to drive," he said.

"Okay," I said staring at his arm.

"Tanisha, look at me," he said drawing my eyes up to his own, "We need to get away from here, and I need you to drive us. Can you do that?"

"Yes," I said confidently, trying to ignore the blood running down his arm and dripping onto the ground.

"Alright, let's go," he turned and jumped into the passenger's seat as I started the car and drove away.

Chapter4

Logan leaned his head back against the headrest as I drove us out of town and toward the southern border. I drove as fast as I felt was safe, hoping that we would be able to pull over soon and work on his arm. I glanced at him every few seconds to make sure he was doing okay.

His blood was starting to make a small pool on the floor of the car. The smell of fresh blood filled the car with a metallic aroma that made me want to vomit.

"We need to get further out of town before we stop," Logan spoke weakly. "I will be fine, just keep calm and continue driving, Tanisha."

"But Logan, your arm, we need to get you some help," I said feeling the desperation coming out in my voice.

"Stay calm Tanisha. I will be just fine, but we need to keep driving. It won't do either of us any good if we get caught. Just keep driving for awhile. I'll tell you when we can stop."

"You're losing so much blood," I said worried for him.

"It'll be fine," he said calmly.

I couldn't understand how he could be so calm about being shot. I wanted to scream at him, tell him he was crazy, but then again he was the one who had been shot and was slowly bleeding to death in my car.

It was then as I drove that I realized he had taken a bullet for me. He had saved my life. I suddenly felt extremely indebted to him. I wanted to say something, but couldn't think of the right words to thank him for what he had done for me. I looked over at him to try and convey my feelings, but I saw that his face was contorted in pain. I realized that now was not the time.

"Okay, pull over at the next exit. Let's find a secluded place to work." He said between clenched teeth.

"You don't want to go to a hospital?" I asked.

"No way," I could tell that he was smiling and trying not to laugh since it probably hurt to laugh.

I didn't quite understand why my question was funny, but I didn't think now was the time for more questions and explanations.

I quickly took the next exit and scanned the area for an abandoned building or even a closed restaurant where we could park in the back. After driving for a minute or two, I found an abandoned warehouse that I thought would work just fine. I pulled off into a side parking lot and waited for Logan to give me further instructions.

"Okay, this is going to require both of us," he explained. "I'm going to need you to do another favor for me."

"Okay, what can I do?" I asked anxiously.

"I'm going to need you to remove the bullet from my shoulder," he said as he gingerly lifted his arm to better position for me to reach over.

"What?!" I asked.

"I need you to remove the bullet," he explained. "Normally I would do it myself, but where the bullet is positioned, I can't quite reach it. I'll need your help to get the bullet out. Do you think you can do that for me?"

"I've never done anything like that before?" I said feeling nervous and anxious.

"It's okay, I'll guide you. It's not too bad." He said reassuring me.

"Should I just use my fingers?" I asked.

"Probably, I think it's the best tool we have here," he looked around the car briefly before nodding his head. "Now it's going to hurt me, but don't stop once you're in there. Just keep digging at it until you are able to fish it out. No matter what I say or do, just get the bullet out," he looked at me for affirmation.

"Okay," I said hesitantly.

"Alright, I'm ready," he grabbed his shirt, wadded it up and bit down on it.

I grimaced as I stuck two fingers into the wound. The feeling of his torn flesh between my fingers made me sick to my stomach. I tried not to think about what I was doing. I couldn't watch myself dig through his skin, muscles and tendons to find the bullet. Luckily it didn't take long before my fingers hit something hard and out of place among the warm feeling of his body.

I wrapped my fingers around the bullet and started to slowly back my way out of the wound.

I could see the pain on Logan's face as he bit down harder on his shirt. Tears surfaced on his eyelids and his face was completely red. I wanted this to be over, so I pulled the bullet free from his skin and took a deep breath. I realized that I had been holding my breath the entire time and felt a little light headed. I don't know if it was from the lack of oxygen or the entire experience, but I had to turn away and concentrate on myself for a second in order to keep myself from passing out.

I turned back in time to see Logan place his hand on his shoulder and press gently. The area became red like it was being burned. I saw Logan shift to his werebear form and continue pressing his hand to the wound.

I watched dumbfounded, wondering what was happening. I had thought that we were going to remove the wound and then use his shirt to dress it or something. I was completely taken aback.

It didn't take long before he shifted back to his human form and removed his hand from where the wound had been. There wasn't a mark on his skin. It was as if he had never been shot. I reached out to touch it and could still feel the heat from where the healing had taken place. Logan didn't prevent me from touching his shoulder, but he did grimace slightly as I touched it.

"Sorry," I said.

"It's just a little tender for a few hours," he said.

"Logan, how did you-," I stumbled over the right thing to say, "I mean what just happened?" I said trying to collect my thoughts.

"I healed myself. It's part of being a shifter. I have the ability to heal myself. I couldn't have the bullet inside when I healed or it would have been stuck in there. I needed it removed beforehand, that's why I needed your help. But with knife wounds or something like that, it's much simpler," he brushed it off like it was no big deal.

"You just healed yourself. For anyone else, Logan, that would have required major medical attention. We would have needed to go to a hospital or something, but you were able to make it like it never happened. Do you realize," I never got to finish my question.

"Tanisha let it go. Yes, I know, it's different. A lot of things about me are different, okay."

Logan seemed a little annoyed with my fascination so I let it go.

"We should probably get back on the road. We don't want to waste any more time," Logan said.

"Yeah, sure," I said.

"Do you want me to drive?" he offered.

"It doesn't matter, I can drive or you can if you're feeling up to it," I looked over to see if he was okay. I wondered if he had lost a lot of blood and that had any sort of affect on him.

"I can drive," he said.

We quickly changed positions and Logan got us back on the highway. After a while of driving in silence, I tried to make conversation.

"So... can werebears like you actually die?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Well, you had the ability to heal yourself, like with the gunshot wound, so I just wondered, if you were like immortal ya know?"

"Oh, that's too complicated of a question," he answered.

"We have a long car ride," I offered.

"You ask a lot of questions, and you probably already know too much as it is," he sighed.

A kind of awkward silence filled the car, and I didn't know what to say for a while. I didn't think that Logan was going to say anything, so I figured it was up to me to make the conversation. So started to think of things to say.

"So who was that back there? Obviously, not the FBI, right?" I asked.

"Yeah, they weren't the FBI," Logan replied.

I waited for him to say more.

"It's not just the FBI that is after me. There are others," he admitted, but he didn't say anything else.

