by Stella Night
“Joe Easton approached her down at the river the other day. Celia said he tried to put his hands on her.”
Logan’s vision clouded with red. “Why the hell didn’t she tell me?”
“She took care of it. But she may have just pissed him off.”
“Josh, I don’t really think he set the fires. But I’m not saying he didn’t help in some way —”
Josh cut him off, snarling his words. “I agree with you. But the bigger issue is that I don’t trust him around any of the women in town.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” Josh pinned Logan with eyes the same bronze color Celia’s were when she was angry. His shoulders slumped as if the weight of the world sat on them.
Logan paused for just a moment. “I got some info back from my sources in San Antonio. I think I know who the arsonist is. Like I said, I’m pretty sure Easton had a hand in things but a guy named Fred Smith may be our fire bug. He’s the guy in the photos. We need to find him and talk to him.”
Glancing over the horizon, Logan spotted something that made his blood run cold. Shading his eyes, he tried to get a better look. “Josh, is that smoke over there?”
Chapter 22
“What the hell do you want?” Celia’s words ground out of her clenched jaw. She took a quick glance behind her to see where the children were, then whipped her head back around.
Joe Easton and another guy stood before her. The stranger next to Joe was nondescript. He had on a dirty t-shirt, jeans and boots. His dirty blond hair hung lankly around his face. There was nothing about him that stood out - except for the cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth. With his left hand, he repeatedly flipped an old style lighter open and closed, the clicks echoing off the trees around them.
“See Fred? I told you she was feisty.” Joe licked his lips. His gaze raked Celia up and down and back again. She grabbed the zipper of her hooded sweatshirt and began to zip it.
Joe shook his head. “Oh no, Red Riding Hood. Leave that alone.”
When Celia looked up, she spotted a gun in his hand. She felt the color drain from her face. “You know that’s against pack rule.”
Easton barked a laugh. “You really think I care about stupid rules?” He turned to Fred. “This is my mate, Celia.” Turning to her Joe said, “This is my best buddy Fred Smith. He’ll be my best man. And when I’m Alpha, he’ll be my beta.”
Celia’s mind churned furiously. What was he talking about? She looked at Fred Smith and realized that she had seen him around town the past few months. But he was human, not shifter. He always gave her the creeps. Now was no exception.
“What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue?”
Joe’s words startled Celia. He had gone from meek and slimy to menacing in just a few seconds. She could hear the kids coming up the trail behind her. As she turned toward them, Joe reached out and grabbed her arm.
“You don’t want anyone to get hurt, sweetheart. Be careful what you say.”
Celia looked down at the handgun he had pressed against her side. She pressed her lips together to keep from saying anything.
“What’s going on, Joe?” Her voice was barely above a whisper but she knew he could hear her.
He leaned in and pressed his nose against her throat. He took a long, deep breath. Celia closed her eyes and fought to keep from shaking.
“Well, you are going to come with me while Fred, here, covers our tracks with one of his nice, warm fires.”
Celia’s eyes snapped open at the sound of a little voice.
“What are you doing, Miss Celia? Where is Mr. Logan?” Steffie Green stood next to her, puffed up in all her seven-year-old indignation. She pointed a chubby finger at Joe Easton. “You’re not Mr. Logan. You shouldn’t be here.”
“Steffie—”
“Well, come here, sweetheart.” Joe tucked the gun into his pocket as he squatted down to Steffie’s level. “Aren’t you pretty?” He toyed with one of the little girl’s coppery curls as Fred chuckled behind him. “I’m a friend of Miss Celia’s, a very special friend.” He cut his gaze up to Celia as he continued to play with Steffie’s curls.
“Let her go. I’ll do whatever you want.”
Joe slowly stood, his hand still on Steffie’s bright head. “I think you’ll do whatever I want whether I let her go or not.”
“Maybe. But I’ll be more likely to go without raising hell if you let her go.” She licked her dry lips. He watched the movement, his eyes growing dark. “Let all of them go, Joe.”
