Blackstone Ranger Scrooge - Alicia Montgomery Page 0,74

the street from the park and found some CCTV footage of two men on motorcycles driving away around the time of the kidnapping. Tracked them down, and it turns out they were hired specifically to target J.D.”

“Hired?” J.D. asked. “By who?”

“Who else?” Jason nodded at Jorrell. “Your knight in shining armor. Tell me, Roy, was the plan to rescue her and turn yourself into a hero or something worse?”

Jorrell paled. “I-it’s not what you think, J.D.”

“You bastard!” Cam roared. “You did all those other things, too, right? Sent her the gifts? Vandalized her front door so you could come in and clean it up to make yourself look good?”

“You asshole!” J.D. snarled at Roy. “If I was your mate, you wouldn’t do those things.”

Roy’s expression turned hateful. “I’m not backing down. The challenge stands,” he said to Cam.

“What? Listen here, fuck face,” J.D. began. “That’s not how it works.”

“Challenge accepted,” Cam said as he slipped off his jacket.

“Challenge—what the hell, Cam!” J.D. cried. “You can’t duel for me!”

“This is the only way he’ll accept defeat.” He handed his jacket to Jason, who took it, then began to roll up his sleeves.

“That’s hardly fair,” she pointed out. “You’re a polar bear, and he’s a raven.”

“I can take him,” Jorrell spat.

“And I don’t need to shift,” Cam added. “I can beat this wanker with one hand tied behind me.”

“Oh God, is this really happening?” J.D. buried her face in her hands. “Fine, go ahead. Don’t listen to me.”

Cam kept his focus on Jorrell as they stepped into the driveway, circling each other. Oh, he was going to enjoy beating this man to a bloody pulp.

Jorrell whipped off his shirt, and he flexed his muscles. Though he was shorter than Cam, he was in excellent shape. “After I sold my app in high school and became a multimillionaire, I left Blackstone to travel the world,” he boasted. “I started training with the best fighters all over the world. I learned Muay Thai in Thailand. Karate in Japan. Jiu-jitsu in Brazil. Krav Maga in Israel. So,” he put his fists up. “Bring it on, pretty boy.”

What Jorrell didn’t know was part of Cam’s summer training in Russia while he was growing up was wrestling and fighting with his polar bear cousins, many of them bigger and meaner than this wannabe fighter. “Oh, I’ll ‘bring it’.” He lunged forward.

Jorrell quickly moved to dodge his hold. Cam whirled around to face him, ready for a counterattack. Though the raven shifter had caught him with a kick to the side, he didn’t flinch. He’d been so used to the pain his cousins inflicted on him, he knew when to tense his muscles to absorb the blow.

That seemed to catch his opponent off guard as he probably expected Cam to double over. Using this to his advantage, he lunged again, taking Jorrell down to floor, flipping him over, and putting him in a sleeper hold.

“Yield!” Cam ordered.

Jorrell screamed, spittle flew from his mouth, but he didn’t tap out. “Fuck you!”

“I said,” he tightened his hold. “Yield!” His polar bear roared, sending a rattling growl ripping from his throat.

His opponent yelped, then tapped a hand on the ground. “I … yield!”

Cam squeezed his neck until he passed out. “Bastard.”

“Cam, you idiot!” J.D. exclaimed, then wrapped her arms around him.

“You didn’t think he could defeat me, did you?”

She snorted. “Of course not, I had full confidence in you. But I can’t believe that you would … that you could—”

“Fight for you?” he finished. “No one tries to steal what’s mine and gets away with it.”

Her pupils blew up as she melted against him. “Wow, Spenser … that was kind of hot. I think I need to be alone with you. Like, right now.”

“Well, I can arrange—”

“Aleksandr.”

He winced inwardly. “Uncle Stepan,” he greeted the older polar bear shifter. He stood next to Jason by the doorway, along with his grandmother. How long had the old man been there?

“I already called my driver and offered Princess Natalia a ride back since we were both staying at the same hotel.” He nodded at the limo that pulled up. “I did not expect to see a show.”

Cam sent an apologetic look to Natalia. “I’m sorry you had to see that, babushka.”

“Bah,” she exclaimed. “I have seen much violence in my lifetime.”

“I must admit,” Stepan said, light eyes piercing into him. “I did not think you had it in you.”

“I didn’t kill him, just incapacitated him.”

“You fight for what’s yours. Defend what belongs to you.