by Lynn Hagen
Sal didn’t trust Renny’s sudden acceptance, but he ate up the compliments. He also didn’t want to tell Renny that Maple Grove was filled with shifters. And there was a resident vampire, along with a demon named Lennox.
He’d save that for later.
“That was cruel,” Sal said. “You had me ready to tear an imaginary guy apart.”
“I was just teasing,” Renny defended.
Now Sal was gonna turn the tables. “I might not be so mad if you kissed me.”
“You just want a kiss.” Renny unbuckled himself and turned to face Sal. “Admit it.”
Sal’s voice grew lower and more seductive. “I want more than that from you, handsome, but for now, I’ll settle for your lips against mine.”
He smiled at how badly Renny’s face flushed. If he thought Sal was too easy to rile, his mate easily blushed, and Sal loved it.
Renny tried to lean over the console, but Sal wasn’t having it. He used the lever under his seat to move all the way back, and then he hauled Renny into his lap. “Much better.”
“Yes.” Renny grinned. “I’ll be your boyfriend.”
“You do realize how ridiculous that sounds, right? We’re already mates. Asking if you’ll go steady with me is kind of redundant.”
“I like the formality.” Renny slid his arms around Sal’s neck. “It makes it sound official.”
Sal was done talking. He had his mate in his lap and a raging boner. If they’d been someplace private, Sal would’ve taken things further.
He brushed his fingers over Renny’s flamed cheeks as he stared into his mate’s eyes. There was hesitation in them but wonderment and lust, as well.
Heat flared in Sal as their mouths finally touched. It wasn’t a full-on kiss, not yet. Renny’s lips teased Sal’s as his arms tightened around Sal’s shoulders.
The kiss was brief, but breathtaking. Renny was the one who pulled back, sliding his tongue across his bottom lip as his blush deepened.
“We should get inside.” Sal tucked a stray hair behind Renny’s ear. “The rain is coming down harder, and I don’t want to be stuck in here.”
Sal wouldn’t mind, but he needed to catch up on his paperwork. He also wanted Renny out of this weather.
Renny bit his bottom lip as he scooted back to his side of the truck. He glanced at Sal while placing his hand on the door handle. “By the way, you’re a great kisser.” Renny opened the door and raced to the fire station entrance.
Chapter Five
“He’s struck twice here so far, and I want to make sure there isn’t a third,” Sheriff Grayson Copache said as he stared at the men in the conference room. It was the largest room in the building, which he needed since his men, and the ones Richter had sent him, were in there. True to his word, Grayson’s old buddy had sent four men, and every last one of them looked militant.
The only person missing was Deputy Hayley who’d gone out on a domestic dispute call.
Grayson’s deputies looked them over, as if measuring them up. Richter’s men had arrived an hour ago, and the station had been all a buzz with their presence.
The group of men included Moose. Grayson hadn’t been able to keep his mate away. Moose had introduced himself, claiming he wanted to know the men who would be working with Grayson. That might have been true, that his mate was looking out for him, but Grayson knew that wasn’t the entire reason.
John “Moose” Zitelli was doing his own measuring up since Moose had worked for a black ops company in the past. He was making sure they were fit to work the job. After Moose had talked with all four men for twenty minutes, Grayson swore they’d become best buddies.
They’d even talked of having dinner with Moose once the arsonist was caught.
“I want my deputies to work their usual areas, just keep your eyes and ears open.” Grayson looked over at the new arrivals from Scythe Security. “Mr. Harris—”
“Call me Deacon,” the guy said, although he’d introduced himself as John Harris. Maybe that was why Moose liked the leader. They shared the same first name. Regardless, Deacon seemed a very capable man. He exuded power and authority, yet there was kindness and understanding in his pale blue eyes.
“Deacon, I’m pretty sure I don’t have to give you or your men instructions.”
“No, sir,” Deacon said. “You just have to cut us loose and let us do our thing.”
Moose had pulled Grayson aside before the meeting and told him that all four were wolf shifters. The information had prompted Grayson to let Deacon know that some of the deputies were human and ignorant of their existence. Deacon had simply nodded, a stoic expression on his face.
