Pack Investigator

by Crissy Smith

  “Hey,” he said as he climbed back inside the rig. “You doing okay?”

  “Where’s my dad?” Nick pulled down his mask and asked. “I heard that man say no one was else was inside.”

  Damn shifter hearing. “We don’t know,” Garrett admitted.

  Nick struggled to sit up. Julie pressed her hand down on his shoulder while Garrett grabbed both of Nick’s hands. “It’s okay, buddy. We’re looking for him.”

  “I want to help!” Nick cried.

  “First we have to take you to the hospital and have you checked out by the doctors,” Garrett said.

  “I want my dad!” Nick wailed.

  “I know.” Garrett brushed back the dark hair that had fallen into Nick’s eyes. “I know you do. But your dad would want us to take care of you first, wouldn’t he?”

  Tears had started to pool in Nick’s eyes. He sniffed but nodded.

  “Then let us do that. I’ll stay with you,” he promised. “See all the police officers?” He pointed out into the yard of the house.

  “Yeah,” Nick mumbled.

  “They are going to look for your dad. That’s their job,” he said.

  “You swear?” Nick asked. “They’ll find my dad?”

  Julie cleared her throat, catching his attention. She shook her head at him. He knew he shouldn’t make promises that he couldn’t keep. He glanced back at Nick. “I swear that they’ll do everything they can.”

  Nick seemed satisfied and leaned back, settling in. Garrett let out a breath of relief.

  Julie placed the mask back over Nick’s face before she turned and grabbed a water bottle from a small fridge. She handed it to Garrett and he didn’t waste any time gulping the refreshing liquid down.

  “We need to go,” she said. “You coming along?”

  Nick tensed but Garrett patted his arm and soothed him. “Yep.”

  “Okay,” she said. “Let’s go, Shawn,” she called out to her partner.

  Shawn came running up before he slammed the doors closed. Julie went back to her clipboard, writing something down, so Garrett just held Nick’s hand and relaxed. It was going to be a really long night.

  * * * *

  Lillian Harper hurried down the hospital corridor toward her charge. It was almost one in the morning but when she’d been called about a shifter child being rescued from a fire, she’d taken the case. All the other social workers were human so as the only wolf shifter, Lily took most of the shifter cases that arose in the department.

  This case was an emergency placement since the child’s father Randy Bolton had been reported missing. Lily’s concern was the boy but she still prayed that the kid’s father was okay. The fourth floor of the Medical Center Hospital was one of the quieter areas. It was reserved for post-surgery patients but Lily had asked for her charge to be taken up there. That way he wouldn’t get frightened with all the sounds and the crowd of the emergency room. Twelve years working with the Clear Creek child services afforded her some favors.

  She’d already placed a call to her Alpha to get information on the Bolton family. Her hours didn’t allow her to make many of the Pack meetings so she wasn’t certain whether or not she’d met Nick or his dad, Randy.

  Alpha Jeremy spoke very highly of Randy and Nick and was willing to take Nick in if need be. He was also planning to make a call to Randy’s partner in the law firm where he worked. Apparently the partner was a shifter and close to Nick as well. Lily was glad she’d called her Alpha. If the boy needed immediate placement, Jeremy would do for the time being. She couldn’t place him there long since the Alpha had to go out of town in a few days to meet with the Alpha Council and his trip couldn’t be postponed. At least she’d be able to place Nick somewhere safe while they looked for the boy’s dad and she made more permanent arrangements. If the cops didn’t find Randy then Nick would need long-term care. She preferred to keep the shifter children with others like them, because they could teach the children tricks on how to deal with the wolf if it decided to try to transform. Children didn’t have the easiest time dealing with the change during traumatic events.

  She knew wonderful human foster parents that would make a good match if she needed to place Nick for longer than a couple of days. For now Nick needed someone he trusted and was comfortable with. She waved at the head nurse as she passed by the desk. She’d called earlier, finding out that Nick was in room twelve. It was one of the largest on the floor.