"Others? Like other shifters? I mean, I couldn't tell for sure when he was holding me, but he didn't look," I struggled to find the right word to describe him, "well he didn't look human, I guess."

"Yeah, he was a shifter," Logan affirmed my suspicions. "They both were. You probably didn't get a chance to know with the second guy, but the first was."

"Was he a werebear like you?" I asked curiously.

"No," Logan said. "A werebear would know better than to attack another werebear in broad daylight."

"Oh," I said feeling confused. "He felt so animalistic, like," I paused trying to gather my thoughts, "like a wolf. Was he a werewolf?"

"Yes," Logan sounded a little exasperated.

"Why were they after you? What do they want with you?" I continued to probe him with questions.

"The less you know right now, the better, Tanisha," he said with sense of finality that made me feel like I couldn't ask more questions.

We drove in silence for a long time. I tried to think of other things to say, but nothing came to me.

"It's getting late, and I'm getting pretty tired. Are you tired?" Logan asked.

"I'm definitely not wide awake," I admitted.

"So we probably shouldn't have you drive either," Logan said smiling.

"No, probably not. I wouldn't make it very far before we'd end up in a ditch." I said jokingly.

" What do you think about getting a hotel room for the night and continuing the drive in the morning?" Logan asked.

"Since I'm not offering to drive, I think that sounds like a great idea." I replied.

We drove around until we found a hotel. We followed the same drill as the night before. I went in a checked us in using cash and then went to the room. A few minutes later, Logan came around the back to join me.

"Everything go okay?" Logan asked as he came in the room.

"Yep, everything seemed normal and fine," I said moving about the room.

Logan plopped himself on the bed propping up pillows to make himself more comfortable.

"Do you want the remote?" I asked picking up the television's remote control from the table by the door.

"Yeah, that would be great," he said as I tossed him the remote.

He turned on the television and started flipping through the channels. There wasn't much on and it seemed like quite a few of the local channels were still broadcasting alerts about him and now me as well. I can't say I was surprised that I had been linked with Logan. Most reports were talking about me being taken as a prisoner or possible hostage, but it was unconfirmed. If we were seen we were not to be approached though. Neither of us were to be trusted. It made me smile. I somewhat enjoyed the thrill of the hunt and chase. I wondered what my friends would make of this news report.

"Come over here and sit with me," Logan pointed to the spot next to him on the bed. "We can pick something to watch together, something less depressing."

"Yeah, sure," I said.

I made my way over to the bed and crawled up next to him. He opened up his arms and I snuggled up next to him. There was just something nice about being next to him, feeling the warmth of his body next to mine and the touch of his skin.

"I'll just continue flipping through the channels. If you see something you want to watch, just say something," he said.

"Alright," I nodded but I was more interested in other things.

"You said in the car that werebears and dying is a complicated question," I said. "But answer just one thing for me. Could you have died today by taking that bullet for me?"

"Yes and no," he replied. "I can die by being shot, but it depends on where I am shot. In the shoulder, no. Does that answer your question."

"Yes, so where would that guy have needed to shoot you in order to have killed you?" I asked.

"A number of different places," he said vaguely.

"Oh," I replied a little frustrated.

"What about like crosses and stuff like that. I know those things apply to vampires, but do you have something like that that applies to you?"

"There are some things that are worse than others," he replied watching some show on the television about the animal kingdom.

"You also threw that werewolf guy like halfway down the street," I said. "So you must have like super human strength, right?"

"I suppose you could call it that, but that is as strong as most bears are." he said as he continued to look at the shows on the television as if he wasn't really paying attention to me.

After scrolling through the channels at least twice, Logan shut off the television. "Nothing on to watch," Logan shrugged his shoulders.

"That's alright," I said. "I don't need to watch television. I'm just enjoying being here with you."

"Yeah this is nice," Logan said pulling me closer to him. "It will be nice getting to Mexico where I don't have to run anymore. I won't constantly be looking over my shoulder to make sure I'm not being followed or watched. I will breathe a huge sigh of relief once I make it across the border."

I didn't know what to say. It was hard for me to think about saying goodbye to him the following day. I had known that time would come, but it didn't make it any easier. And to hear Logan talk about it wasn't helping either. It made my heart hurt and ache in pain.

"I couldn't have made it without you, Tanisha. Thank you for everything you've done for me. You've been amazing in every way," he stroked my hair as I laid my head on his chest.

"You're welcome," was all I could muster trying to keep myself from crying.

"I mean that, Tanisha," he said again. "This has been a little bit of roller coaster ride, but I couldn't have done it without you, and I wouldn't have wanted to either."

I looked up and kissed him gently before laying my head back on his chest. I couldn't trust my voice to say anything.

I waited for Logan to say or do something when suddenly there was a knock at the door and the call of "housekeeping" from outside. I jumped up and shot Logan a worried look, but he wasn't able to scramble to the bathroom in time. He only made it about halfway across the room before the manager had opened the door.

"I am so sorry to interrupt. I forgot that there weren't any towels in this room," his eyes immediately widened in fear as he saw Logan, "Oh, I'm so sorry mam, I didn't realize that you had company over. I apologize. I will just leave your towels and not disturb you."

It was obvious by the look on his face that he was embarrassed and flustered as he came in and left the towels on the table.

"Again, I apologize, please let me know if there is anything you need," the manager said as he walked out the door. He looked straight at Logan as he closed the door behind him.

"Do you think he recognized you?" I said once the door was closed.

"I don't know," Logan said peering out the window as the manager walked away.

"What should we do?" I said feeling paranoid.

"Well we either take our chances and stay here hoping that he didn't recognize me, but thought I was your hooker for the night, or we make a break for it right now?" he said looking back at me.

"I don't know, what do you think?" I said starting to feel desperate.

"I don't think we can take the chance that he recognized me," Logan said. "I think we better go, just in case. We play it safe. My picture is everywhere as is yours now. Chances are, he recognized me or you."

"Alright, then let's not continue wasting time. Let's go," I said.

We hadn't even unpacked anything, so it was easy to leave the room and drive away. As we got in the car, the first cop arrived at the hotel. We ducked down in the car and waited for him to go inside hoping that we would be able to drive away after he was inside.

He walked inside, I started the car and we quickly drove out of the parking lot, but we weren't that lucky. Just as I pulled out of the parking lot, a second cop was pulling in. He looked at us and the car and immediately flipped his lights on and turned around to follow us.

