Yellowstone Legends Page 3

  You certainly didn’t grow into your name.

  “I’m sure poor Lenny will be licking his wounds over at the Slippery Snake tonight,” she called out. “I took him down on the shooting range, too.”

  Kendra moved around the guy, her focus on the door that led out of the gym. She flung the handles of her duffel bag over her shoulder. Maybe she could get home to her apartment before dark.

  “Ah, so you’re the rookie everyone’s been talking about. I’ve been looking for you.”

  Kendra squeezed her eyes shut for a second, then glanced upward. Why did this guy want to chat, and why now? A shower was what she needed, or better yet, a nice long soak in a hot bath. A pizza sounded good, too.

  What she didn’t need or want was idle chit-chat with some cop after already putting in a full day on the job. She’d rather be home. It was officially the end of her first week as a detective in New York, and her couch was calling.

  She blew air from her mouth, then turned around. “Yeah, I’m the rookie.” She stared at the older guy and made air quotes as she said ‘rookie.’ “Is there something you need? Because I’d like to get home. And why are you looking for me?”

  The guy walked up to her as if he was in no hurry, confident and assertive. He made eye contact, but it sure looked as if he was assessing her from top to bottom without being obvious, as if she was a prime suspect in a criminal case.

  Finally, his gaze dropped to her right upper arm, where it lingered. Everyone did that. Another thing she was used to. Her tattoo drew a lot of attention and questions. Questions she usually didn’t answer. She should have put her sweatshirt on over her tank top, but then she’d really be hot after wrestling that big ox, Lenny, to the ground.

  “Matt Donovan.” He held out his hand. Kendra glanced at it, then took a step closer and shook it. “You’ve been assigned to me as my temporary partner. I’m supposed to show you around.”

  Matt Donovan? He was the detective the other guys had said was the only other person who could beat Lenny in a wrestling match. Her eyes lifted to meet his gaze. He wore a confident smile, but didn’t seem arrogant like some of the other detectives she’d met over the years.

  “Kendra Weda, the rookie.”

  Something sparked in Matt Donovan’s eyes, but he concealed it immediately. “Weda. Impressive how someone your size can take down an opponent of Lenny’s bulk.”

  “Yeah, well, the guy was slow. It’s not always about size. A bear might be stronger, but a wolf is faster and more cunning.”

  Matt Donovan’s brows rose. His eyes went back to the tattoo on Kendra’s arm. “That’s an interesting analogy.”

  She smiled and shook her head. “It’s something someone told me a long time ago.”

  “So, you think you’re a wolf and not a bear?” Matt’s keen eyes gauged her for a reaction.

  Kendra narrowed her gaze. “What do you mean? Why would I think of myself as a bear?” She laughed to conceal her sudden unease. “Do I look like a bear?” To make her point, she stared up at him. Matt Donovan, despite being of average height, was still a good head taller than her.

  Matt pointed to the tattoo on her arm. “It’s a beautiful image of a wolf, so I wonder what the slash marks above it signify? Only a grizzly would leave marks like that. I commend your tattoo artist for the realism.”

  Kendra blinked and stared at Detective Donovan. She’d heard his name mentioned a few times by some of the other officers. Apparently, he had a reputation for picking up on the smallest details in cases that many of his colleagues missed. Right now, it seemed, he was picking her apart.

  “Then there’s the matter of your last name.”

  Words wouldn’t come for a moment. Obviously, he’d been checking up on her, but why? She’d never met the guy.

  “Look, it’s been a long day, Detective Donovan. If you’re supposed to show me the ropes, I’m sure we can pick this up in a couple of days. But right now, I need to get home.”

  Kendra turned and moved to head out the door. The headache coming on was getting worse. A chill crept up her spine, and a sense of unease swept through her. She glanced over her shoulder. Matt Donovan was right behind her. Kendra glared at him. Why was he following her? Then she shook her head.

  This is the way out, Sherlock. Unless he wants to go all the way to the other end of the building, of course he’s going to go this way.