  As she got closer to Nick’s room, she could hear the soft murmur of voices coming from inside. She’d been told that the firefighter who’d rescued Nick was staying with him until she could get there. Apparently Nick had attached himself to his hero and didn’t want the fireman to leave him.

  Lily knocked gently on the door frame before she entered the room. Nick was lying in the big hospital bed and next to him was a large man in a CCFD T-shirt. He glanced up as she stepped in and her breath caught at his handsome face. He had to be one of the hottest men she’d ever seen. His dark brown hair was disheveled and he had dark circles under his eyes, but when he spotted her his smile transformed his entire face and made him look years younger. He had a somewhat wholesome boyish look to him that she liked. He stood up, groaning a little. He had to have been at least six feet two.

  “You must be Lillian,” he said. “We were told to expect you.”

  She accepted his handshake and jolted as their palms connected. He jerked a little himself but his smile never left his face. “Call me Lily, and you are?”

  “Garrett Sullivan,” he responded.

  “Nice to meet you.” She had to let go of his hand even though it was the last thing she wanted to do. She turned toward the boy in the bed. “And you must be Nick.” She walked over to the left side, allowing Garrett to remain on the right. “I’m very sorry this happened to you,” she said honestly.

  “Did you find my dad yet?” he asked.

  Her heart ached that she couldn’t tell him good news. “Not yet, sweetie,” she said.

  “Oh.” Nick’s bottom lip trembled and he reached for Garrett’s hand.

  “They’re working very hard, though. They called the Alpha and he even put some of the Pack out to search for him,” she told him.

  “Hear that?” Garrett patted Nick’s hand. “You’ve got the cops and the Pack on your side, that’s good news.”

  Nick nodded. “But Dad wouldn’t want me to be here all by myself. If he knew where I was he’d come, so where is he?”

  He was a smart kid for the age of five. Lily just wasn’t sure how to explain things to him. Garrett glanced at her and their gazes met. She offered him a small smile, hoping he understood that she didn’t know how to answer Nick. “Well, that’s why everyone is looking. They want to get your dad here to you,” she said.

  “Okay,” Nick replied.

  “As a matter of fact, the policemen want to come and talk to you, to see if you could help them. I need to check with your doctor but if he says it’s okay, would you be willing to talk to the police?”

  “I want to help,” Nick stated clearly.

  “I’ll stay with you and if you want to stop or you get scared or tired you just tell me,” Lily said.

  “I want Garrett to stay too,” Nick demanded.

  The poor boy was hanging onto his hero with everything he had. It would be best to break the connection sooner rather than later. Nick was becoming too attached to this human stranger.

  “I think it would be best if Mr. Sullivan went ahead and got back to his job. It’s important that he rests so he can help the next family he comes across,” she explained.

  Nick started to shake, and she knew she’d said the wrong thing. Crap! She needed to keep him calm.

  “I’m sure he’ll be back to visit you,” she tried.

  It didn’t work, Nick started to cry and climb out of bed.

  “Hey, little man.” Garrett swept him up in his arms, somehow managing to avoid the IV line in his hand. “Relax, I’m not going anywhere. Miss L
ily just didn’t know that. Didn’t I say I’d stay with you tonight?”

  “Ye…yeah,” Nick spoke as he continued to cry. “But what if there’s another fire and you’re not there? I don’t want you to leave, though.”

  Garrett glared at her for a second before he sat on the bed and held Nick to his chest. “I’m not on shift anymore. It’s already ended. There’s plenty of guys at the station that will be there in case of another fire. I promise it’ll be okay that I stay with you. My boss already said so.”

  Nick sniffled before he wiped his nose with his hand.

  Lily grabbed some napkins and wiped his face then hands. “I’m sorry I upset you,” she said. “If Mr.—uh, I mean Garrett, wants to stay with you he can.” She didn’t know how she was going to explain it to her office but she’d find a way. It was obvious that Garrett planned on sticking around.

  “You’re not mad?” Nick asked peering up at her.

