by Stella Night
Logan shook his head. “Doesn’t mean anything other than that but I’ll check him out. What about his brother?”
“Guy’s an accountant, works in Kerrville.”
“What about the guy from Boerne?”
“Joe Easton?” Josh scowled for a minute. “I can’t get a read on him. He doesn’t participate much in pack activities, doesn’t have a job that I know of. He’s pretty much a loner.”
He looked at Logan and tilted his head. “Don’t you know him?”
Logan shook his head. “I’d never seen him before the other day.”
Josh’s brow furrowed in confusion. “What happened the other day?”
“Your wife didn’t tell you?” Logan watched as Josh went still in that weird shifter way.
The Alpha’s voice was a soft growl. “No. What happened?”
Logan hesitated for only a moment, not wanting to anger Josh. “Joe Easton and some other guy came up from the campground. They approached Ella and Celia on the street. It unnerved Ella a bit. I offered to call you but she wouldn’t let me. I thought she might have mentioned it to you when she got home.”
Josh took a deep breath. “I’ll talk to her. I’ll talk to Celia, too.”
“I don’t want to accuse anyone of anything without facts, but this guy is just … off in some way.” Logan put his pen down and pushed his chair back. He crossed his ankle over his knee then asked “How did he end up here?”
Josh shook his head. “The Boerne Alpha, Axe, gave me some sob story about this guy needing a new pack. Axe said there was some animosity between Joe and a couple of guys down there. He didn’t say what, but he thought the guy needed a change of scene. Joe had visited before, a few years ago, and asked if he could be part of Whiskey Springs.” He looked at Logan. “Maybe I should have asked a few more questions. Maybe I need to ask a few more.”
Logan stood up and put his pen and notebook back in his pocket. “I can run some background checks. I gotta tell you, having that many fires is more than a little suspicious. If you can try to put together a time line for me, it would help. Who has been here the least amount of time?”
Josh leaned back in his chair. “That would be the brothers.”
“I’ll put more focus on them and Easton then.”
“So how are things going now with Celia’s helping out?”
Logan grinned. “Great. She’s sharp. She’s found a couple of things I missed. That’s how I now know about multiple ignition points.” He paused. “But man, she’s hard headed.” Josh snorted, then laughed. “If I say don’t, she does. If I say no, she says yes. I go home exhausted.” Logan shook his head. “But she’d sure as hell make a good investigator.”
Josh was laughing when he stood to shake Logan’s hand. “Good luck.” He slapped Logan on the back. “With both the investigation and with my sister.”
Chapter 7
“So, you’ve been spending a lot of time with him.” Ella put Eli in his play pen then pulled her curls into a pony tail. “Are you still angry that he’s here?”
Celia kept scrubbing the floor of her soon-to-be daycare, not looking at her sister-in-law, wondering how much she should say about the feelings she had been having about Logan Nilsson.
She pursed her lips and then said, “He’s a pain in the ass, always needing to do things by the book. He’s all work and very little play. But he has a job to do. If I help him out, he leaves sooner.” When Ella didn’t respond, Celia stopped scrubbing. She turned to face her sister-in-law. “What?”
Ella shrugged. “I don’t know. You just seem … calmer about him being here.”
“Calmer?” Celia rose to her knees and put her hands on her hips.
“For lack of a better word. You are definitely more relaxed.” Ella smiled and picked up a scrub brush.
Celia thought for a moment while she watched Eli play. Then she looked at Ella. “Maybe. I don’t know.” She dipped her brush in the bucket of suds and started scrubbing again.
“He’s really cute. All tall and Nordic, those icy blue eyes, those broad shoulders and tight jeans —”
Celia choked. “Ella! You’re married! To my brother!”
“Well, as Mrs. G. Would say, I’m married, I’m not dead.”
Celia threw suds at her sister-in-law who promptly retaliated. Their giggles echoed in the empty kitchen, until a deep masculine voice spoke from the doorway.
“What’s so funny, ladies?”