I didn't have the fastest car around, and we were at a disadvantage not knowing the city we were in. I drove as quickly as I could, taking directions from Logan as we weaved our way through small streets and alleys trying to lose the cop.

"We've got to lose him fast before he gets back-up," Logan shouted.

"I'm open to any suggestions," I said feeling the tension of the situation.

"Alright, I'll start thinking of something," Logan continually was glancing behind us as we tried to find something or somewhere to hide.

"Turn left up here," Logan pointed.

"Okay," I made the left and found that we were headed into the National Park. "Now what?"

"We're going to lose him in here," Logan said.

"I can barely see anything," I said.

"Turn off your headlights," Logan instructed.

"But then," I started.

"Just do it," he commanded.

"Okay," I agreed and then turned them off.

"Just follow my directions." Logan instructed. Then for the next few minutes we drove through the park without any lights. Logan explained that he had heightened senses and could see in the dark where regular humans couldn't. We were able to drive into the forest and easily lose the chasing cop.

We decided that our best option was to stay the night out in the forest in the car. It was easier than taking our chances with another hotel, especially now that the FBI knew where we were.

We drove into the forest, I rolled my window down, and the warmth of the air felt nice against my skin. I enjoyed feeling his fingers interlaced with my own.

"It feels a little stuffy in the car," Logan said. "Do you want to take a walk?"

"Sure," I agreed.

We each stepped out into the warm night air. It felt humid, but with the sun going down, I knew that it would cool off soon, and we would feel much better.

"I hate the humidity of the South," Logan complained.

"Really?" I said. "I love it. I know it can be hot sometimes, but I love the feeling of the moisture on your skin. It makes your skin feel so soft and smooth." I pulled back my sleeve and felt the skin on my forearm.

Logan stopped walking and touched his fingers to my forearm as well, feeling the smoothness of the skin.

"Your skin doesn't need the humidity to feel like silk," he said pulling me closer to him.

I felt his arms rub my back gingerly, untucking my shirt slipping his hands underneath. The warmth of his hands against my skin was wonderful sending chills up and down my spine.

Logan cupped my chin in his hand and slowly pulled my lips to his. His kiss was passionate and strong. I felt his tongue force its way into my mouth interlacing with my own.

I wrapped my own arms around his waist and pulled him closer to me. I immediately felt myself become aroused as our bodies thrust against each other. Logan laid me down gently on the forest floor. It was soft and surprisingly comfortable.

I wanted him to shift. I wanted to see him become his werebear form. I needed him to shift for me. I pulled at his clothing practically tearing it from his body. As I saw his naked body, I only felt more aroused and knew that I was wet and ready for him.

I reached for his cock and stroked it gently in my hands. It hardened for me as I stroked back and forth. As I pleasured him, Logan teasingly removed my clothing and played with me starting with my neck and moving to my nipples and belly button. He left no part of my body untouched.

"Your skin is so smooth," he called softly as he kissed my hips and worked his way inward to my inner thighs.

He began to rub gently with his fingers and lick with his tongue just as he had the night before. I felt my pleasure mounting with every lick and suck.

I groaned knowing how amazing it would feel.

"Don't cum yet," he paused. He stuck two fingers inside me stroking back and forth sending a whole new sensation through me. It sent my arousal even higher than before.

"That feels amazing," I said as I fought to keep myself from peaking.

I knew that Logan was smiling as he continued to suck my pussy. Together with his fingers and tongue I felt my body moving out of my control. Logan forced my hips down onto the ground and continued sucking as my orgasmic pleasure peaked and continued for what felt like minutes.

"Don't stop," I cried out into the night.

I couldn't help myself as chills spread from the tips of the feet all the way through the top of my head. I screamed loudly and finally had to pull my body away from him.

"Please cum inside me," I cried. "I'll cum again." I spoke in between short breaths.

Logan smiled, and the entire world around me melted away. I saw nothing else, but him. Within second, I felt the heat and the fur that told me he had shifted into his bear form. He lifted me from the ground and rolled me to be on top of him.

I felt his cock enter me, and immediately a rush of arousal went through me. For a second, I couldn't breathe, feeling the hot air and humidity fill my lungs. I enjoyed the rush of excitement that came from being with Logan. Each time we were together was like a new adventure.

I pushed my body down on top of him while at the same time, felt his arms pull me toward him. I felt his cock push deeper and harder into me.

"Yes," I panted.

"I don't want to hurt you," Logan whispered.

"You won't hurt me," I said. "Give it to me hard and deep."

Logan pushed me to sit up on my knees. He reached up and played with my nipples as I moved up and down on his cock. It was far deeper than we had seen before. I loved it. I moaned in pleasure as he squeezed my nipples harder.

Both of our bodies arched and peaked together as his cum exploded inside me. I felt the pleasure of his cock as it released. I leaned down and pressed myself against the Logan's fury chest. I buried my head there and rested.

I felt his body shift back to his human form after a time. I would never admit to Logan, but I was disappointed. I enjoyed snuggling with him in his bear form. I felt safe and secure with him in both forms, but when he was shifted in bear form, something about him was different.

"Logan," I started to say to him.

"Shh," he said to me, putting a finger to my lips, "let's just enjoy this moment together."

Chapter5

We slept together out under the stars. It was nice to feel the coolness of the outdoors and warmth of the southern humidity as we spent our last night together. The sun danced playfully through the trees the next morning, waking me from a blissful sleep. I didn't want to be awake; I didn't want it to be morning; I didn't want to move.

I tried to lay perfectly still hoping that Logan would continue sleeping for just a little while longer. Every minute I had with him was precious and treasured. I couldn't even begin to imagine saying goodbye to him. I felt a lump start to swell in my throat at the thought of saying goodbye. I tried to push the thought from my mind in order to keep myself calm.

It didn't take long before Logan started to stir as well. I felt my heart drop as I felt his body move. It meant that things were beginning to end. I rolled in to place my face close to his.

He smiled without opening his eyes and kissed my forehead. I held back tears.

His eyes slowly started to open and he reached up and brushed the hair from my face, stroking my cheek and chin lovingly.

"Morning," he said calmly.

"Hi," I said with a smile.

"You sleep okay?" he asked.

"Yeah of course, you?" I replied.

"Yeah, it was nice out here. I enjoyed the fresh air. It wasn't too hot, but not too cold either. You weren't cold were you?" he asked looking back down at me.

"No, I had you to keep me warm," I said.

"Yeah, my body heat does radiate a little," he smiled.

"It's like a nice electric blanket," I said giggling a little.

