by Crissy Smith
“We’re guessing they set the fire to keep the company in California from buying up the property. If the property was damaged it wouldn’t be worth as much. He didn’t want to sell while his brother did,” Garrett explained.
“Okay, I can see that,” Steve agreed.
“Moving to the next fire we come across Alex’s motive to help. Alex is estranged from his family so we assume the house fire was to hurt his parents. His parents found a journal from a long time ago that Alex had written several posts in about wanting to purposely burn down the house. They’d given it to Randy to hold since Randy was handling all their legal papers. Alex’s parents thought right away that their son might be responsible. Randy had the journal in case the cops wanted it later. The file we found from Randy’s place makes it appear that Randy was collecting evidence against Alex.”
“Once you know who all the players are it isn’t difficult to connect,” Steve said.
“Yeah, they were going to get caught one way or another. They made too many mistakes. Still, I don’t think they’re the sharpest guys. One name led to another to the next. They all went against Randy at some point. Add in that each one was involved in the place that the fires happened and it just clicks together. Not sure what they thought would happen after they kidnapped Randy,” Garrett replied.
“Maybe they were going to blame the fires on Randy?” Steve guessed.
Garrett shook his head. “I don’t think so. They would have had to make sure Randy didn’t have an alibi for each one. I don’t think these guys are that organized.”
“Huh.” Tom scratched the top of his head. “Money?”
“That’s a possibility,” Garrett said. “Or maybe they just hated him and wanted to make sure he disappeared. I don’t think they planned on the Pack getting involved.”
“Then they don’t know anything about our Pack,” Steve told him. “We wouldn’t have given up searching.”
“Thank God,” Garrett said. “But I don’t think they know much about shifters. I can’t really explain why I believe that but it’s my gut feeling.”
“So basically this just comes down to a bunch of punks burning shit down and targeting Randy?” Steve asked.
Garrett’s gut cramped. “Yeah.”
“That’s fucked up,” Steve stated.
“I know.”
“Sullivan!” Haas called from across the office.
“I’ll catch up with you in a bit.” Garrett patted his friend’s shoulder before jogging over to his partner. “What’s up?” he asked as he reached Haas, Cooper and Josiah.
“The CCPD is going to run this operation and we’ll stand as back up,” Haas said. “You can’t carry since you don’t have your investigator qualifications yet so I want you to stay with one of the shifters as much as you can. You’re standing second entry team so the place will be secure before you move in.”
“You think they’ll be dangerous?” he questioned.
“Yes, they kidnapped someone. There is no telling what condition Randy is in. Once we get inside, your job is to help the team find him. The shifters with you should be able to pick up on his scent. The ambulance will be close by,” Haas answered.
Haas pointed at a map. Once Mike had told them about the property that Alex’s uncle had owned and was still abandoned, they’d had a pretty good idea that was where they would be hiding. They’d downloaded the property blueprints from the county clerk. Mike having told them that the buyers wouldn’t be back for another three weeks made it almost obvious where Randy could be hidden. The Pack would be able to pick up any sign of him and they could go into the rescue and arrest with an advantage. “Here’s where you’ll enter,” he said. “I’ll go in the front doors with CCPD.”
Garrett nodded.
“We’re ready to go,” Cooper called out to them.
Garrett followed his partner, feeling the excitement rush through his blood. His adrenaline was high as he climbed up in the back of the van that would take them to the property. This was even better than fighting fires. There was just something about the investigating part that had always been a draw to him. He liked putting the pieces of the puzzle together and making sure the bad guys couldn’t hurt anyone again. He would’ve gone into police work but he also enjoyed actually fighting the fires—well, saving a family home or a business that the victims had put all their heart and soul into. At five years old, when he’d gotten a bright red fire engine for Christmas, he’d been determined to wear the uniform.
