Chapter Nine
Matt
Werewolves, like humans, made very bad decisions when panicked.
She had diverted the call to my firehouse, and the cavalry was on its way. I’m not due for my shift until tomorrow, but I can lie and tell them I was in the neighborhood and wanted to help.
I make it right when they’re parking. With all the frenzy, convincing the captain to let me join is easier than expected.
We’re looking at a multistory apartment building with fire creeping up from the third floor.
The smell of smoke is heavy in the air. People are running about frantically, and a crowd is gathering.
The fire isn't out of control yet, but it’s only a matter of time. We need to act fast.
I gear up quickly while Cap throws instructions at us. We start the evacuation from the ground floor. When we reach the third floor, I smell them. A werewolf. Transitioned. Probably around forty. My feet automatically take me to the door leading to the hallway.
“Sam, take the apartments on the right,” I call back, running to the one on the left. I turn the knob on the door, and something must be working for me because it opens without a hitch.
“I’m here to help you,” I murmur, just loud enough to be heard over the crackles of fire engulfing the apartment. “I know you didn’t mean it. Come out, and I’ll get you out safely.” I don’t know how the man is tolerating the smell of heavy smoke filling the apartment.
I slowly start walking towards the sound of low growls. It's coming from the kitchen on the left. “Come on, man, it's not going to be a problem. I'm here to help,” I try again.
I'm hoping I don't have to shift. It's always a bitch to explain the rips in my clothes. When I’m in the kitchen, I spot a white wolf, average size, almost the height of the counter, quietly staring at me.
“That’s right. I got you,” I whisper, and the wolf growls again, louder.
Fuck, I need to use a more direct approach. I kneel and look into his eyes. I focus on him with intent, letting power flow through me.
“Turn,” I growl.
We don't like to publicize the concept of alphas, but our species is just sane enough to recognize and surrender to whoever’s stronger out of self-preservation.
It’s instinctive, almost impossible to fight.
So, with a dozen knuckling sounds, the wolf immediately shifts back into a man. A very naked man.
“What the fuck is happening. I didn't know what to do,” he blabbers.
“It's okay. Come with me.” I help him up. I take a throw blanket from the couch and hand it to him. “Wrap it around yourself.”
He follows my instructions. I listen for signs of life in the other apartment when we’re outside.
I can feel faint heartbeats coming from deep inside the apartment. I see Sam with two wide-eyed people in tow. “Take him too,” I tell him. “I’ll check the other apartment.”
He nods. The man joins the two women, and they rush downstairs.
I turn the knob, but my luck seems to have run out. The fire hasn’t reached this apartment yet, but the knob is still hot. I break the lock quickly and kick the door open, knowing no one is standing on the other side.
“LAFD, I’m here to help,” I shout. I can’t smell any werewolves, but there are humans. More than one. It’s difficult to get the exact number over the smoke filling the apartment.
“Just make a noise, any noise, and I’ll come get you,” I shout again.
No response. Not even movement.
I walk deeper inside. No one in the bedrooms, kitchen, or bathrooms.
“Are you sure there’s someone here?” Sam joins me, probably after handing the victims off to someone else.
“Yeah,” I nod, continuing to look.
He doesn’t question me, just joins the search.
Static from Sam’s radio fills the apartment. “Sam, everyone is here. All the residents accounted for. Where the fuck are you and Matt?” Cap shouts.
Sam looks at me from over an open cupboard door. “Are you sure sure?”
“Yes, man! Just check below the beds and in all the cupboards,” I shout.
Sam nods and clicks on his radio. “Cap, there’s someone in 3F. We’re trying to locate them.”
“We were informed 3F has been empty for a week or so. Residents are away.”
A thud. Loud and clear, even to human ears.
“Fuck, where did that come from?” Sam asks.
We move towards the master bedroom together.
“LAFD, we’re evacuating the building!” Sam shouts.
Still empty.
“What the fuck!” I groan, frustrated.
I concentrate, trying to hear heartbeats over the noises. There…behind the wall?
I walk to the wall opposite the king-size bed. Multiple heartbeats.
Is it the next apartment? No, this is the last one on this side of the building.
I feel around the wall for the opening. One of those stupid, modern secret doors, maybe?
I feel a split in the wall in the corner and push it gently. It doesn’t budge. “Sam, there’s a hidden door here,” I shout over my shoulder, still pushing.
I add a little more pressure, and the lock breaks. The door slams open, leading us into a dark room.
“LAFD, we’re here to help,” Sam says while I’m frozen in horror.
Five humans. Dirty. Thin. Lying on their backs. Barely alive. No, three are already dead.
Sam turns his flashlight on and gasps. “Fuck.”
That brings me back to action, and I turn my radio on. “We need five stretchers at 3F. Looks like an abduction, Cap.”
“The fire is contained. We’ll be right there.”
Within an hour, the apartment is swarming with people. Stretchers, firefighters, paramedics. The police will be here soon.
I walk to an empty corner and text Bree and Nick updates. I ask Nick to come check the scene out. Something is niggling in the back of my brain.
Nick doesn’t question me.
“Good job there, Matt,” Captain Rivera says. “The LAPD will be here soon. You should go home and rest.”
He’s not wrong. I have a shift in ten hours, but I want to be here when Nick comes.