They both stopped, still as deer in headlights. Ella laughed again. Celia growled softly, eliciting more laughter from her sister-in-law.
Logan stood in the doorway. Celia couldn’t remember the last time she saw a man fill out a pair of jeans so well. His t-shirt stretched across the muscles of his chest, his biceps bulged at the sleeves. The better to hold you with, my dear.
She shook herself out of her reverie. “Nothing.” She stood and wiped her hands on her jeans. Her breath caught in her throat as she watched him walk across the room.
When he stooped to make faces at the baby in his playpen, she could swear she heard faint yips and whines. She threw a quick glance out the kitchen window to make sure there were no young shifters playing in the back yard. Her brow furrowed in confusion and she missed what Logan was saying.
“I said, if Ella needs to get home, I can take over here.”
“Oh, hey — sure.” Ella turned to her sister-in-law. “I mean, it’s up to you.” Not waiting for Celia to answer, Ella put down her brush and dried her hands. She walked over to give Celia a hug.
“It’s not that I don’t love you, but cleaning is not my favorite thing to do.” Ella squeezed Logan’s arm before she bent down to take Eli out of his playpen. “And you. Thank you for coming to my rescue.” Picking up the baby she cooed, “Come on, little man. Let’s go see what Daddy’s doing.”
She grabbed the diaper bag and headed for the door. “You two have fun,” she threw over her shoulder.
Traitor! Celia turned back to Logan and raised an eyebrow. “What’s up?”
Logan got down on his knees and picked up Ella’s discarded brush. He dipped it into the sudsy water and began to scrub. “Not much. I sent off some samples and photos to a friend in the fire marshal’s office in San Antonio and I’m waiting for answers, so I just figured I would help you today.”
She considered that for a minute, then continued scrubbing. “And what else is going on?”
“Well, I am also waiting on the county fire marshal, who seems to like taking his time.”
She snorted. “Small town life. No one is in much of a hurry.” She scrubbed some more then said, “I never realized how much waiting there was in arson investigations.”
“Yep. Sometimes it seems like it’s all I do.” Logan scrubbed at a stubborn spot, then dipped his scrub brush again. He looked up at her. “I thought this place had been cleaned.”
Celia smiled and dipped her brush into the water. “It had. But the kitchen really needs another scrub before I put down new flooring. This old dingy linoleum? Yuck.” She stopped and pushed her hair off her forehead. “At least that’s all I have to do as far as prep work.” She nudged Logan on the arm. “Thanks for doing the inspection, by the way. It’s nice to know the place is safe for the little ones.”
Logan tilted his head up and smiled at her. “My pleasure.”
Her breath caught in her throat. Sunlight poured through the kitchen windows, silvering his pale blond hair. His blue eyes sparkled, the little lines at the outer corners crinkling with his smile. Her eyes dropped to his shoulders, the muscles there rippling as his arm moved.
She felt something unfamiliar but not entirely unwanted turning through her mind.
“Hey. You okay?” Logan reached out and touched her hand.
Celia’s eyes went wide as sparks danced up her arm. She realized she had been holding her breath when she tried to speak. “Um, yeah. Fine.” She looked down at the spot where their bodies connected, thinking there should be a scorch mark. Her heart
beat against her chest so hard she was sure Logan could hear it. She raised her eyes to meet his.
Logan’s only movement was to rub his thumb in little circles on her hand. His eyes searched her face. Then he slid his hand up her arm and shoulder to cup her jaw.
Without a word, he moved toward her. She could feel his pulse against her skin, could hear his heart racing.
Then his lips found hers.
The kiss was like lightning, zinging all the way to her core. His tongue skimmed her lips, seeking permission to enter. She opened to him eagerly, moaning softly.
Mate!
Celia gasped and pushed away from him. “Did you hear that—?”
Confusion marred his features as he spoke at the same time. “Did I hurt you—?”
She heard noise — shouts, car alarms. It took several seconds before she realized the noise was real. “Something’s wrong.”