"Hmm, I've never thought about it like that, but alright, I can see that," he laughed too.

And for a moment, I felt like everything was fine, everything was normal. I felt like we were just a couple in the woods, and we would get back in our car and go home. I enjoyed the feeling of security and warmth that I felt when I thought like that. It was nice.

But then the look on Logan's face changed, and reality set in again. "I think we better be going," he said looking around the area like he was looking for something or someone.

"Is everything alright?" I said feeling a sense of panic.

"Yeah, I think everything is fine, but I think it's time to go," he said again.

"Okay," I didn't argue.

Even as we made our way back to car, Logan didn't stop looking around cautiously and making me feel extremely nervous. When we arrived back at the car, everything seemed just as we had left it the night before.

"I'll drive," Logan offered extending his hand for the keys.

"Alright, sure, I won't argue with that," I said trying to lighten the mood as much as I could. I reached into my purse and handed him the keys. He opened my door for me and once I was in he made his way around to the driver's side. We pulled out of the parking spot and started to drive away from the forest. In the daylight, the forest had a completely different look. During the night before I was amazed at how easy we had lost the cop, but driving in the dark had seemed crazy. Now during the day when I could see everything, the pathways seemed clear and everything seemed much more manageable. I was grateful that we had been running from the cops at night. It was easy to lose him in the forest during the night, but during the day, my blue sedan would have stood out like a sore thumb against all the green and brown foliage.

We decided to leave the national park by a different way than we came in, assuming the FBI or cops might be patrolling the entrance we had entered through. We also decided not to take a main exit either. We grabbed a map of the national park at a deserted ranger station and looked for a dirt road or small paved road that would lead us back out of the park.

"I think we can take this road here," Logan suggested as we both stared at the map. "It doesn't really seem like much of a road, but it should get us back out to the main highway without needed to use any of the main roads to get in or out of the park."

"Yeah, I see what you're saying," I agreed. "And it's not too far from where we are now," I said pointing to where we were currently located. "We will just need to drive a little out of the way to find the road."

"Perfect," Logan said. "Alright, you navigate, I'll drive." He put the car in drive and off we went.

We were able to find the road fairly easily. It started off as a pretty nice dirt road, but the farther we drove, the worse the road became. I was worried that my car wasn't going to make it without popping a tire or breaking an axel, but just when things seemed they couldn't get any worse, I saw the exit of the park and the highway up ahead.

"Look it's the highway," I said pointing.

"Thank God," Logan said, "I'm not sure how much more of this kind of traveling your car could handle. We were going to end up stranded in the national park," he laughed a little out of relief.

I laughed, too and felt proud that my little car had made it. We got back on the highway without any trouble and started our drive the rest of the way to the airport.

"I'm starving," Logan said as we started our drive. "Now that we are out of the national park, do you mind if we run through a drive through or something for some food?"

"That sounds like a great idea," I said. "I'm starving, too." I hadn't even thought about food until Logan had mentioned it, but not that I was thinking about food, all I could focus on was the hollow feeling in my stomach.

"What sounds good to you?" Logan asked.

"Anything," I replied. "Just something soon, I think I could eat everything on the menu right now." I rubbed my stomach laughing as it gurgled loudly.

"Haha, you think you could eat the whole menu, wait until you see what I order," he laughed and I remembered our first night together when he had eaten all the food from the vending machine.

We quickly found a McDonalds and proceeded to order breakfast. He wasn't kidding about ordering everything on the menu. They weren't serving lunch or dinner items yet, which disappointed him, so he ordered almost two of all their breakfast options.

Then he turned to me and asked what I wanted. Even though I was extremely hungry, I knew my appetite wasn't that big. I ordered two number threes and with a pathetic look from Logan, I couldn't help but laugh aloud.

When we pulled up to the window, the manager came to the window.

"It's going to be a little while, before we can have your food ready," he said.

"That's fine," said Logan.

"Are you feeding a bunch of kids today or something?" the manager asked trying to make conversation.

"Uh, yeah, a church thing," Logan replied lying. "We'll just pull forward to a spot up there and you can bring the food out when it's ready. That way we don't hold up the line."

"Oh, yeah that's a good idea," the manager replied.

Logan pulled forward and we waited for our food. They brought it out in shifts. Workers continued to bring out four or five bags at a time. It was quite comical actually. Logan just ate and ate and ate as the food came out. I wasn't disgusted by him as maybe some people would be. I was more fascinated by him. It was amazing that he could eat that much in one sitting. I couldn't even imagine putting that amount of food into my system in one time. But his body needed the calories and the energy. It was amazing.

In the end, we were in the parking lot for a half an hour, and Logan had eaten almost everything by the time they brought out my food. It was inevitable that my food would come out last. But it was okay because we were able to pull back on the road and Logan could continue driving, while I ate my food.

"Did you get enough to eat?" I asked a little sarcastically.

"Well I could always eat more," he said seriously. "Oh you were being sarcastic," he smiled. "Very funny."

I ate the rest of my bacon egg and cheese bagel and hash-browns before drinking my orange juice. It was nice to drink the fresh orange juice and look out the window. It made me feel like I didn't have a care in the world. And if I didn't have a huge ache in my chest I wouldn't, because at the end of the day, I would be a hundred thousand dollars richer. If I could just come to grip with the fact that I would saying goodbye to this man that I'd only known for 48 hours, then my life would be okay, better than okay, really.

"Do you know how much further we have until we get to the air field?" I asked.

"It's not too long, maybe a couple hours at the most," Logan replied.

"Oh, okay," I replied.

"Why did you want it to be longer or shorter?" he asked laughing.

"I haven't decided yet," I replied. "Logan do you think we will ever see each other again after today?" I asked.

"To be honest, probably not, Tanisha," Logan replied. "But I will never forget you and everything you've done for me. I wish that things could be different between us, but it's just too complicated. It's easier this way. I'm sorry," he reached over and squeezed my hand.

I turned away and looked out the window. I didn't want to leave him, but I felt foolish for feeling that way. It was true that I'd known him less than I'd known almost any other guy I'd dated or slept with. Usually I had a pretty strict three date take home policy, but everything had happened so fast with Logan. I didn't regret a single minute of our time together. Everything that had happened, the good and the bad, was precious to me. And of course he had saved my life too. There wasn't any other guy in my life that could compare with that.

I had never put a lot of stock into love at first sight or even fate before, but there was something about Logan, something about the way I felt when I was with him that was different than I had ever felt with any other guy. I couldn't quite explain it or put it into words, but it just felt right.