“They might want statements. I don’t mind waiting,” I tell him.
He nods and walks away.
Sam takes his place. “That was some superhero shit, dude!” he says.
I smile. The man is easily impressed. “Just followed a hunch.”
“Well, you might have saved a lot of people. That man from the other apartment was singing your praises, too.”
My hackles go up. “Yeah? What did he say?”
Sam huffs out a laugh. “Must’ve been having some traumatic reaction. Saying weird shit like, ’You’re so strong and powerful. No wonder you’re one of them.’”
My eyebrow goes up. So, the guy knew I was with the Bureau? We don’t keep it a secret, not within the werewolf community. But no one would know unless they’re really looking.
“Did he say anything else?” I know I shouldn’t be probing. Sam clearly thinks he was talking about me being a firefighter, but I just can’t leave well enough alone. I guess Oliver’s rubbing off on me.
“Oh, he was full-on blabbering. Said something about, ‘If you’re so strong, they don’t have a chance.’ I’m guessing he was talking about fire? After that, I left him with Mickey,” he says, confused by my interest.
So, he knows something. Come to think of it, there’s no way he could have missed what was going on in the apartment right next door. If I could have heard the heartbeats over all this noise, there’s no chance he missed it, even if his senses weren’t as strong as mine.
“He might have hurt himself. I wanna check if he’s alright. Did they take him to the hospital?” I ask.
“Don’t know, man. Ask Mickey.”
I nod and walk downstairs, taking two steps at a time, ignoring a few friends from the station trying to get my attention.
I catch Mickey around the triage area, examining people.
“Hey, man. Nice job up there,” he smiles up at me as soon as I reach him.
“Just doing my job,” I wave him off. Before he can respond, I continue, “Anyway, Sam told me about this man I rescued who was behaving weirdly. I thought I’d check if he’s fine. Tall, broad, in his forties—”
“Oh, I know who you’re talking about. The guy was either on something or had a serious head injury. He wouldn’t stop muttering. None of it made sense. We were transporting him to the hospital, but he literally disappeared into thin air,” he says. “You don’t think he was involved in this, do you?”
Oh, he definitely was. “I guess that’s for the detectives to find out, and there they are.”
Nick and his partner, a short, pretty Hispanic woman who loves to tease Nick, park their Charger in front of the building.
“I’ll see you around,” I nod to Mickey and beeline towards them.
“Matt,” Serena greets when I join them.
“Serena.”
“So, you found the bodies?” Nick gets to the point.
I hear the implication of his statement. “No one made it out alive? I could have sworn at least two were still breathing.”
Nick gets the message. When I found them, two were alive. “They died in the hospital. Suspected smoke inhalation, amongst other things,” Nick says grimly. “The ME will look into them.”
We’ll have to come back later because now I’m certain this isn’t as simple as it looks. And considering we’re talking about multiple possible abductions and a secret door, it was never simple to begin with.
I give my statement, and when they finish their initial walkaround, the crime technicians take over. I wave at a grinning Sloan, who’s capturing the scene.
I pull Nick aside after a while and tell him everything about the man across the hall.
“Do you think this is related to what we found in your building?” he asks once I’m done.
I think it over. “I mean, two cases of crimes involving werewolves within a week? I’d say it isn’t the wildest theory.”
“Hmm… well, let’s see if Marcus finds any pattern,” he says.
“Any signs of Dalton?” I ask.
“No, but Meena asked me to check out his daughter’s store in the Grand Central Market. I’ll give them a visit in the next few days. Wanna come with?”
I’m nodding before he finishes the sentence.
He smiles mischievously. “You’ve suddenly developed a new dedication to Bureau work. What could be the reason?” He mocks confusion.
Ugh, there goes my hope that he’ll be serious while on duty. “Go do your job,” I say, giving him a light smack on the head, walking away before he gets revenge.
“Call me after your shift, and we’ll go,” he calls over his shoulder.
I drive back feeling wound up, my mind reeling. What the fuck is happening in the city? I look outside at the Christmas decorations, fake snow on the windows of shops, and lights glittering on the walkways, and I find myself wishing for a simpler life. It’s why I need to stay away from Oliver.
It’s why what happened today cannot happen again.
Then there were the murders. There were no claw marks on the bodies today, but I remember the faint scent of drugs wafting off of them.
They could have been similar to the ones used on the people in Dalton’s apartment.
But I couldn’t get a clear scent over all the smoke smell clinging to their bodies.
I guess Marcus will have the information for us soon enough.
And the fact that Dalton hasn’t been found yet was worrying in itself.
I’m glad that at least Oliver is far away from all this danger. No one knows he saw Dalton, and I’m keeping the Bureau at bay. But would it be too much to ask that he give up his excursions? The idea of him being anywhere close to this case terrifies me down to my bones.
As I walk to my apartment, some of the knots in my chest loosen. I turn to Oliver's apartment and close my eyes, trying to focus on him.
Sounds of slow, relaxed breathing come from the bedroom. I feel relieved that he’s finally getting some sleep.
I listen to it until my breath matches his, and I feel calm descending on me. The smell of him, sunshine, roses, and soft warmth, clings to me.
I sigh and turn back to my apartment. Maybe I’ll get some good sleep tonight, too.