Bear's Baby (Bear Heat Book 4) by Natalie Kristen Page A

the back panel open. He drew out four daggers and handed
them to the Black Bears. “These silver blades have been forged
in dragon fire. Stab the demon cleanly through the heart to destroy
him.”
    They picked up the daggers
and Baxter saw Luke suck in a shaky breath. What an assignment, but
Dylan was right. No point mollycoddling him. Getting thrown in the
deep end was a great way to learn how to swim. It had worked for
him.
    “Happy hunting,”
Liam said.
    As they left Liam's office,
Baxter turned to Thor and asked, “Hey, which is worse? A demon
or a Mob boss?”
    “Is this a riddle?”
    “Not really.”
Baxter shrugged. “You've been up close and personal with those
murderous bastards. I bet some of those crime lords are as bad as
these stinking demons.”
    Thor's eyes hardened.
“Worse. The Mob is worse. The damage they've done is more
widespread and far-reaching. How many of those women and children
that they've trafficked and sold will ever be recovered? How many
families and lives have they ripped apart and destroyed?” Thor
said angrily.
    Baxter nodded as he jabbed
the lift button. 'You're right. You're damn right, man.”
    As Luke fidgeted with his
weapons, Baxter tapped him on the shoulder and said, “You were
a cop, right? You've arrested some gang members before, haven't
you?” Luke gave a curt nod.
    “And those extorting,
bullying pansies all cried for their Momma when you cuffed them,
didn't they?”
    Luke let out a short laugh.
“Some of them did.”
    “Well, you heard the
big guy.” Baxter jerked a thumb at Thor. “He knows what
he's talking about. And according to him, this demon is even softer
and stupider than your pansy gangsters.”
    “The demon is cunning,”
Dylan warned. “Don't let your guard down.”
    “Pfff!” Baxter
gave the lift button another savage jab. “He's just big and
ugly, and loves to play dirty. And he's fucking stupid to mess with
our city!”

CHAPTER
ELEVEN

    Lindy typed like a woman
possessed. Absently, she reached out and popped a soggy fry into her
mouth. She had eaten her lunch at her desk, and while the sandwiches
were gone, she had forgotten all about her pack of fries. The cold,
soggy fries sat forlornly at the side of her desk, and she
occasionally grabbed a sad-looking fry and chewed on it while she
mulled over her theories.
    She was quite sure she had
gotten it right. She checked her email and saw that her boss had
replied. “Yes!” Her boss agreed with her analysis and
told her to go ahead and release the profile to the police. Maximus
was a good boss, firm, fair and tough. But he trusted his people,
his judgment and didn't believe in spoonfeeding and micromanaging his
staff.
    She got all her powerpoint
slides ready and saved it on her flash drive. Siti knocked on her
door and poked her head in. “They're all gathered in the
conference room,” Siti said. “You ready?”
    “I am,” Lindy
said, grabbing her flash drive. She straightened her jacket and
strode out the door. “We'll catch the killer, Siti. He won't
get away. But it's up to us. All of us.”
    Siti flashed her a grin.
“Good luck, boss. Go get 'em!”
    Lindy entered the packed
conference room. She saw her boss Maximus sitting at the back of the
room. He gave her a quick nod of encouragement and sat back. This
was her case, and he would let her handle it.
    The room was crowded with
police officers, homicide detectives, investigators and a couple of
her fellow profilers. She closed the conference room door and
inserted the flash drive into the laptop at the head of the table.
    The room fell silent when
pictures of the victims illuminated the screen. The smiling faces of
Yoon Park, Anthony Buller and Felicia Jackson were placed side by
side. The photographs were taken from their work passes, and they
were all dressed professionally. Yoon Park was in her police
uniform, and Anthony and Felicia were decked out in smart,
neutral-colored jackets.
    Lindy cleared her throat and
said, “We