Richter’s men were dressed in plain clothes and would be able to blend in. Grayson had set them up at the local motel, Maple Inn. It was currently closed for renovations, but Mike Cage, the owner, had agreed to let them use the rooms. Mike would get paid for his troubles, as well.
“Meeting over,” Grayson announced. “Let’s catch this bastard before Christmas.”
Grayson didn’t want to work the holiday. His daughter and granddaughter had been decorating the house and shopping like crazy. Alisha was excited for Christmas, which was refreshing considering she’d been moping around the house since her divorce. Grayson was happy she was finally getting out of her funk, and he didn’t want anything to ruin that.
* * * *
Just before lunch, Sal was driving Renny to the police station. He’d missed the sheriff the last time but was determined to talk to him about Molimo and maybe get some eyes out there to see if Roberto could be found.
He was halfway to the station when a call came in on his radio that a fire was blazing on the other side of town. Sal cursed and did a hard turn in the middle of the street, heading back toward the fire station. He didn’t want to leave Renny all alone but had no choice.
Then again. “Here.” He handed Renny one of his credit cards when they got out. “Why don’t you walk to the diner for some lunch? It’s only two blocks away. You can hang out there until I get back.”
Renny looked at the credit card with furrowed brows. “You trust me with this?”
“Why, you gonna run a bill up on it?” Sal teased as they headed toward the door. “Would you prefer cash instead?”
Renny glanced up at him. “No, you can trust me.”
Sal gave his mate a quick kiss as they strode inside. Already his men were jumping into their turnout gear, the bay door opening. Sal was hoping this was a normal call. A kitchen fire, some idiot who had set fire to a trash can, anything but the arsonist.
He gave Renny one last kiss before he joined his men, Scott grinning like a fool as Sal took the wheel.
“I see your guest is very friendly.”
“Shut the fuck up,” Sal growled as he pulled from the bay, the sirens making it impossible for Scott to interrogate him. But that didn’t stop the lion shifter from stealing curious glances at Sal.
This time the fire wasn’t on the outskirts of town. It was on a residential street. The neighbors were huddled outside, thick jackets or robes curled around their bodies as they watched from a driveway a few houses down.
The men leaped from the rig and started pulling hoses as Sal hurried over to the crowd. “Do you know if the resident was home?”
One lady shook her head. “I don’t know. Harold and Lisa Carver work during the day, but sometimes Harold comes home for lunch.”
Sal looked toward the driveway of the burning house and saw a black sedan parked there.
“They also own an American bulldog,” another guy said. “Friendly guy, but he might be terrified. His name is Zeus.”
With a nod, Sal conveyed the information to his men. He turned when he saw a police cruiser parking behind the fire truck. Sal was surprised to see the sheriff behind the wheel. Grayson got out and walked toward Sal.
They shook hands. “I need to know if this is the work of our arsonist.”
One of Sal’s brows rose. “But I thought he only hit abandon
ed places.”
Grayson looked grimly at the house and explained to Sal about the fires in Temptation, a town about fifty miles from Maple Grove. “He escalated to occupied homes before the fires stopped. Two people were killed.”
Sal cursed.
“And I want to talk to you about chasing the culprit.” Grayson’s expression wasn’t friendly. “Sal, that’s our job. You could’ve been killed.”
“I didn’t want the guy to get away,” Sal defended. “Had I caught him, we wouldn’t be here right now.”
“Be that as it may, stick to your job of putting out the fires and let me and my men handle finding and arresting this guy.”
The wail of the ambulance could be heard in the distance. Sal looked at the crowd then back at the sheriff. He noticed Grayson taking pictures with his phone of the people huddled nearby. Often times an arsonist returned to the scene to watch his handiwork. Sal was familiar with a lot of the residents, but with new people moving into town over the past year, he didn’t recognize some of the faces.
Sal turned and watched as Bert McKenzie raced from the house, a guy tossed over his shoulder. The ambulance pulled up as Bert headed straight for it.