“What? I’m sorry. I didn’t mean— ”
“Listen. Outside. Something’s wrong.” She cut him off as she scrambled to her feet and pulled him up. She didn’t realize that she had actually jerked him to his feet as she sped to the door.
The air was filled with an acrid odor. As she looked toward the center of town, she could see a column of thick black smoke rising above the rooftops. “Logan, is that…?”
They both ran to the end of the road where they could look up Main Street.
“My truck!”
Logan took off running with Celia on his heels.
Chapter 8
Logan skidded to a stop right behind Celia. A crowd of both tourists and locals had gathered. He recognized several shifters who had businesses on Main Street. A couple of them aimed fire extinguishers at the flaming truck. His truck, which was now fully engulfed by flames.
He could hear pops and hisses as the paint caught, adding fuel to the fire. The extinguishers seemed to be having no effect.
He watched as the stiff breeze whipped the flames up and toward Mrs. Gilbert’s house.
“Has anyone checked the house? Any of the houses?” He shouted but no one, not even the shifters, could hear him over the roar of the flames. Not waiting for a reply, he charged past the truck through front door. He called for Mrs. Gilbert and found her leaving out the back door.
Once he made sure she was safe, he ran back to the front yard and searched for a hose. He found it, disconnected and rolled up next to the house. Shit! There wasn’t enough time to connect it to the faucet and manage to make a dent in the blazing mass that was, moments ago, his beloved truck.
He was relieved to see that Josh and a few other pack members had evacuated the houses on either side of Mrs. Gilbert’s. He rushed over to the Alpha and pulled him aside.
“Josh, do you have your phone?” At his nod, Logan continued. “See if you can get photos of the crowd. Video will be better, but you’ll be less conspicuous if you just take photos - you won’t have to move the phone as much.” He walked away, searching for Celia to make sure she was not in harm’s way. Over his shoulder, he added “And try not to let anyone touch the truck. It’s a total loss, but there might still be evidence.”
Sirens drowned out his last few words as the volunteer fire department’s water truck came racing down the street. Before anyone could stop them, three men grabbed the fire hose and doused the truck with water and fire retardant foam.
“Aw, fuck me.” Logan stopped in his tracks. He could only watch as every possible bit of evidence that might prove the fire was deliberate washed down the street.
He felt a soft touch on his arm. Turning, he was met by hazel eyes fringed with dark lashes.
Celia’s brow furrowed in a frown. “I’m sorry, Logan.” She wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him close. “Thank you for making sure Mrs. G. was alright.” Logan put an arm around her shoulders, unable to speak.
They stood together and watched as the inferno became a smoldering black lump. As the crowd dispersed, Josh walked over with his phone.
“Man, I’m really sorry about your truck. The volunteers were a little more zealous than they usually are.” The Alpha scanned the crowd, then turned back to Logan. “I got some video. I got a shit load of photos.” He handed his phone to Logan. “Hope that helps.” He scanned the crowd again. “What exactly are you looking for?”
Logan was also scanning the crowd. “We’re looking for someone who is excited, or happy in a sea of concerned faces. Or someone who looks pissed at the world. Or a vaguely familiar stranger. Someone who just doesn’t look right. That one person who is out of place.”
Since it was a Monday, tourist traffic was light. Most of the crowd was made of up pack members and their families. A mother stood with her hand over her mouth, baby on her hip. Several kids watched, bicycles between their thighs. A vaguely familiar guy with a cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth stood near the firetruck.
Logan watched as the three volunteers who had come in the water truck finished putting out the fire. He took Josh’s phone, using it to record their actions and snap a few photos.
He murmured to Celia that he needed to check something and pushed her away gently. He got as close to the truck as he could, making sure he was upwind so he wouldn’t breathe any of the noxious fumes.
“Hey, be careful there.”
Logan turned to see who had spoken. Joe Easton stood by the water truck, turning levers and disconnecting fire hoses. His shit-eating grin stretched from ear to ear. I might have been friendly but Logan had his doubts.