Two of the older kids had reached the top of trail, gasping when Joe pulled the gun back out. He motioned toward them with it, directing them to the other side of the clearing. He turned back to Celia.
“Get them all up here. And tell them to be quiet.”
Celia nodded at the two teenagers. “Brenda, Chase, go get the rest of the kids.”
Catching sight of the gun, Steffie began to wail, her cries taking on the sound of a wolf pup howling. Tears streamed down her face as she grabbed Celia’s leg.
“Shut up, brat!” Joe’s screaming set off another torrent. “Make her shut up or I’ll shoot her!”
Fred cackled with laughter behind him and began piling up small branches and leaves.
An almost familiar sensation took hold of Celia as she felt her claws push at her fingertips. She could feel her canines begin to lengthen and heard her wolf howl as it pushed to take over.
***
Logan let loose a string of curses as he punched the button on his cell. “She’s not picking up.”
Josh was pacing in circles, his eyes on the skyline above the trees. “She won’t have good reception down by the river.”
“I shouldn’t have let her go, Josh. At the very least I should have gone with her.”
“She’s smart. She’ll figure things out and get the kids back to safety.”
Logan ran his hand through his hair as he tried to figure out what to do next. The trash can fire had been the one thing he had worried most about. It was nothing more than a diversion while something bigger took place.
Central Texas was in the middle of a drought and, even though it was mid-September, the brush and trees around Whiskey Springs were nothing more than tinder for the tiniest spark.
“Josh, what time does the moon rise?”
Josh pulled his phone out and punched a few buttons. “The moon is full in less than half an hour. Why? What does that matter?”
“Well, that might mean something to our arsonist. Almost all the fires have been during the day. The restaurant fire was the only one that took place during the night. If you go back four months, what time did the moon become full on the night it burned?”
Josh check the phone again. “Sometime just before dawn.”
“And when did the Hungry Boar catch fire?”
“Perry Williams called it in. That was right at dawn because that’s when he always delivers the paper.”
“It sounds like this guy pays attention to exact times. Did you have a full moon run the night before the Hungry Boar burned?”
“It was scheduled for that night. Everyone ran, then went on home. Don and Joy Gerald ran, Rick didn’t but he was with Celia that night.” Josh tucked his phone into his pocket and glanced around. “What do you think?”
“Well, if the moon rises in, say twenty minutes, then our arsonist is going to set a fire around the same time.” Logan’s eyes turned to the column of smoke that was still visible above the tree line. “Any sign of Celia and the kids yet?”
Josh turned toward one of his pack members who shook his head. “Logan, if anything happens to my sister…”
Logan put his hand on the Alpha’s shoulder. “I know. I’m not going to let anything happen to her.” He turned to the gathering pack members who were drawn by the smoke. “Does someone have a motorized boat? Or a raft?”
Two men nodded. They shifted and ran. Within minutes they drove back with a rubberized raft in the back of their truck.
> “Josh, where can I get into the water quickly?”
“Up the river. You’ll need to take the truck to the boat ramp. It will be easiest and it’s not too far. Here,” he thrust something at Logan. “Take the two-way in case we need to contact you.”
Logan was already jumping into the truck. “I’ll bring them back as fast as I can.”
Chapter 23
“Steffie, honey, don’t cry.” Celia tried to comfort the little girl. She turned her gaze up to meet Joe’s eyes, hoping the tell-tale gold glow had not yet taken effect. His nasty grin told her he saw her wolf lurking just below the surface. He pulled the gun from his pants and snarled. “Joe, let her come to me so I can calm her down.”
His only answer was to push Steffie hard enough that she stumbled, which caused more howling. Celia bent down and put her arms around the little girl and made soothing noises as the rest of the children made their way up the trail. The minute they saw the gun, the little ones started crying and howling.
She kept her eyes on the gun in Joe’s hand. From the corner of her eye she could see Fred piling limbs across the trail that led back to Whiskey Springs. From the amount of wood piled, it looked as if he was building a bonfire.