  Matt offered a smile. “I’m heading out, too.” He confirmed the obvious, and must have decided he should say something, since she was staring at him like a deer caught in the headlights.

  “I’m supposed to meet my wife and daughter at the coffee shop across the street in a little while. My car’s been acting up lately, and my wife took it in to get some work done on it.”

  Kendra continued to look at him. There was something familiar about him, something unexplainable. It was as if she knew him. She shook her head. Ridiculous. She’d never laid eyes on the guy. She’d only recently come to New York after landing her first job as a detective on the police force. Her first three years as a police officer had been spent in L.A.

  “I don’t have a car. I prefer to walk.”

  Matt Donovan opened the door and waited for her to step outside. It was getting dark, but the parking lot was illuminated with plenty of lights.

  “Can I buy you a coffee across the street while I wait for my wife to pick me up? I know it’s tough when you first join the force. The guys like to test the rookies, but you clearly showed them today. From everything I’ve heard about you, you passed with flying colors.”

  He smiled. His eyes were warm and friendly. Kendra shrugged. What would it hurt to have a quick cup of coffee with her new colleague before heading home? Matt Donovan was her senior, after all, and it wouldn’t be good to make a bad first impression.

  “Sure, Donovan. We can talk more about bears and wolves.”

  He walked next to her crossing the street, not saying a word. Kendra glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.

  “Have we met before?” she blurted. She stopped before entering the coffee shop and faced him.

  Matt Donovan shook his head. “I don’t think we have. Why do you ask?”

  Kendra shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe the things you said in there.” She gestured with her chin toward the gym across the street. “Maybe you arrested me at some point.”

  A smile passed over his lips. “Arrested you? I thought you were a police officer, not a criminal.”

  “I put the life of crime behind me three years ago and became a police officer. I was in jail for minor offenses often enough that I figured it was time to see it from the other side of the bars.”

  Matt nodded. “I think that was a wise decision.” He opened the door to the café for her and led her to one of the small tables along the window. It was a strategic location, one where he could see the entire shop without having his back turned to anyone.

  Kendra tossed her duffel bag on the ground. Matt ordered coffee at the counter, then brought the mugs over, setting one in front of her. He eased into his chair and glanced at her from across the table.

  “Those were some pretty impressive moves back at the gym. Lenny never saw it coming. He’s going to be nursing his ego for a while.”

  Kendra shrugged. “Yeah, I learned to fight at an early age. I was bullied a lot, so I taught myself to fight back and defend myself. I left the Rez - left home -and was on the street. I learned to defend myself there, too.”

  Matt nodded. There was a question in his eyes, but he took a sip of his coffee instead. His gaze dropped to her arm. “Tell me about your tattoo.”

  Kendra held up her arm so she could see it better. She’d asked Marco Gonzales, a former friend who ran a tattoo parlor, to duplicate the picture she’d sketched many years ago as a kid.

  The strange dreams that had plagued her as a young girl had stopped around the same time she’d left home. After entering the police academy, going through training, and working on the streets of L
.A., she’d barely dreamt at all.

  She’d passed her exams to become a detective - her ultimate goal - by the seat of her pants. Then, after nearly eight years off the Rez, out of the blue, the dreams had started up again, and were more vivid than ever. It was one of the reasons she’d had to get away from L.A. The job in New York couldn’t have come at a better time, so she’d jumped at the chance. Maybe a change in scenery was what she needed.

  Kendra sipped her coffee before she looked across the table to see Matt Donovan studying her intently. He was trying to figure something out, and whatever it was, it baffled him. What did he find so fascinating about her, though? It was both annoying and puzzling. She shrugged.

  “You were pretty perceptive about the tattoo. It’s like you said. A wolf standing up to an attack by a grizzly, but no one has ever figured it out.” Why would they? This was an image from her dreams, after all. Everyone just thought the three marks were made by the wolf and meant to add drama to the piece.

  Matt held his cup to his lips. “Have you ever seen a wolf and grizzly get into a fight?”