"Wouldn't it be easier for me to come to Mexico with you though?" I asked. "I will be wanted by the FBI now, too right? I mean the manager at the hotel saw us together. And the police officer that chased us last night saw me driving?"

"Yeah, that's all true, but the FBI doesn't care about you, Tanisha. Once I am out of the country, they will move on to hunting their next shifter. They won't care about you unless they feel that somehow you can get me back. They will assume you were a hostage, and you should play that part. As long as they believe that you were, you will be fine." Logan crushed my last hope of going with him.

"Oh, okay," I replied disappointed. I didn't try and hide the disappointment in my voice either. I wanted him to know that I wanted to go with him at any cost.

"Tanisha, please don't make this harder than it already is," Logan pressed me. "This is the way it has to be. Please just accept it for both our sakes."

I didn't reply.

We drove the remainder of the way to the airfield in silence. It wasn't uncomfortable, but more like an understood silence. I stared out the window reliving each of the hours we had spent together knowing that I would soon be saying goodbye to the only man I had truly ever loved. Of course I had said the words "I love you" to other men before, but I had never understood their meaning until now.

Everything inside me told me that I couldn't just walk away from this, but I knew that Logan wasn't going to let me come with him. He had made that perfectly clear. I didn't know what else to do, but walk away heart broken, truly heart broken for the first time.

Chapter6

I didn't think my heart could sink any lower, but it did as we arrived at the airfield. We arrived at a locked gate. Logan punched in a code and the gate mechanically opened for us. The airfield was small, nothing like the airports that I was used to.

"This is airport?" I asked.

"Yeah, a little different than your typical terminals, right?" Logan said keeping the mood light.

"Yeah, what kind of airport is this?" I asked.

"This is a general aviation airport," Logan explained.

"How did you know the code to get in," I asked.

"Almost every general aviation code is the same, 1228," Logan said. "Memorize it once, and you have access pretty much anywhere you need."

"Wow, not really keeping the bad guys out," I said.

"It's all about the illusion of security," he replied smiling. "If you can afford it, general aviation is the way to fly. No security, no TSA, no checking in. Just drive up to your plane, jump in and take off. Pretty sweet deal."

"Yeah, I can see that," I said still a little surprised at everything.

Logan drove out right to where an airplane seemed ready to take off. A man stood outside the plane anxiously awaiting someone. We parked and Logan jumped out of the car.

The airplane was small. It probably only seated four or six people. I could see two engines on each of the wings. It seemed to be a nice airplane, but it made me wonder how fast it would be able to get Logan across the border. I knew we were close to the border, but I hoped that this airplane would get him across fast enough before FBI showed up.

"Hello Snowflake," the man called to Logan, "it's about time you got here; I've been waiting all morning. I was starting to get a little nervous."

"I know," Logan replied. "I'm sorry, we ran into a little trouble last night. We ended up spending the night in the national park instead of a local hotel."

"What?!" the man replied. "What happened?"

"A story for another time," Logan responded. "We must be getting in the air."

"Yeah, of course," the man agrees, "we are all ready to go here. Just get in when you're ready and we'll get in the air."

Logan turned back to me. He reached back into the back seat and grabbed the rucksack from the safety deposit box. I looked at the bag and remembered everything that had happened to retrieve it. That day all of a sudden felt like decades ago. I didn't even remember how the bag ended up in the car. I hadn't grabbed it after we had been attacked; Logan must have carried it as well as me back to the car after the werewolves attacked us.

Logan reached into the bag and retrieved a stack of money. "Here's a hundred grand, as promised."

"Logan, I don't care about the money, anymore," I said fighting back tears.

"Please take the money, I promised you the money. It's the least I can do for everything I put you through in the last two and half days." Logan extended his hand again with the stack of money.

"Logan I would rather come with you," I said pushing his hand aside.

Logan shook his head. "Tanisha, we talked about this, it's not an option. It's too dangerous for you to come with me. I will be on the move too much. Just because I'm in Mexico doesn't mean I'm completely safe. Some of the people after me can still find me in Mexico. I need to disappear for a while and that's easier to do as one not two. I'm sorry."

"No I'm sorry," I said. "I shouldn't keep asking. It only makes things worse," I hung my head.

"Please take this, I need to know that you'll be taken care of after I'm gone," he practically placed the hundred grand in my hands.

"Thank you," I said looking back up and into his eyes one last time, "thank you for everything."

He bent down briefly and kissed me on the forehead. Just the touch of his lips on my skin sent shivers through my entire body that weakened my knees. I tried to keep it together as he spoke again.

"Oh yeah, Can you do one more thing for me?" Logan asked.

"Yes, of course anything, what is it?" I replied.

"This is an address for a place near here," he handed me a piece of cardboard with an address written on it, "I'm sure you can put the address in your phone and your GPS will get you there just fine. You need to go there from here and ask for a man named, 'Jose.'"

"Okay, go to this address and ask for a guy named 'Jose,' got it," I replied.

"It's really important that you do this for me. Once you meet him, tell him that 'Snowflake sent you,' and then he'll know what that means, okay?" he waited for me to repeat the instructions.

Once I had repeated the instructions again he hugged me close to him. "Tanisha, you must do this for me, okay. This is the most important thing of everything I have asked of you. No matter what happens today, no matter what you see, you must go see Jose at that address. Even if I don't make it, still go see him."

"What do you mean, if you don't make it?" I asked upset.

"There is always that possibility, Tanisha, it has always been there, through this whole process, in everything that we have done. I have always ran the risk of getting caught somewhere in the process, and I'm not out of the woods yet either. Each step I take, I get closer, but I'm not there yet." He explained.

"Okay, I understand," I said still a little upset.

"Promise me," he said.

"Yes, I promise, I will go see this man, even if you don't make it," I replied, and as I finished speaking we could hear faint sirens approaching.

"I have to go," Logan said.

"Snowflake, we need to be going," the pilot called to Logan.

"I know," I replied tears forming in my eyes.

Logan bent down and kissed me one last time. The taste of his lips lingered on mine long after he was gone. I watched him turn and board the airplane. Our eyes locked and I let the tears roll down my cheeks as he raised his hand waving goodbye, as I had to back away from the plane when the pilot roared the engines to life.

I ran to my car and pulled away from the airfield. I stopped to watch as their plane turned onto the runway and pulled into the air. I didn't stop the tears from falling freely down my face. I turned the car away from the airfield and began to drive down the frontage road. I could see Logan's plane from my rear view mirror. I continued to watch him intently as I drove, knowing this would probably be the last I would ever see of my lover.

