Green Bearets: Garrin: Base Camp Bears, #4

By Amelia Jade

As a high-ranking officer in the Green Bearets, Garrin Richter rarely gets out from behind his desk. So when he is able to arrange a trip to nearby Cloud Lake to meet with some of his subordinates, the bear shifter is ecstatic. With the war raging on between his homeland of Cadia and their arch rivals Fenris, he's never felt more helpless sitting safely behind the action. But when the high command's meeting is interrupted, Garrin isn't sure what's the bigger bombshell: the woman who just walked in, or what she has to say.

Mia Jameson was nobody special. It didn't make sense. She had a good life, and enjoyed it, and was proud of her accomplishments, but she was just a normal human being. Under threat of duress, she's done things she regrets. No more though. Having finally worked up her courage, she's going to march right up to the shifter in charge and tell him the truth. The only thing is, she didn't expect him to be so damn hot.

From the moment she walked in, Garrin couldn't tear his eyes off of her. Even after her secret is revealed, he's the only one who doesn't care. He vows to help her, no matter the cost, but his peers from the other shifter races disagree. Without their help, he's not sure he can do what's necessary. Can he prove to Mia that when he gives his word, he's good for it?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Amelia Jade
• Release date: Nov 4, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386995319

Book preview

Chapter One

Mia

Bye Mia!

She turned and waved over her shoulder. Bye Gary. See you tomorrow.

Yep, the stout, bearded old man said with a wry grin. And we’ll do it all over again.

I hope not. I really want them to get that road repaired, so that we can get back to actual work around here.

I wouldn’t expect that, her coworker said unhappily.

I’m not, she replied with a laugh and gave him another wave before walking out the door and into the warm spring air.

Spring was finally upon them. The snows were mostly all melted by now, and they were into that interminable middle ground—before the trees bloomed and the grass turned green—but after the perma-gray of winter had given way to blue skies and even the chirping of songbirds as they returned from their winter roosts.

Another two or three weeks, she decided, and the greenery would begin to bloom, transforming her little town of Cloud Lake from dreary winter holdover to a verdant paradise.

Mia couldn’t wait. The promise of sunshine, days spent out by the river, and the smell of fresh-cut grass in the air brought a smile to her face even in the deepest, darkest, coldest parts of winter.

With those behind her, it was now just a matter of time. She resolved to check her email as soon as she got home. Perhaps the first bookings for her whitewater rafting weekend excursions had come in. That was probably what she looked forward to most. Getting out on the turbulent river and paddling like a crazed fool all to prevent the boat from capsizing.

Her adrenaline was pumping just thinking about it!

Fingers fumbled in her purse for her keys as she approached her car, an older-model coupe painted firecracker red. It was her pride and joy, even if it was a decade old. It still fired up with a slightly throatier roar than normal. She enjoyed the drive while behind the wheel, something she’d never truly understood until she bought this vehicle.

The sun was well into its descent to the west, getting ready to disappear over the horizon in another hour or so. The days were definitely longer than they had been, but the long summer nights were still a ways off.

Her car gave the telltale click as she unlocked it and slid into the driver’s seat.

Okay, time to go ho—

Mia’s voice died as she noticed the manila envelope sitting on the passenger seat where she’d been about to set her purse down.

Her blood turned to ice, moving sluggishly through her veins even as her heart began to beat frantically, nearly sending her into a panic. Skin tingled and the hairs on the nape of her neck stood straight out. Mia took a deep breath and quickly peeked into the back seat.

It was empty.

One fear out of the way, she glanced again at the ominous package sitting there so innocently. To anyone else, it would just be mail.

But not to her.

She closed her eyes, wishing for it to go away.

Please, not again…

But it was still there when she opened them a few moments later. Mia wanted to take it and rip it up into shreds, or burn it. Or both. It would be so easy. So very easy to do that, or to pretend like she’d never gotten it.

But she couldn’t.

Mia had no choice.