  “Only in nature shows on television, but I’ve seen plenty of bears in the wild, and a few wolves.”

  “As you said earlier, wolves are more cunning and faster than bears, but they won’t engage a bear in a fight most of the time. They simply harass and wear their bigger opponent down. A lone wolf, especially, is no match for a grizzly.”

  Kendra stared across the table. She blinked and scrunched her forehead. How did this conversation even get started? No one had ever discussed bears and wolves with her before.

  No one, except . . .

  She shook her head. She’d left all that behind. Kendra took another gulp of coffee, regretting it instantly. The liquid burned her tongue and seared her throat as it went down. She coughed, nearly spilling the mug still in her hand.

  “Damn, that’s hot.”

  Matt Donovan chuckled. “It’s coffee. It’s supposed to be hot.” He leisurely sipped his own, then leaned forward in his seat. “Where have you seen bears and wolves in the wild?”

  He wasn’t letting this go. Kendra scoffed. “In Yellowstone National Park. I practically grew up there, until I had enough and left home.”

  “Yellowstone?” Matt’s stare grew more intense, if that was even possible. “I guess that’s something we have in common. I practically grew up there, too. I still take my family every year.”

  Kendra smiled indulgently. She rolled her eyes and scoffed. How nice of him. He looked like a family man. Probably had a pretty wife and a couple of kids waiting for him at home every night, and took them on the obligatory family road trip every year.

  Matt raised his mug to his lips again, then set it on the table.

  “To which Shoshone tribe do you belong, Kendra?”

  Kendra coughed and spilled some of her coffee on the table. Matt reached over, his move quicker than a striking snake, and set her mug upright before all its contents ended up in her lap. Kendra grabbed her bag and leapt from her seat.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to upset you.” Matt stood, too.

  She glared at him. “I don’t know why you’ve been checking up on me, but I thought I passed all my background checks before I was hired.”

  She nearly kicked the chair over in her haste to get out of the coffee shop. Detective Donovan was beside her before she reached the door. He opened it for her, and she rushed out, then walked quickly up the street.

  “I didn’t check up on you, Kendra. Your name caught my attention, that’s all. I happen to be very familiar with the Shoshone language and culture, and I was curious.”

  Kendra spun around and narrowed her eyes on him. Her pulse throbbed at her temples as anger took over. Anger at Matt Donovan for reminding her who she was, despite having done everything to forget her former life. And anger because those stupid dreams plagued her again, dreams she’d only had while living on the reservation.

  “Did you grow up on the Rez, Detective Donovan? Did people condemn you because you weren’t full-blooded?” She scoffed and looked him up and down. The man in front of her wasn’t a native. “Did you have to try twice as hard to fit in while knowing you never would?” She cursed under her breath. Why was she losing her composure in front of him? She didn’t even know him. Worst of all, she had to face him again at work.

  “I don’t know what life was like on the Rez, Kendra, but I can definitely relate to the other stuff. Isn’t there a tribal elder you can talk to if you’re feeling lost?”

  She laughed. “Lost? My grandfather shoved the old ways at me all my life. I don’t want to hear any more about customs and legends. I just want to fit in and lead a normal life. It’s why I left. I wanted something different, but I can’t seem to find my place away from the reservation, either.”

  “Is that why you have that tattoo?” Matt’s voice remained calm, while the turmoil inside her grew as each second ticked by.

  Kendra sniffed. She swiped her hand under her nose, then scoffed. “What does my tattoo have to do with any of this?”

  Matt offered a sincere smile. “You’re conflicted about who you are. You’ve got the mark of the bear above the image of a wolf. It appears you want to be both, but you don’t know how to be either. Or maybe it symbolizes that the bear is trying to destroy the wolf.” He shook his head and laughed. “That image had to come from somewhere. It’s not a piece of artwork you simply pick out of a book at the tattoo parlor.”