  “At you?” she asked, shocked. “Of course not! I think you’re being very brave but you feel comfortable with Garrett and that’s okay.”

  Nick sighed before he laid his head on Garrett’s chest. The picture the two of them made was heartwarming. The huge fireman holding the tiny scared boy in his arms, offering him comfort. It was a moment she’d have loved to photograph.

  “Excuse me.”

  Lily spun around and saw Dr. Hernandez at the door. “Hey, Doc,” she greeted. She’d gotten to know the older doctor well over the years.

  “Miss Harper.” Dr. Hernandez smiled at her. “I’m happy to see you with our little patient here.”

  Nick didn’t lift his head from Garrett’s chest but he did wave at the doctor. “He gave me a candy bar,” Nick told her.

  “Well,” Lily laughed. “If it was doctor-ordered I’d say that you must have been a really good boy.”

  “Yes he has,” Dr. Hernandez agreed. “Do you have a moment?” He gestured toward the hall.

  Lily patted Nick’s arm. “I’m going to talk to the doctor. I’ll be right back.”

  “You’ll see if I can help the police?” Nick sounded eager.

  “You bet,” she answered.

  She followed the doc out but didn’t close the door. “How is he?”

  “He’s very well. He had some slight smoke inhalation but between fluids, oxygen and his shifter abilities he’s almost back to normal.”

  Lily relaxed a little. “That’s great. The cops want to talk to him but I told them I’d have to check with you first.”

  “I’ll leave that decision up to you,” Hernandez said. “Physically he’s fine. I don’t know what toll this took on him emotionally or mentally so watch out for signs of stress. You know what to look for.”

  She nodded. The child’s welfare was always her first priority. “Thanks.”

  “I want to keep him overnight but as long as he gets some sleep he should be released in the morning,” Hernandez said.

  Lily offered her hand. “Sounds good.” She would have to decide what to do with him, but for the night he was safe in the hospital.

  “I’ll talk to you later,” Hernandez said before he walked farther down the hall.

  She turned back toward the room and almost bumped into Garrett. He stood blocking the entrance. While she wanted to go to him and place her hand on his big solid chest and rub him down, marking him with her scent, Lily had enough control to resist. But barely.

  “Now what?” he asked. When he wasn’t glaring at her she could get lost in his eyes. The disapproval earlier had actually made her hands start to sweat and her stomach tighten. There was just something about him that called to the wolf inside.

  Lily shook her head. This was ridiculous. She had a job to do!

  “I’ll let the officers know they can interview him. He needs to get some sleep and then we’ll see what happens next,” she said. She didn’t mean to sound so sharp but Garrett was affecting her way too much.

  His eyes narrowed but he didn’t say anything. He just spun on his heel and headed back to Nick’s side. She had to stop herself from bowing her head and running after him. She closed her palms tightly, making fists. The bite of her nails into her flesh helped clear the fog from her brain. Lily shuddered. Garrett might be a human but he had dominance radiating off him. It was a turn-on for her but she couldn’t fantasize about what she would like him to do to her. Not until Nick was safe and she was home alone.

  She rolled her shoulders back and strolled into the room, preparing to take care of Nick and ignore her attraction to Garrett. It didn’t help when she spotted him sitting on Nick’s bed, stroking the boy’s hair as they spoke softly.

  Nick looked up and smiled at her. “Garrett said he’d get some games for us to play, are you going to stay?”

  Lily nodded. She could play a few games before she got back to working on Nick’s case. “Of course,” she said with false cheer. The boy needed normalcy, and Lily was a big girl. She wasn’t a slave to her hormones. She wasn’t sixteen again, for heaven’s sake. Garrett was only a man, yes an extremely attractive man, but Lily was in control, she tried to assure herself.

  Chapter Two

  Garrett lifted his head from the back of the chair he’d fallen asleep in and yawned. Bleary eyed, he peered at his surroundings. Nick was curled into a ball at the top of the bed. Lily was in a chair and had it up against the side of the bed with her arms crossed on the mattress, pillowing her head. The night before, or more accurately the early morning, had found them watching cartoons and playing several games that one of the nurses had brought up to them.