“Excuse me.” Sal rushed to the guy being loaded onto a gurney.
“He was in a back room,” Bert said. “Some smoke inhalation, but he was conscious when I pulled him out.”
“So why is he unconscious now?” Sal watched as the paramedics put an oxygen mask over Harold’s face.
“I had to jump back when flames came at me,” Bert said. “When I swiveled, the guy’s head hit the wall.”
“Neighbors say there’s a dog inside.”
Bert grimaced and raced back toward the fire as Scott kept the hose aimed at the lower left side of the house. The paramedics loaded Harold into the truck and sped off.
A bark could be heard from the rear of the house. Sal took off and was met at the wooden gate by a white American bulldog who was spinning in circles and slamming himself into the gate door.
Sal let him out and grabbed Zeus’s collar before he took off. “Don’t want to lose you, buddy. I’m sure your owners would be beside themselves if you got lost.”
He radioed Bert to let him know the dog was safe and outside. When Bert didn’t radio back, Sal tried again. Nothing. Sal handed Zeus off to Grayson before he radioed Angel Torrez, who had gone inside with Bert.
“Found him,” Angel radioed back. “He got trapped under a china cabinet that fell over. I’m bringing him out now.”
Sal and Scott were the only nonhumans on call at the moment. Bert and Angel were human, married to nice gals, and Bert had a brood of kids. His wife would be devastated if anything happened to him.
“I’m okay,” Bert said when Angel brought him outside and he removed his breathing apparatus. “Rookie mistake.”
Sal slapped Bert on his arm. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”
Bert grinned. “Mary can’t get rid of me that easily.”
The fire was finally contained. When all hotspots were extinguished, Sal walked into the house. Just as before, the smell of gasoline hit him. The living room and kitchen were destroyed, but the other half of the house had been spared.
“Zeus!” A woman with blonde hair and wearing a dark peacoat hugged the dog after racing from her car. She looked up at Sal with panic in her blue eyes. “That’s my husband’s car. Oh my god! Was Harold inside? Was he hurt? One of my neighbors called to tell me about the fire. Where’s Harold?”
By the time she finished talking, Lisa looked near tears.
“He’s fine, Mrs. Carver,” Sal assured her. “Some smoke inhalation and a possible concussion, but he should recover. The ambulance took him to the clinic.”
With a nod, Lisa loaded Zeus into her car and raced away. Sal would question her later. With the state she was in, her only concern at the moment was getting to her husband.
Sal walked over to where Grayson stood on the sidewalk. “I smelled gasoline when I went inside. It’s our guy.”
“I was hoping this was unrelated,” Grayson said. “Are you sure?”
Sal tapped his nose. “I’m sure.
“I’ll get witness statements while you wrap things up.”
“I need to talk to you,” Sal said. “It’s about something personal.”
“Meet me at the station later,” Grayson said, his shoulders hunched. It had started to rain again, just a slight drizzle, but enough to make Sal wish he was someplace warm and dry. Another cruiser showed up, and Deputy Benton taped off the front entrance to the house before he joined his boss.
As Sal passed the diner on his way back to the fire station, he looked inside the windows and spotted Renny at a booth by himself, a mug clutched in his hands. He looked so damn lonely that Sal was almost tempted to stop the truck and tell Scott to drive the rest of the way back.
At least Sal was able to breathe a sigh of relief that his mate was safe. He thought about the look of panic on Lisa’s face and knew he had to resolve things with Molimo. He couldn’t bear the thought of anything happening to Renny.
“I need to make a run,” Sal said to Scott after they backed the fire truck into the station and got out.
“Your guest?” Scott grinned.
“My mate,” Sal corrected and enjoyed the look of shock on Scott’s face.
“What happened to the other guy?” Scott asked. “Then one who was with your mate?”
“It’s a long story for another time.” Sal headed to his pickup and drove to the diner, telling himself he’d do the paperwork later. Right now he just wanted to be near Renny, to hold his mate and reassure himself that his mate was okay.