  Kendra stared up at him. She squeezed her eyes shut as images of her dreams played in her mind. They made no sense. Dreaming about bears and wolves made no sense, and neither did her tattoo, but it was the image that had been burned in her mind for as long as she could remember.

  Matt Donovan took a step closer. He stared down at her with a sincere look in his eyes.

  “Why bears and wolves, Kendra?”

  She narrowed her eyes. If she told him about her dreams, he might tell the police chief she needed a psych evaluation and that she might not be fit to do her job.

  “Why are you asking me this?”

  “Look, your name caught my attention when Chief Morris said I was in charge of the new rookie, but after seeing you in the gym, and your tattoo . . . I think we need to talk further.” He chuckled. “Don’t think I’m crazy, but I’m sensing we might have a common link in our past.”

  “A common link?” Her brows rose. Maybe he was the one who needed to talk to a shrink, but there was no denying that she’d had the same vibe about him.

  Matt Donovan leaned forward. His voice was a mere whisper, but the effect was stronger than if he had shouted. “Years ago, my closest friend, someone I considered a brother, had scars that looked exactly like your tattoo. His were real. They were larger, running down his back, but they came from a grizzly attack. I thought I had put that part of my life behind me, but when I saw you earlier, I realized it’s not over.”

  She glared up at him and shook her head. What the heck? Why not tell him? She gave a quick laugh.

  “I know this is going to sound stupid, but I sketched that image for the tattoo when I was maybe ten years old. I used to have dreams, weird dreams about bears and wolves.”

  Kendra dropped eye contact and glanced at her feet as the images of her dream played before her eyes.

  “It was snowing. People wrapped in furs were fleeing something, trudging through the drifts. Children were crying. A wolf followed them, stalking them. They came to a stop when they encountered two bears and another wolf. The bears and the wolf chased off the lone wolf.” She shook her head and laughed again. “I have no idea what it all means. I think my grandfather’s stories went to my head.” Blinking back the sting in her eyes, she raised her chin. Matt Donovan looked at her intently, without the skeptical expression she’d expected.

  “You’re not going to recommend me for a psych evaluation, are you?”

  “No, I don’t think you need a psych evaluation. Have you told your grandfather about yo
ur dreams?”

  She laughed. “You’re the first and only person I’ve ever told, and I don’t even know why I told you.”

  “Maybe because you and I have a lot in common, and I think I can help you make sense of your dreams.”

  Kendra blinked, then raised her brows. “You’re kidding, right?”

  Matt Donovan smiled. “Tell me, have you ever heard any stories about the Sky People?”

  Chapter 3

  Two wolves were running along the side of a dark road just outside the city limits. They kept to the narrow space between the road and a steep ditch that led to a heavily wooded area. Occasionally, one stopped to sniff the air, then the ground, then continued running. They clearly had a destination or purpose in mind. A lone car passed by, and the wolves both stopped. They looked as the car sped down the road, again sniffing the air. Then they continued on.

  The lights of the city sparkled like stars in the distance. One of the wolves stopped. It seemed as if he didn’t want to continue. He stared at the lights, then at the road, then at the other wolf. His dark eyes glanced at his surroundings. Intelligent eyes, but confused, as if he couldn’t figure out where he was or how he’d gotten there.

  The soft hum of an engine drew closer, and headlights drew near. The unsure wolf sniffed the air, then turned his head toward the dense trees in the gully below. He sat on his haunches, clearly unwilling to keep moving toward the city. The other wolf stared at him, his eyes dark and menacing. His lips twitched and he bared his teeth, then growled. It didn’t seem to bother the first wolf. Instead of following, he lowered himself completely to the ground and dropped his head between his front paws.

  The second wolf turned away from him and continued trotting toward the car. Headlights appeared from both directions. The wolf darted into the road, directly in the path of one of the cars, causing it to swerve into the lane of the oncoming vehicle. The driver of that car, a woman, turned the wheel to avoid both the animal in the road as well as the car coming at her. The passenger, a large grizzly, grabbed the woman to shield her from the inevitable impact as the car skidded across the road and down the steep incline.