Inside the van with him were four other men. If Garrett understood correctly, they were all shifters. He was the only one that wasn’t armed and that pissed him off. On the one hand, if he’d have finished his qualifications he’d be able to go in with the full team taking down the suspects. However, he’d never regret his decision to come to Clear Creek. He’d just have to make sure that he buckled down and finished his training.
“Hey, man, I’m Johnny.”
Garrett shook the hand of the tall red-headed man next to him. “Garrett,” he replied.
“You’re Julie’s brother, right?”
“Yep.”
Johnny laughed as he bobbed his head up and down. Garrett would place Johnny’s age in his early twenties. Johnny had a puppy quality to him but Garrett would never admit that out loud. He didn’t want to insult the man even though Garrett found it endearing. “She’s made Cooper real happy. We’re thrilled they’re back together. Welcome to the family.”
Johnny appeared so genuine that Garrett had to grin back. That was what he liked about the Pack. They were so welcoming. He hoped, if a relationship developed with Lily, that he’d be just as accepted as her partner. “Thanks,” Garrett said sincerely.
“Just stick with me,” Johnny said. “We’ll have some fun and get Randy back home to his boy.”
“Sounds good to me,” Garrett agreed. He leaned back, resting against the side of the van.
His partner sat in front of him writing in a small notebook. Haas glanced at him and winked before getting back to it. The van didn’t have any windows so Garrett couldn’t follow where they were. He pictured the drive to the old property in his mind. It would only take the team ten minutes to get to their position to gather before entering the property. The time seemed to fly by. Garrett shook himself from his thoughts as the vehicle slowed before it came to a stop.
“Stay here,” Haas ordered then made his way to the back doors just as they opened.
Haas jumped down. Two men met him at the end of the van and they all leaned in together to talk. Garrett wished he had enhanced hearing like the shifters. Instead he just rubbed his hands together in anticipation.
“Ready?” Johnny asked as he bumped Garrett’s shoulder.
“Yeah, can you hear what they’re talking about?” Garrett questioned.
“Haas sent a couple of boys to keep an eye out while we got organized. There’s an old house with one man that keeps peeking out the front window. That’s where we think Randy is being held. No other suspects have been spotted,” Johnny whispered.
“So the place isn’t empty, that’s good news,” Garrett said.
“This is it,” Johnny replied. “I just have a feeling.”
“I sure hope so,” Garrett said. “I want to get the kid back to his dad.”
“I’d heard you’ve gone above and beyond for the boy. Everyone’s talking about how you even had him placed with your sister and Cooper. You impressed a lot of the Pack.”
“I just wanted him safe,” Garrett told him.
“And that’s how we knew you were one of us.” Johnny slapped his shoulder just as Haas climbed back inside the van. The doors closed behind him and Haas grinned at Garrett.
“It’s on,” Haas said.
Garrett blew out a breath that he hadn’t been aware he’d been holding. It was on indeed. Hopefully Randy could make it another hour or even less. They were only minutes away from his rescue.
The van started moving, and Garrett slammed his hand down o
n the seat between him and Johnny. The shifter chuckled next to him as they lurched to the side.
“Hang on, boy,” Johnny teased.
Garrett huffed but resisted sparring with the man.
“We’re pulling in,” the driver called back.
“The van will park at the side of the house. I’m with team one and we’ll head to the front. Garrett, you’re with team two and will hit the back. There will be two more squads covering the sides,” Haas explained.
“There won’t be any mistakes,” Johnny promised.
“No, there won’t,” Haas repeated.
The sound of the tires grew louder when they moved off the blacktop to the dirt road leading up to the house.
“Countdown,” the driver hollered back.
Garrett closed his eyes and started to count backward. When he got to ten he could feel the men around him tense in anticipation. Five…four…three…two…one.
The doors flew open, and Garrett joined the others in jumping out of the van with Johnny by his side. They raced around the side of the house to the flimsy back door. Two of the officers yanked the screen wide before one of them put their boot in the side and kicked it, allowing them entry. Garrett wanted to see what was happening but he had to wait until it was safe. Until he could carry a firearm he couldn’t risk going into the house before the cops cleared the house and had the suspects under control. He rocked back on his heels. Come on, come on.