Then I heard the sound of two fighter jets before I saw them. They have a sound that is completely unmistakable if you've ever lived near an air force base, as if the world is ending. I looked up and saw the two f-16s coming in front of me. They approached quickly and flew right over the top of me. After they had passed over me, I watched in my rear view mirror as they approached Logan's plane. For a brief moment, I thought they both were going to crash right into it. Then at what seemed like the last possible second, they both veered in opposite directions and looped back toward me.

I immediately pulled my car off to the side of the road and watched the scene unfold from my car window. Logan's plane continued to fly straight for the border. It didn't move, veer or divert in any way. I watched in horror as the fighter jets looped back around and came back in behind Logan's plane.

"No!" I screamed. "They are coming for you!" I scrambled to think of something I could do, but I knew that my efforts were pointless.

Each fighter jet shot a missile at Logan's plane before diverting and flying away from the scene. The missiles were targeting Logan's plane to specifically bring it down. The pilot didn't even have a chance to maneuver his way away from the missiles; there was nothing he could do. They were homing missiles, targeted for Logan's plane. There was no way to avoid them once they had been fired.

The first missile hit the plane's right wing, sending the plane on a downward spiral. That missile alone would have caused the plane to crash with no survivors, but the fighter jets were going to make certain they did their job thoroughly. The second missile struck the belly of the plane, spreading smoke and fire through the entire plane including the cabin and cockpit where Logan and the pilot were sitting.

Within seconds the plane struck the ground like a ball of fire and smoke. The sound was deafening even from where I was parked watching. At first the scene completely captivated me; that what I had seen had happened in real life, and I wasn't watching a movie. It was overwhelming. I sat awestruck for a time, before realizing that it was real and that the people in those dancing flames were real people, and one of them was Logan, someone that I loved.

I grabbed at my door handle and started to jump out of my car to run to him. I only made it a few feet before collapsing on the ground sobbing. No one could have survived a crash like that. There was no point in running to the crash to see his mangled burnt body. My body heaved in agony and pain. I felt broken and alone.

I had finally found someone that I trusted, that I loved. I had fallen for him, loved him, and now lost him all in such a short space of time. And now I wouldn't even have the dream of him, the idea of him anymore. He would be gone forever, lost to the woes of the death, too young because a government was too afraid to learn, too afraid to understand and too afraid of the unknown.

Chapter7

I was so broken that I couldn't even cry. I wanted the tears to come, but nothing came. I tried to feel pain or anger, but suddenly, I felt empty. I felt nothing. It was a new sensation for me. I wanted nothing else than to curl up into a ball and lie there in the dirt until someone or something came for me.

I don't know how long I sat there on my knees, but eventually, the sound of sirens, awakened my senses. I knew that I couldn't be found near the scene of Logan's accident, if you could call it an accident. But regardless, I knew I needed to get away. I had to start driving somewhere. I feel numb everywhere. I got back in my car, and turned the ignition and started to drive. As I drove the tears finally started to fall. Crying soon turned to sobbing, and eventually I had to pull the car over again because I couldn't see the road clearly. I could still see the plume of smoke from the plane crash in my rear view mirror.

I crawled into my backseat and curled into a ball and cried until I had no more tears to cry. I was laying on the back seat of the car, when I felt something poking into my thigh from my pocket. I reached into my front pocket and pulled out the small piece of cardboard that Logan had given me earlier with the address he had given me. Just looking at the address made me start crying all over again. I stroked the letters he had written, thinking about his hands writing the letters and the last time we had spoken with each other.

But then I remembered the promise I had made to him. No matter what happens... I had promised him that I would go the address even if he didn't make it. I stared at the address for a long time wondering what this man Jose would have for me from Logan. I hoped it wasn't money. The last thing I wanted was more of Logan's money.

I realized now that by going to see Jose, I was fulfilling Logan's final wish. He had asked me to do this for him, and now that he was dead, this was the last thing I could do for him. This was the way I could honor him and his life. I needed to do this for him.

I had a renewed conviction as I moved from the backseat to the front again. I no longer was feeling sorry for myself or my situation. Instead, I wanted to do something to honor Logan and his memory. And I wanted to start by fulfilling his final wish, his dying wish. I would go and see this man, Jose, and see what it was that he had for me, and then depending on what it was, then I would find a way to honor Logan's memory for the rest of the world to see.

I started my car, wiped the tears from eyes and looked in the mirror. I looked like a complete disaster. My eyes were puffy and red and my face was all blotchy. I decided to take a minute to clean myself up before driving the rest of the way to see Jose. I didn't feel like I was in a complete hurry anyway, so I grabbed my purse, where I had some emergency make-up stashed and cleaned myself up as best I could with what I had. I also tried to smooth out my hair and make myself look presentable.

I definitely didn't feel like a supermodel, but I felt much better after I had worked myself over. I started my drive feeling refreshed and renewed. I still felt a measure of loss and pain in my heart, but I also feel strength and love for the time I had spent with Logan.

I put the address from the piece of cardboard into my phone and the GPS told me I had a little less than an hour to drive. I didn't mind. The drive would be nice to clear my head and calm myself down from all the excitement and adrenaline of the last two days.

I needed a little "me" time anyway, and an hour seemed just about right. As I drove, I thought about all the wonderful things I could do with the money Logan had given me in order to honor his memory. I thought about setting up different foundations or scholarships in his name. How would the government feel about that? Would they shut me down? Or come in and make me stop if they knew I was setting it up under him? I didn't know, but I wanted to try. I could also use a pseudonym like "snowflake" to set it up, so I wouldn't have the problem in the first place.

I worried for a moment that money I had was tracked or something and if I used it, it would be seized. But then I thought that Logan was too smart for that. He thought of everything – except his plane being shot down at the border. Maybe that was my fault though? If I had not slowed him down with my goodbye he might have gotten away quicker.

I almost started crying again, but I forced myself to think of better things and better times in order to keep it together. I wondered what kind of scholarship or foundation I should set up. I really wanted to find others like Logan and help them, but I didn't think that was really a possibility.

Logan would be proud about that, I thought. After continuing to brainstorm for awhile about a few other ideas, my GPS told me some directions and I arrived at the marina and the address Logan had given me.

The address was a harbor, and I could see a myriad of boats tied to several docks floating in the water. I parked my car in what seemed to be the best possible spot to park and walked over to the boathouse. The area smelled of fish and saltwater. I almost wanted to hold my nose, but I figured that would be rude, so I refrained even though I was really grossed out by the place.