“You know guns are banned by the pack.” Fighting her shift made her voice hoarse. “You know that if you shoot a shifter they have a hard time recovering, if at all.”
Laughter was Joe’s response. “I am well aware of what a gunshot does, sweetheart. Why do you think I have it? How else can I get rid of your brother and that inspector he hired?”
Celia’s vision was blurring as the wolf tried to take over. She heard Easton’s words but was having a difficult time processing what he said. “Why would you shoot Josh?” She pushed Steffie behind her and hoped Joe didn’t notice.
“How else can I become Alpha? And since I hate little brats, your sister-in-law doesn’t appeal to me anymore. That’s a shame. I would love to have gotten my hands on her.” Joe licked his lips and Celia shuddered. “So that leaves you. Not that you’re second best. Oh. hell no. You’re just as fine as she was. I’ll get rid of that human you’re so hot for, just like I got rid of that kid. I’ll make you forget all of ‘em sooner or later.”
“Hey Joe. Let’s light this baby up,” Fred called from the other side of the clearing.
“Keep yer shirt on, asshole.” Joe turned back to Celia. He leaned left and right, checking out the group behind her. “Hey, where’d that little girl go.” He swung his arm and his gun hand connected with Celia’s cheek. Her hand went up to her face as she stumbled to the right. “Bring her back out here. Now.”
She could feel her muscles stretching, heard the popping of bones as they lengthened. She snarled as her wolf fought for control.
“Uh uh. You stop shifting right now or I’ll start shooting these kids.”
“Hey, Joe. Remember — don’t let her hurt me.”
“Shut the fuck up, Smith. She can’t hurt a human.” His voice became high pitched and sing-song. “It’s against the rules.”
Celia could hear her wolf howling. Felt it nudging at the walls of her mind.
Joe swung the gun toward the group of children but kept his eyes on her. “Bitch, I told you to stop shifting.” Joe’s shout echoed off the surrounding trees.
“Joe! I can’t wait much longer. The moon’s startin’ to rise. I can feel it.” Fred was panting as he flipped and clicked his lighter across the clearing. Celia could see his lust-glazed eyes as he watched the tiny flame appear and disappear. “I can’t hold it much longer, man.” He rubbed his crotch as he watched the lighter blaze again. “Joe!”
“Shut up, you fucking idiot!”
Joe swung and fired. Fred crumpled to the ground. His lighter landed at the bottom of the wood pile as he fell. Dried leaves immediately caught fire as a pool of blood spread under him. The kids began screaming and howling.
“See? Now I’m the hero. I shot the firebug.” He looked at the children crouched behind her. “Shut them up or I’ll shoot you next.”
Celia’s hands were clenched at her sides, her elongated claws drawing blood. She willed the wolf down, forced it to stay calm. “Give me a minute. Please.” She took a deep breath as the wolf quieted. She breathed through the pain of her bones and muscles shifting and settling. She closed her eyes against the physical turmoil, so unfamiliar to her.
When she opened them again, Joe had the gun pointed at her chest. “Make. Them. Stop.”
With a nod, she turned to the children and bent down in front of them. She and the older shifters did their best to calm the little ones.
She turned back to Joe. “They’re traumatized, Joe. Let them go.”
“Why should I do that? I should just shoot them all.”
She took a deep breath and looked at the revolver in his hands. “I don’t think you have enough bullets for that. Besides, you have me. You don’t’ need them too.”
Joe stared at her for a moment. He closed the distance between them and grabbed the back of her head. When he lips met hers, Celia fought against the instant nausea. He kept hold of her when he stepped back.
Behind him, she could see the fire raging, consuming the dry trees and underbrush.
“Yeah, that was real nice, sweetheart. I can’t wait to see what the rest of you tastes like.”
Celia’s breath was shaky. She forced a smile. “I can’t wait either, lover.” She tilted her head back and let her mouth open a bit. She took a deliberate breath, pushing her breasts up. She watched as his eyes tracked the movement. “Let the kids go, baby. We don’t need them interfering, do we?”