  The activities had helped keep Nick’s mind off his dad and the events from earlier. They’d played until Nick had nodded off. Nick hadn’t even woken when the two officers from missing persons had shown up. Lily had sent them away, asking them to come back later this morning.

  He hated to admit it, under the circumstances that had brought the three of them together, but he’d enjoyed sitting around with Lily and Nick. He’d felt just a little guilty laughing as he’d teased Nick about how Nick kept winning. The boy’s dad was missing, possibly dead in the worst case scenario, and he’d had a better night then he could remember in a very long time.

  Garrett stretched his arms over his head and bit back a groan as his back popped. He didn’t regret spending the night in Nick’s hospital room but his body was letting him know that he wasn’t as young as he used to be. Hell, he was pushing forty and he was much too old to sleep in a chair.

  He rose to his feet but made sure that he remained quiet so he didn’t wake Nick or Lily. He wanted them to get as much rest as they could. There was a busy day ahead for both of them. He didn’t know what Lily had planned for Nick but he was going to insist he had a say in things. He went into the attached bathroom first to take a piss, then he washed his face and rinsed out his mouth. He had his bag from earlier but he needed coffee before he really cleaned up good. He exited the bathroom and saw Lieutenant Haas hovering at the door. The lieutenant spotted him and gestured back toward the hall. Garrett nodded before he followed Haas out of the room.

  “I’m not surprised to see you still here,” Haas said as a way of greeting. “We haven’t met officially but I’ve seen you around. I heard all about the boy and how he’s connected with you. I was hoping I could use that to help get him to talk to me.”

  “I’m happy to help,” Garrett told him. “Can you tell me anything about your investigation?”

  “I can actually.” Haas motioned to the elevator. “Do you have time for a cup of coffee? There is a small café downstairs instead of the main cafeteria. I’ve had the pleasure of picking up a cup or two in the past.”

  “That’d be fantastic,” he replied.

  Haas led the way to the elevator and they took it down to the ground level, then walked over to the entrance of Café Cantata. The scents flowing out made Garrett’s mouth water and his stomach rumble. He needed sustenance. He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d eaten—a late lunch, he thought, befo
re the two fires had kept him out all night.

  “Why don’t you grab a table? I’ll get our order. Large coffee sound good?” Lieutenant Haas asked.

  “Yes please.” He headed to the back of the café where they would have some quiet and could talk. He peered out of the window, was surprised to see the sun shining and it appearing to be a beautiful day. It was crazy how being inside the hospital made time seem to stand still. While those on the outside went about their days the few inside the cold, sterile building were praying to get out.

  Garrett shook himself out of his weird thoughts as Haas headed toward him with a tray. There were two large cups of coffee, a couple of muffins, a breakfast sandwich and a container of creamer on it.

  “I wasn’t sure how you took it,” Haas stated as he set the tray down. “I also suspected that you’d need some food.”

  “Appreciate it.” Garrett reached for the cup first as he needed the caffeine fix. He took several sips, even as it burned his tongue and the roof of his mouth. He finally set it down so he could add a spoonful of sugar and a dash of cream.

  Haas chuckled. “Here, eat the sandwich too.” He pushed the food toward Garrett.

  “Thanks.” He dug in and they spent a few minutes in silence as Garrett polished off his entire coffee and the sandwich plus one of the muffins.

  “Refill?”

  He looked up to the young lady who held up a pot.

  “House blend, right?” she asked.

  Garrett nodded. He didn’t know or care. He just wanted more of whatever wonderful brew they’d created. Now that he’d gotten some sustenance he could think more clearly. He fixed up his second cup before he sat back while the waitress poured more coffee for Haas also. “You said you could tell me something about the case?”

  Lieutenant Haas stirred his own coffee before he took his spoon out and set it aside. “I looked into you. You almost completed all the schooling to become an investigator. You put in the time, had top grades before dropping it all to move here. Why?”