“Clear,” someone yelled from inside the house. Garrett rushed forward with Johnny right there with him.
There was one man in the kitchen, lying on his stomach with his hands cuffed behind his back. Garrett wished he was alone with the creep. The man had taken Nick’s dad from him and caused the boy to go through way too much. There was no telling what he’d done to Randy.
“This way.” Johnny nudged Garrett’s shoulder.
He nodded before he followed the shifter to the right of the kitchen where a padlocked door was. Johnny easily ripped the lock away from the latch. Damn, what I wouldn’t give for shifter strength.
Garrett stuck his head through the door. A set of stairs led down to a basement. There was a small amount of light at the bottom which must have come from windows somewhere. He held up his hand. There! He could hear muffled sounds coming from the dark. “Someone’s down here,” he whispered to Johnny.
“Follow me,” Johnny said. He held his gun in his hands as he stepped forward.
Garrett pulled out his flashlight from the loop in his pants and shone it over the rickety steps as he followed.
He swept the light to the left then right. A lone figure was seated, chained down to a chair.
“Jeez,” Johnny muttered.
Garrett ran past Johnny until he was on his knees in front of Randy. The man looked a lot different from his picture but Garrett had to attribute that to his broken nose, black eye and swollen cheek. The kidnappers had worked him over but he appeared to be breathing normally and was awake. “It’s okay,” he told Randy. “We’re going to get you out of here.”
“Mmmph,” Randy managed.
Garrett removed the tape from over his mouth. He was as careful as he could manage. He pulled slowly but firmly, hoping that Randy’s shifting genes would keep Garrett from hurting him bad.
“Thank God,” Randy murmured. He started wiggling around. “Get me out of here.”
He had to grin at the impatience in the man’s tone. “Just give me a second,” he said. He glanced over his shoulder at Johnny. “Can you get these chains undone while I cut the rest of the tape off?”
Johnny nodded before he came closer to grip the metal binding Randy and yanked. Garrett used his knife on the duct tape around Randy’s feet and hands. The kidnappers had bound Randy thoroughly. Tape, rope around his waist and finally chains had all been used to keep him in place. That would normally be somewhat overkill but with Randy being a shifter they must not have wanted to take any chances.
Once they’d freed Randy, Garrett reached down and helped him onto his feet. Randy’s legs shook so Garrett kept his arm around Randy’s waist to help him upstairs.
“We’ve got the EMTs here. Any injuries I can’t see?” Garrett asked him.
Randy shook his head. “Nah, they beat on me at the house and when they first got me here but after that they pretty much left me alone.”
“Good.” Garrett was so damn relieved. The muscles in his neck and back relaxed, and for the first time in days he knew he’d truly be able to reunite Nick with his dad.
They reached the stairs as Randy turned to him. “Sorry, I’m not sure we’ve met.”
Garrett laughed. “Garrett.” He tightened his grip a second. “I was the one who rescued Nick from the fire. I’m working with the fire investigator.”
Randy’s knees went out and Garrett struggled to hold him up. “Rescued?” Randy whispered.
Since Garrett couldn’t carry Randy up the stairs by himself he turned Randy and sat him on one of the steps. Tears filled Randy’s eyes. “They told me he died in the fire,” Randy said. “I wanted to join my boy. I begged them just to finish me off. They just laughed and said not yet.”
He crouched in front of Randy and gripped his knee. “Nick’s fine, I carried him out myself. He’s staying with my sister and a police detective to ensure he remains safe.”
“You swear?” Randy grasped the front of his shirt. “Nick’s okay?”
“How about we get upstairs and make sure everything is taken care of here? Get permission to reunite you with your boy,” Garrett said.