Joe grinned at her and shrugged. “I knew you were into me.” He gave her a nasty smile. “Nah, I guess we don’t need them.” He motioned with the gun. “Get rid of them.” He let go of her and started to step away. He turned and grabbed her arm. Pulling her close he said “But make sure they don’t tell anyone anything. Get me?”
She slowly nodded her head up and down. When he let go, she turned back to the kids. Her voice little more than a whisper. She couldn’t take the chance that Joe might hear her. “Brenda, I want you, Chase, and Charlie to take the kids down to the river bank.” She held up her hand when they started to speak. “Listen to me. I want you to go down to the river. Then I want you to get in the water and stay there until someone comes for you. Do you understand?” She waited for their nods. “When you get down there, I want you to howl long and loud. Call the pack.”
They nodded and gathered the younger kids. Celia watched as they all filed down the trail. When she could no longer see them, she turned back to Joe.
She gave him a shaky smile and hoped he couldn’t see how frightened she was when she said “Okay, baby. I’m all yours.”
Chapter 24
Logan and the two shifters dropped the raft into the water. When they would have gone with him, he argued that there wouldn’t be enough room for everyone if he had to bring the group of children and Celia back if the trail was blocked by the fire. After a few grumbles, the shifters climbed back into the truck and headed back to town.
Logan started the motor and turned it upstream toward the area Celia and the kids had planned to spend the day. He had just made a bend in the shallow river when he heard the howls.
Panic caused his hand to slip off the tiller handle. He grabbed it again and willed the small motor to magically increase its horse power.
He glanced up and saw two more columns of smoke rising above the tree line. That could only mean that Fred Smith had set multiple fires with delayed ignition sources. And if the wind shifted, the entire town of Whiskey Springs would be in danger.
As he prayed for the small motor to move faster, the radio squelched and Josh’s voice came across.
“Logan, do you copy?”
“Go for Logan.”
“We cannot get to the kids via the trail. Repeat. Trail blocked by fire. Only open route via water.”
Son of a bitch! “Copy.”
He d
ropped the radio in the bottom of the boat and chugged up the river.
***
“What did you do, you stupid bitch?”
Spittle flew from Joe’s mouth as he screamed at Celia. The hand holding the gun shook with his rage. She took a step back from him. Flames leaping up the trees behind Joe pulled her attention away from him and the gun. For one long moment, she couldn’t breathe.
Her answer was calm, quiet in the noise created by the fire. “I sent them to call for my pack, you son of a bitch.” Her wolf nudged at her. “So tell me. What happened at the Geralds’ that night?”
His nasty grin came back. “You sure you want to know?” His laugh rang through the clearing.
Celia nodded slowly, still fighting for control. “Yeah. I want to know.”
“Fred and I set things up downstairs. Well, except for pouring the gasoline.” Joe paused to snicker. He wiped more spittle from his mouth. “Then we went upstairs and shot them. I took care of the kid, like I told you. Fred shot the old man and the old lady.”
Celia felt the color drain from her face. Her wolf whined.
Joe looked at her and cackled. “Your investigatin’ boyfriend didn’t tell you that part?” He stepped closer to her. “I’ll tell you. I. Shot. The. Kid. Couldn’t have him sniffin’ around my mate, could I?” He waved the gun around as he spoke. “Then we went downstairs and poured the gasoline.” He stood straighter and puffed out his chest. “But I didn’t start the fire. That was all Fred. It gave him a real hard on.”
Celia trembled with rage. She watched as Joe brought the gun back up, aimed it straight at her. He reached for her with his other hand and said, “Get over here so I can mark what’s mine.” He closed the distance between them and grabbed her neck.
Then her wolf took over.
The shift took her by surprise. She didn’t know it could happen so fast. Her four feet caused her to stumble. Then she righted herself as she focused on Joe and the gun.
The wolf watched calmly as the man attempted to shift. His snout lengthened and his canines grew. Fur popped out of his human skin and his feet became wolf’s paws. And then he stopped, as if he had become stuck in the process.