With hands shaking so violently they could barely grip the lightweight package, she grabbed it and set her purse down in its place. Resting the tan envelope against the steering wheel, she slid her thumb slowly under the seal. They were never fully closed, and like the others, this one opened with ease.

She slid the paper out, but before her eyes could focus on it she shoved it back in.

Not here, she said aloud, putting the nightmarish contents down on the seat and stabbing her key into the ignition as if it were a knife into the side of whoever kept sending her the envelopes.

Saying it out loud helped her feel like she was in control, not the monsters who were doing this to her.

The drive home was a short one. Cloud Lake wasn’t a large town, with perhaps twelve to fifteen thousand people living in the core. She got across town from the shipping yard to her one-story ranch-style house in less than ten minutes. It irked her to have to drive, but it was just that little bit too far to comfortably walk, though she did ride a bicycle every now and then when the days were nice enough.

The neighbor’s dog was out again, and she dodged its happy pounces with grace and agility, leaving the poor thing at her door. Normally she’d play with the massive puppy, but the contents of the envelope promised to ruin any good mood she might be able to conjure.

Her purse clattered onto the top of the shoe rack as she kicked her steel-toed boots off and made a beeline for the huge sectional that took up far more of her little living room than was practical.

If she was going to deal with this bullshit, she was at least going to be as comfortable as possible while doing it.

Crashing into the microfiber, she bounced once and let out a sigh that was far louder than it needed to be. The instructions weren’t that bad. They never were, though she still felt terrible obeying. It was the threat of what would happen if she didn’t obey that ate away at her every day, from the moment she woke up, until she cried herself to sleep.

Over a month and a half now it had been going on. Only three times had envelopes arrived, but with the way things seemed to be going, she didn’t expect a peaceful resolution anytime soon.

She should go to the authorities. Tell them what was going on.

But what would they do? Nothing, likely.

You could always go to the other authorities…

No. She couldn’t. That was expressly forbidden, and the worst would happen if she did.

Angry at herself for being trapped and utterly helpless, Mia tore open the envelope and began to read the instructions enclosed within.

It wasn’t a single sheet of paper this time. It was a small stack, three or four pages deep. Her eyebrows continued to rise as she read further.

Holy shit, she breathed, taken aback by the level of detail they wanted from her.

There was only one reason they could want this much information about these certain things. And it was not a good reason at all.

Mia tossed the papers down on her coffee table and brought her knees to her chest, hugging them tight as she contemplated her next move.

What did she do? What could she do?

Why me? she moaned, rocking back and forth on the couch in her little ball.

It had to be someone. You just got unlucky.

Story of my life, she muttered.

Her eyes strayed back to the papers strewn across the table. She couldn’t give in. Not to this one. Mia was no soldier, no military analyst by any stretch. But even a blind goat would understand what could be done with the amount of information that was being asked—no, demanded—of her.

Mia was at a crossroads.

Down one path, one person she knew died. Down the other…hundreds if not thousands of unknowns died.

It should be a simple decision. Easy and instantaneous.

So why was making it so hard?

Chapter Two

Garrin

He slowed his headlong charge as the thick trees of the forest grew smaller. The trunks shrank in size and the canopy overhead began to lessen, letting beams of light through here and there.

Deadfall and brush slowly gave way to grasses and hibernating wildflowers as the sunlight began to carve more and more pathways through to the ground, bringing the earth to life. The border was approaching swiftly, and in another few seconds he would be out of space.

With a sigh, Garrin heaved himself upright from all fours and began to walk forward once more. As he did, his great, shaggy body began to ripple and change. The massive paws retracted, six-inch long claws becoming fingers to a much more human-shaped hand.

The bulk of his mass shrunk, disappearing as his body rearranged its DNA, until he was striding forward on two very human legs. Just as he stepped across the unseen, but practically tangible border of the human settlement of Cloud Lake, the thick fur that covered his body retracted back inside him.

Now he was simply Colonel Garrin Richter, second-in-command of the Green Bearets.

He thought about just what that meant as his long strides carried him across the remaining plain and then into the town itself as he made a beeline for the old turn-of-the-century motel. It was currently serving as the base of operations for those men of his stationed as a permanent garrison force within the human town.