“Please,” Randy replied before he hauled himself up. “I’m getting my legs back. They’re just a little sore from sitting for so long.”
Pride, Garrett mused. Randy wanted to walk out on his own. To show the kidnappers that they hadn’t beaten him. He could understand, admire even, the need. Still, Garrett hovered behind Randy as they made their way up into the main house.
The kitchen was full of activity. As the suspects were being led out, Garrett caught sight of one of them just as the kidnapper spotted Randy. The kidnapper yelled and broke free from the uniformed officer who had a hold of his arm. Garrett jumped forward as he pushed Randy behind him and to the side, out of the way. The kidnapper barreled into Garrett. There wasn’t much more he could do since his hands were tied, but still, the full body hit slammed Garrett back into a cabinet. His head bounced off the wood and Garrett saw stars just for a minute.
The commotion in the kitchen was loud and when Garrett blinked his eyes open he saw the kidnapper on the ground with Johnny on his back. The man’s nose was bleeding onto the white tiled floor.
“You okay?” Haas asked as he approached Garrett.
Garrett shook his head. “Yeah, fine.”
Haas patted his shoulder. Garrett just remained where he was as the Clear Creek Police Department cleared the house. Randy leaned against the wall next to him and they stood in silence. Once the place was cleared, Cooper and Josiah strolled over.
“I just got off the phone with Julie,” Cooper said. “We haven’t told Nick but I think he’d sure be glad to see his dad.”
Randy sighed. “I want to see my boy.”
Chapter Six
It was hard for Lily, Julie and Tom to remain calm and not tell Nick about his dad being found or the fact that he was on his way. Lily could barely keep herself from watching the front window giving away the surprise. It had only been thirty minutes since Julie had gotten off the phone with her mate, Cooper.
Still, the anticipation had her jiggling her leg. She glanced over at Julie and saw that she too was having trouble concentrating on the game of Candyland that they were playing with Nick and Tom.
A vehicle pulling up in front of the house had all three adults tensing.
“What’s wrong?” Nick asked, as he looked from one to another.
She exchanged a look with Julie and received a huge grin and nod. “Come here, Nick,” Lily said to the boy.
Nick jumped up and hurrie
d over. “Are you okay? Are you leaving?”
Lily shook her head. “I believe Garrett’s back. He has a surprise for you. Why don’t you go get the door for him?”
“Another present?” Nick jumped up and down. “What is it?”
She laughed. “Well, go see!”
“Okay!” Nick yelled as he ran for the door.
Lily and Julie followed behind at a slower pace. Through the front window she could see Cooper, Josiah, Garrett and another man she recognized from her file as Randy exiting the black SUV.
The door swung open and Nick screamed, “Daddy!”
Randy dropped to his knees while he threw his arms open. Nick ran forward until he was close enough to leap into his dad’s hold. They hugged for a long time. Garrett remained close but Cooper and Josiah walked up to the front door where she, Julie and Tom waited.
“Everything okay?” Tom asked.
“CCPD will take the case from here and we reunited Nick and his dad so I’d say that everything is pretty damn good. I invited Mike over as well and thought we’d barbecue,” Cooper said.
“Sounds good to me,” Julie commented. She turned toward Lily. “You can stay a little while longer?”
“I need to finish some paperwork so that I can release Nick back to his father. I can do that now and get it out of the way,” Lily answered. “That way Nick can go home with him.”
“I’ll talk with Garrett and Randy about where they’ll stay. I don’t believe the house is fit for them,” Cooper said.
One of the questions she’d have for Randy would be where he and Nick would go. She could happily let Cooper start working on that. She’d hate for any of the paperwork to have to be put on hold. With how close the Pack was, she was sure that someone would step in to help if need be. Shit, she wouldn’t be surprised if Garrett offered his own home since he was so fond of Nick.
As Cooper, Julie, Josiah and Tom spoke quietly, Lily walked off to join Garrett in front of the SUV. She leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest. “You kept your promise to him.”