Everything seemed really quiet and a little eerie. I wondered why Logan had sent me to what seemed like a kind of shady place. I didn't feel as safe as I would have liked as I walked to the boathouse, even though there didn't seem to be anyone around. I felt as if people were staring at me, even though I couldn't see anyone else.

I knocked on the door to the boathouse, feeling extremely timid.

A small Hispanic man wearing a pair of big overalls a very dirty undershirt and a pair of black galoshes opened the door.

"Hi, I'm looking for..." I didn't get to finish my sentence.

"Tanisha, you must be Tanisha," he said.

"Uh, yes. I'm looking for Jose?" I said.

"Yep, that's me," the man replied. "I'd offer to shake your hand, but mine are rather dirty, and yours look awfully clean. Plus you'd probably prefer yours didn't smell like fish for the rest of the week," he leaned in to tell me the latter part as if it were a secret.

I laughed a little uncomfortably wondering what in the hell Logan had sent me to this place for.

"But come on with me. You're not here to shoot the shit with me," he motioned for me to follow him.

"Alright," I said completely confused, but having no other choice than to follow him.

We walked out of the boathouse and down the dock. We walked past a few different boats, some were small fishing boats, while others were more like speed boats. I assumed that Jose owned one of the fishing boats, considering his hands smelled like fish. But maybe he also managed all the boats and the docks around here.

I still was trying to figure out what Logan would have for me here. A boat perhaps? But what the hell was I going to do with a boat? I sure as hell didn't want one. I'd never driven a boat in my life, and I really didn't want to start now, so I really was hoping that he wasn't gifting me a boat.

Jose lead me further down the dock to what looked like a yacht compared to the other boats in the area. It wasn't really, but it was the nicest boat docked there.

"Go ahead, Tanisha," Jose said.

I must have looked extremely confused, because he continued.

"Just go on aboard, you'll understand once you are on the deck," Jose encouraged.

I was full of questions, but I didn't ask any, hoping that they would all be answered once I was on board. I walked out on a small plank that allowed me to board the boat. As I stepped onto the boat, I felt it rocking back and forth. It was a peaceful feeling.

I stepped around the boat, walking freely, looking for something or someone to explain what exactly was going on. I walked toward the bow of the boat and a familiar scent grazed my nose. I stopped suddenly mid-step. I knew that scent. Only one person in the world had that scent.

Chapter8

"Logan?" I asked tentatively afraid to move.

Logan moved into full view at the bow of the boat. I couldn't move my body. I couldn't believe my eyes as he stood there smiling without a scratch on him. He started to move toward me, his arms reached out to me and engulfed me in a huge bear hug.

I let myself relax into him, trying to breathe and calm myself down. I knew that I couldn't explain anything that had happened, but there would be time for explanations. For right now, I would just enjoy the feeling of being in his arms again, a feeling that I was sure I would never feel again.

After minutes of laying my head against his chest and hearing his heart beat, he reluctantly pulled me away from him.

"Wow, I thought you would never come. I'm sorry," he said. "I know that you must have been through hell the last few hours. Let's sit down and we'll talk."

We went to the front of the boat where there was bench and sat together to talk about everything. I still couldn't find my voice, so I mainly listened.

"Okay, so everything up until the airplane you know about. But that's when the plan changed. I wanted the FBI to think I was hopping the border. I wanted them to assume I was taking that plane out the country in order to throw them off my track. After the plane took off we both jumped out, I left in a separate car and headed for the dock and came directly here in this boat instead."

He paused and waited for me to say something, but I stayed quiet so he continued.

"I watched as the plane took off and headed to Mexico as planned. I didn't expect the attack from the fighter jets. Now the FBI and others think I died in the crash. So no one will expect me to still be alive at least for awhile. You and I can have some time together, which will be nice. Eventually, I'm sure they'll figure out their mistake, but at least we'll have some time before they figure it out."

Finally I regain my composure a little and feel like I can take everything in. "And you couldn't have informed me of your little get away plan?"

"That's why I'm so sorry, Tanisha. I had to be extremely cautious. What if you were taken by the FBI before I could re-connect with you? I just had to be sure that everything went according to planned. And everything worked out okay in the end right?"

"Sure, but Logan I thought you were dead!" I stood up exasperated. "I watched your plane get shot down by two fighter jets. It was one of the worst things I have ever experienced in my entire life. In fact it's probably the worst things I've ever experienced in my entire life." I turned at looked at him partially angry but also partially in love.

"I know," Logan said hanging his head.

"I have cried more tears in the last few hours than I have ever cried in my entire life. I can't even begin to explain to you how hard it was for me to watch you die in that plane crash only to then find out that you were really alive."

"I'm sorry," Logan said.

"This has been quite the emotional roller coaster," I said. "Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled that you're alive, I'm just trying to take everything in okay?"

"Come here, let me hold you," Logan held out his arms and without questioning I went to him and let him hold me until I calmed down.

He kissed my head and held me tight, which brought more tears. Tears of joy mixed with tears of anger. I think I even threw a few playful punches at him to help relieve a little of my anger.

"I had to bring you along once I realized the truth. The truth is I love you, Tanisha," Logan said gently lifting my face toward his.

"I love you, too Logan," I said looking back at him.

He brought my face close to his and kissed me passionately. This kiss had more meaning behind it than all the words that had been spoken between us thus far. We had been through so much together and sealing it with a passionate kiss, only told me that this was not the end of our relationship together, but the beginning of something far more special.

Holding me tightly from behind, Logan showed me how to drive the boat. "Your car will easily be flagged now, by the police and FBI. I'll have Jose take care of it for you. We'll get you something else to drive, but in the mean time, I have access to something else when we get back to the mainland."

"Okay," I said completely trusting everything Logan had planned from now on. "Sounds perfect to me."

Epilogue

"I think you're getting the hang of it," Logan said as he taught me how to drive the boat.

"It's not nearly as intimidating as I thought it would be," I admitted.

"Driving one in the open water isn't really all that tough," he explained. "It's driving one onto and off a trailer that's difficult, or in and out of the dock. Then things get a little tricky. It's not like driving a car, because you don't have a brake."

"Oh, yeah," I said thinking more about it, "that could make things complicated I said. I guess when we get close to where ever we are going, I'll hand you the wheel," I said. "Or whatever you call this thing." I laughed.

Logan laughed, too.

"It's nice to be less stressed about things," Logan said. "I feel so much more relaxed." He kicked his feet up and put his hands up behind his head.