When he stepped into the diner, Renny looked up, and a soft smile lit up his face. Was it too soon to fall in love with the human? Sal’s heart kicked up a notch at the look that said Renny was happy to see him.
Sal approached the booth. “Let’s settle your bill and head to my house.”
“It’s already settled,” Renny said as he got up. “You were gone for two hours. I’m just waiting on Kenny to bring me your order.”
“You ordered me some food?” Sal kissed Renny on his cheek. “That was very thoughtful of you.”
“I told him to put your order in when he saw you,” Renny said with a deep blush. “We have a few minutes to wait.”
With a nod, they sat and waited for Sal’s food. Moose walked over, looking unhappy. “You want something to drink?”
“What’s got you down?” Sal asked.
“I’m not allowed to play in the reindeer games,” Moose grumbled. “I’ll bring you some coffee.”
“What did that mean?” Renny asked.
“I have no idea.” Sal turned back to his mate. “Did you order my food to go?”
“Yep. I figured you’d be too tired to sit here and eat.” Renny took a sip of his hot cocoa.
Sal winked. “You’re turning out to be a keeper. How did you learn to read my mind?”
He wished Renny could read his mind because right now Sal was having some pretty naughty thoughts. He wanted to take Renny back to his house and claim his mate. Hopefully Renny wouldn’t object.
“I tried to call Roberto again,” Renny said, shattering Sal’s racy thoughts. “It keeps going to voice mail, and he isn’t responding to my texts. I’m really worried about him, Sal.”
Sal reached across the table and brushed his fingers over Renny’s hand. “We’ll find him. I’m going to talk to the sheriff later. Maybe he can help.” Sal sat back when Moose brought him his coffee before sulking away. “I wish I knew how to track someone, but I’m not very good at it. But don’t worry. Like I said, we’ll find him.”
How, Sal had no clue. He just hated to see the despondent look on Renny’s face and wanted to wipe away that expression.
Kenny carried over a plastic bag with a container inside. “It’s already paid for, so you guys are good to go.”
“Thanks,” Renny said.
“It was really nice me
eting you,” Kenny said to Renny. “We’ll have to hang out sometime.”
“It’s a date.” Renny smiled.
Sal arched a brow as Kenny walked away.
“What?” Renny asked. “Not that kind of date. He just befriended me while I sat here twiddling my thumbs. Kenny seems like a really nice guy.”
“He is.” Sal and Renny stood, Sal grabbing his bag before they walked out.
“Here’s your card.” Renny tried to hand it back, but Sal held up his hand.
“Keep it for now. You might need it.” He opened the passenger side to let Renny get in. Sal gave him the bag then hopped into the driver’s seat. The drizzle had turned into a light rain by the time they made it home.
Home. Sal liked the sound of that. Already he was envisioning Renny living with him, and he liked that thought. His mate set the food aside and removed his coat, hanging it by the front door.
Sal did the same and then pressed his chest into Renny’s back. “How about we find a fun way to warm up?”
Renny looked over his shoulder, giving Sal a wicked smile. “What do you have in mind?”
Chapter Six
“We can start by getting out of our wet clothes.” Sal slid his hands down Renny’s sides then grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it over Renny’s head.
His clothes weren’t even that wet, but Renny was too mesmerized to point that out. He quivered as the air brushed over his heated skin. He felt like he should say something to Sal, because the guy had been Renny’s real-life hero. Roberto was still out there somewhere, and that worried Renny, but he also felt safest when he was with Sal. The guy had taken them in, had fed them, and let them stay even before Sal knew they were mates.
“What’re you thinking about?” Sal gripped Renny’s hips. “You have this faraway look in your eyes.” He took a step back. “Are you changing your mind?”
“No.” Renny grabbed Sal’s hand. “It’s not that. I want this. I was just thinking about how big a heart you have.”
“How’s that?” Sal looked as if he didn’t fully believe Renny, so Renny told him what he’d been thinking about. “It’s called having humanity,” Sal said. “Even if you hadn’t turned out to be my mate, I wouldn’t have left you and Roberto out in the cold.”