He lifted his chin at the shifter. “So, did you respond to the fire the night the Hungry Boar went up?”
The shifter hunched his shoulders and scuffed his boots as he approached. Logan narrowed his eyes and tilted his head, wondering what happened to the brash swagger from just a few days ago. When Joe had accosted Ella, he had stood straight, almost menacing. Now he acted like the lowliest pack omega, the one who always crouched in the background so one would notice him.
As Joe approached Logan, the direction of the breeze changed. The shifter’s eyes got big and his nasty grin returned. “Hey, you’re that investigator, aren’t you?” Joe cut his eyes over to Celia and licked his lips. Then he turned back to Logan and stood up straighter and puffed out his chest. He still only reached Logan’s shoulders - small for a shifter. He held out his hand toward Logan. “I’m Joe.”
Logan’s eye’s narrowed, as he nodded. The guy’s trying to make himself bigger. What the hell? “Yeah. Logan Nilsson. How long you been volunteering?”
“Sorry about your truck.” The slimy grin was back.
Logan noticed that Joe hadn’t answered his question. “Yeah.” He looked at the other two fire fighters who were busy rolling the hoses and putting them back on the truck. “Thanks for putting it out.” He turned to walk back toward Celia but the shifter’s words stopped him.
“So, Nilsson. You dating the Alpha’s little sister? I mean, I can smell her on you. You know she’s meant for a shifter, don’t you?”
Logan saw Celia’s attention turn toward them and knew she had heard Joe’s words. He saw the anger building in her face. Her fists were clenched by her sides as she started walking toward them. He turned back to the shifter who had riveted his attention on her as she approached.
Logan turned to head Celia off, but before he could take a single step Josh was beside him
“You need to take care of the hoses and the truck, Joe.” The Alpha’s voice was a low growl. Startled, Logan turned toward him but stopped short.
Josh’s eyes glowed with gold light. He seemed taller, his shoulders bigger. Even his tawny hair looked shaggier. The proof of what he was shone through in that moment. Logan had been around pack long enough to know that Josh was seconds from shifting. He noticed that Celia had stopped moving when Josh spoke. In fact, all the nearby shifters stilled, their attention riveted to their Alpha.
Joe’s posture changed again. He drew in on himself as he slunk back toward truck, but not before looking over his
shoulder. His glare was trained on Celia.
Chapter 9
Celia watched as Logan and her brother walked around what was left of Logan’s truck. She tried to shake off the unease caused by Joe Easton’s attention. Someone should put that smarmy bastard down. She was just thankful that Ella was in the store, watching from the window with a few friends.
Apparently, Joe’s unwanted attention had drawn the notice of the Alpha. She watched as her brother struggled to reclaim his calm. She waited a moment before she walked toward the two men.
He kissed me! Celia brought her hands up to cheeks as she walked, feeling the tell-tale warmth of her blush. Holy shit! I hugged him — in public! She shook her head, sure she would be the topic of gossip as soon as everyone dispersed. Then another thought crossed her mind making her stand stock still. Holy crap, I’ve never been kissed like that.
As she started walking again, she could hear Josh and Logan as they looked through photos on Josh’s phone. Her brother was putting names to faces as Logan did a quick run-through. She was a bit disappointed to hear them making plans to meet at the bookstore later so Logan could enlarge the photos on the computer. Disappointed was an understatement. She wanted nothing as much as she wanted to pick up where she and Logan had left off.
“No, it’s no problem,” Josh was saying. “We’ll just throw some burgers on the grill. That way we can take our time going through these.”
“You’re sure? I don’t want to put you and Ella out.” Logan had pulled on a pair of heavy gloves from his back pocket and put them on. He started sifting through the soggy mess that had been the bench seat of the truck.
“No worries.” Forgetting that he was still close to shifting, Josh pulled the door off and threw it into Mrs. Gilbert’s lawn. He looked at the door, then at Logan, and shrugged his shoulders. With a sheepish grin, he bent and sniffed what was once the seat.