"I'm glad you feel that way," I said. "I'm sure it's been a long time since you've felt this way."

"Years," Logan said. "To be honest, I can't remember the last time I felt this much freedom. I mean I'll still need to lay low for a while. This is not over yet."

I smiled at him. I realized that things would never really be the same for me. I would never really go back to my old life. I would never really have contact with my old friends or family. That was okay with me. My family wasn't really family anymore. I'd never really been close with any of them. I'd been closer with my friends than most of my family. And to be honest I was more sad about losing some of my friendships than the relationships with my family.

"What are you thinking about?" Logan said. "Your facial expression just became real sad."

"Oh I was just thinking that I'd never see some of my friends and family again," I said shrugging my shoulders.

"I wasn't ever that close with most my family. My parents split when I was real young, and I haven't seen my father in years. My mother re-married a guy that I never really liked. So when I moved out of the house at eighteen I never really went back home. I think I was a lot more like my dad than my mom, but my dad lived so far away, that I never really had the chance to get to know him. I'll really miss my friends more than my family, but I'll get over it."

"I'm sorry about those relationships," Logan said. "I've never had close relationships to understand losing them like that. I've always been such a nomad that I've never had close friendships that I cared about leaving. I'm sure that is hard for you. I hope that being with me is worth it," he tried to smile a reassuring smile.

"Yes, Logan. I've made my choice," I said smiling back. "It was just something I was thinking about. I don't want you to feel guilty about it or anything."

"I think we are almost to the dock. Can I take over the driving?" Logan quickly changed the subject.

"Yes, of course," I said grateful for the subject change as well.

I watched carefully as Logan guided the boat into the dock. Once we were at the dock, he instructed me to jump out of the boat and onto the dock. I was terrified to jump out of the boat at first, but with his reassurance, I was able to do it just fine and pull the boat close enough to the dock and then tie her off.

All in all it was quite thrilling. I felt that I had learned a lot about boating for my first day. I didn't think that I was ready to handle her at all by myself, but I felt much more comfortable on the boat than I had when I had driven into the dock earlier that day.

"Come on," Logan said, "follow me."

"More adventures?" I asked.

"Yep, you got it," he replied.

"I'm in," I said giggling.

We walked over to a brick wall at the edge of the marina. We sat on the brick wall waiting until the area cleared out and people either left on their boats or drove away in their cars. It took some time, but Logan insisted we be patient and wait until everyone was gone. Logan went and bought us some hot dogs and fries to eat while we waited. I observed lots of different types of people coming and going from the marina in Florida. Some people were just coming for the day to relax on their boats. Others were obviously coming to fish and hoping to catch their daily meal. I wondered if there were some that made their living this way. It was interesting to people watch while we sat there on the brick wall waiting for everyone to clear the area.

Logan finished his hot dog and fries long before I did and left to get himself something else to eat. I watched as a young couple, obviously newly married or soon to be married, came down to the marina for a joyride out on a boat. They didn't have a care in the world. I wondered what it would feel like to be them. When Logan returned, I wanted to ask him about it, but I wasn't sure exactly how to bring up the subject without making him feel guilty about our situation.

Finally the area was deserted/

"OK It is time." Logan said as he bent low toward the brick wall and removed several bricks revealing a briefcase, a small bag and a set of car keys. I wondered what could possibly be in the small bag. It couldn't have been money, or at least if it was money, there wasn't going to be a lot of it.

We walked around the parking lot for a minute while Logan kept clicking the lock and unlock button on the keys, watching for a car to blink.

"Here, I have an idea," I said hold my hand out for the keys.

"What's your idea?" he asked.

"Just trust me," I said.

"Okay," he said handing me the keys.

After getting the keys, I looked down at the keypad and pressed the alarm button. Immediately, the car started buzzing and beeping from a few rows down.

A lady in the parking lot looking over at us.

"Forgot where we parked," I laughed. "Works every time."

"I know," she replied. "I do that, too. It's a lifesaver, right?"

We both laughed as Logan walked embarrassed over to the car. "I can't believe you did that," he whispered.

"Why?" I said. "It worked didn't it?"

"Because you drew attention to us," he said.

"Oh and walking around the parking lot up and down the rows for an hour pressing the buttons wasn't going to draw attention to us?" I laughed. "People probably would have thought we were trying to steal a car if they'd see us doing that. Now they just think we forgot where we parked. It's no big deal. People do that all the time."

"Let's just get out of here," Logan said as we finally got to the car.

"You're welcome," I said sarcastically.

"Thanks," Logan replied with the same sarcasm.

"Oh come on, just let it go," I said joking.

"Alright, alright," Logan said opening my door for me.

"Thanks," I replied both for him letting it go and for opening my door for me.

I jumped in the car. It had that new car smell. I looked around and noticed that it was pretty standard, nothing too special about it, but it was nice all the same. Although it was outfitted with a nice GPS feature and stereo equipment, at least much nicer than my old car had.

Logan sat down in the driver's seat and pulled a piece of paper from his wallet. I couldn't see what was written on the paper, but whatever was written on it gave him some kind of directive. He also used it to punch in an address to the car's GPS unit.

Logan glanced at me as he punched in the address. I felt a little uncomfortable as I watched him punching in the address. I knew the address was familiar to me somehow, but at first I couldn't quite place it. I sat staring at the street name. It was the street name that was so familiar.

"Logan," I said pointing to the GPS, "Logan, I'm not extremely positive, but I think that might be," I paused trying to chase down an old memory in my brain. "Well I'm not exactly sure, but I think that might be the street my dad lives on."

I continued to stare at the address. I could see that address written down somewhere. It was like the address was a photo in my mind. I could picture the address from my mother's address book. I tried to make out the exact numbers and letters of the address. As the letters and numbers became more and more clear, the more I was certain the street was the same and maybe even the house number.

"Logan, I'm pretty sure that's the street my dad lives on, and that might even be his house number, too?" I looked over to him waiting for some sort of explanation.

"Yes, Tanisha, it is your father's address. You have a good memory. I am surprised you remember not only his street but also the house numbers. That is impressive, since you were only a small girl the last time you visited there."

"Hold on, how do you know that? Why do you have his address? Why are we going there now?" I asked confused.

"There is a lot I have not told you yet Tan but right now we need to go see your father." Logan said without further explanation. And without saying anything else, he started the car, put it into drive and we drove off into the distance.

The End

BUT.....

The Story Continues.....

In "Secrets Of The Whitebear"

BUT

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This is only for the strictly fabulous ;-)