The Green Bearets had never truly had a presence in Cloud Lake. There had often been one or two members present, but they had been there simply in case other shifters from their homeland got rowdy and out of control.

Travel between the shifter-only territory of Cadia and the human lands that surrounded it was strictly regulated. Few got to leave, and no humans were allowed inside. That was the way it had been since Cadia had been founded, and that was the way it still was today. In his eyes it worked just fine. Humans and shifters were incompatible on a large scale. Even the several-hundred-strong force that now protected Cloud Lake was a handful to keep in line.

But they were necessary, he thought with a grimace.

Necessary because another shifter territory had taken over and destroyed half the town for the sheer fun of it.

Garrin’s oversized knuckles curled up into a fist, cracking in anger as he squeezed tightly, taking a deep breath.

Hundreds of his men, his friends, had died already in the war between Fenris and Cadia. A war that nobody on his side had wanted. But it had come anyway.

The Green Bearets were taught never to start a fight, and they hadn’t started this one either.

Garrin’s eyes become flinty and narrow.

But they were damn well going to finish this fight, and in a way that made Fenris never want to try it again.

Or at least, that was the original plan. With the news he was bearing now though, it might not matter in the end. The decision looked like it was being taken from their hands.

Sir! A baby-faced private snapped to attention as he crossed the outer perimeter around the motel.

Carry on, Private Mackey, he said with a nod.

The fresh-faced Green Bearet struggled not to beam as he came to even more rigid attention, if that were possible.

Yes sir! he all but shouted, the pride in his voice at being recognized by the second ranking officer of the Green Bearets evident.

Garrin didn’t know all of his men by name, but he tried damn well to know as many of them as possible. They deserved that much from him, at least. They were the ones that went out into the field, fought, and died for Cadia. He didn’t do much of that anymore. Too many responsibilities kept him away from the front lines.

Which was why he made it a point to visit places like Cloud Lake regularly, so that he could get a sense of how morale and the other intangibles necessary to keep a military force happy were going.

Others snapped to attention as he entered the motel. There were too many for him to acknowledge individually, so he picked and chose those he spoke to as he passed. Those he knew as old hands often got just a nod, while newcomers were called by their name if he knew it, to let them know he was taking notice of the fact that they were working within the HQ itself.

Captain Klein, he said as one of the senior officers approached.

Colonel, the other shifter said, coming to attention.

Please locate Captain Korver and meet me in the major’s office immediately, will you?

Of course, sir, came the response, and the captain turned away immediately to do as he was ordered.

The door to Jarvis Eidelhorn’s office was closed. He rapped on it three times. Then two times. Then six times. Then three. Then five.

What the hell is— Jarvis’s voice died as he angrily yanked the door open and saw his commanding officer standing there.

Very funny, sir, he said wryly as Garrin chuckled. "You must be extremely bored to be playing those types of jokes."

Don’t get me started, Garrin said as he entered the office at a gesture. I love Base Camp; it’s my home and I’ll always feel welcome there. But now that there’s something going on, I feel like I should be out here, where the fighting is taking place. I really, really don’t want to be known as an REMF.

Jarvis snorted as he settled behind his desk. "I highly doubt you have to worry about that, sir. Everyone here knows you aren’t a rear-echelon motherf—"

That’ll be all, Major, if you value your well-being, Garrin threatened, though the laughter coming from both of them erased any seriousness from it.

The two of them were old friends. Though he was a few years older than Jarvis, the two had become fast friends as lieutenants in the Green Bearets, and the two of them had practically raced each other up the ranks, until they were number two and three respectively behind the commandant himself.

So, what brings you to my humble abode today? Jarvis asked, leaning back and putting his feet up on the plastic folding table covered in a dinner tablecloth that served as his desk.

The material bowed dangerously under the added weight.

There was a knock at the door.

Come in, Jarvis said, and the two captains entered, coming to attention.

Belay that and grab a seat, Garrin said with a wave.

The Green Bearets