23. Bea
Ablaring alarm woke me out of a dead sleep. The room was still pitch black, the only light coming from soft rays of sunlight filtering around the curtains. I frowned and blinked my eyes, trying to make sense of it.
“I told them to take us off the list,” Corvin mumbled.
Ezra was the first to move, snatching his phone as he pulled me close.
“Shit,” Ezra cursed, fully awake now. “No wonder it still went off. Big fire out in the forest between Willow Lake and Logan’s Crossing. We have to go. They’re afraid it’s going to turn into a forest fire.”
We were all awake now.
“It’s fine, let’s go,” I said, hopping out of bed.
I pulled on fresh clothes, knowing a shower would have to wait until we got home, no matter how uncomfortable I was.
We were packed up and in the car within ten minutes, a personal record for probably all of us.
“I’m sorry, siren. We thought we could get away from it for one day,” Corvin said quietly.
“It’s not your fault,” I said. “I know what kind of job you have.”
“We’re so lucky to have you,” Corvin said, his relief echoing through our newly formed bond. I could feel them all now, even Apollo who felt… nervous.
“This doesn’t sound like Cameron,” I said, false hope in my voice.
“Maybe,” Corvin relented. “But I won’t rule it out. Every fire lately seems to lead back to him. He was evading the police and they’re communicating between counties at this point. He’s smart.”
“We never count him out,” Ezra agreed.
“I’m—” I started to respond, but Corvin cut me off, his voice sharp.
“Don’t you dare apologize to me for his behavior.”
I snapped my mouth closed and nodded.
“Fine,” I said. “I won’t apologize for that. But, I am sorry that you’re having to rush back. It could’ve been a fun morning.” I put every ounce of teasing in my voice at the end, trying to lighten the mood but it was definitely my plan before all this happened.
Was I being a brat now? Oh, absolutely. Did I care? Not a damn bit.
All the teasing fell away as we raced towards Willow Lake. Thank god it was only a thirty-minute drive.
“Just drop me off at the shop,” I said as we neared town. “It’s closest, and there’s a shower there.”
Thank god Taryn insisted we have at least one full bathroom.
Corvin pulled up out front. “You’ll be safe alone?”
“I’m never alone,” I reminded him. They’d insisted on regular police drop ins and our security was top notch now. Things had calmed, but now wasn’t the time to argue logistics. “Go. Do your job. I’ll be safe.”
I hoped it was a promise I could keep.
They both kissed me, then drove off. Dani and Taryn looked surprised to see me when I went in, but it was a whole lot better than sitting at home and worrying.
Especially since the guys didn’t walk me in this time. They simply kissed me goodbye and waited until I was in the doors to leave.
“There’s a big fire out by Logan’s Crossing,” I said. “I’m going to shower, and then I’ll catch you up.”
I took the time to stow my bags and then headed for the shower. Once I felt human again, I joined them.
Dani was waiting with a warm cup of coffee. Decaf, most likely, but I didn’t question it this time. I simply needed the warmth.
I caught them up to speed, telling them about the date and then the big fire going on right now. I got a few details as we drove. Apparently, there was farmland and lots of brush out there, meaning it could turn quick.
“Oh, yeah, I heard that on the news,” Dani said. “I just didn’t think it would have your guys coming in.”
“I guess it’s a little too close for comfort and has the potential to spread. They’re trying to prevent a forest fire. It’s been dry.”
“I take it no signs of Cameron?” Taryn asked. “Is this an unrelated fire?”
“Not that we know of, but they aren’t ruling it out.”
It seemed no matter what we did, we couldn’t get closer to him. Nobody had any idea where he’d been hiding and he was careful.
“No, but I wish they would before this baby comes,” I said, my hands going protectively to my middle. “I’m so scared.”
“I know,” Dani said, moving closer and gripping my hand. She knew better than most what having a stalker could mean.
Taryn was next, moving in beside her, gripping my other hand.
“You’re not alone. You’ll never be alone,” she promised. “We’ll keep you and Phoenix safe.”
I tried to bury myself in work after that, but it wasn’t easy. All I could think about was the guys out there fighting fires. At least Ash was here to keep an eye on us. The bond echoed in relief when I told them that.
As it got closer to time to pick up Phoenix, I started to grab my keys and head out front.
“I need to go pick up Phoenix from school,” I called out.
“Oh, I already sent Ash after her,” Dani said, wincing. “I hope you don’t mind. I just wanted to help you out.”
“Oh, good,” I said, relaxing a bit as I started to stow my purse again.
Until the front door burst open.
Ash and Phoenix burst in. Their faces were pale, and I started to panic.
“What’s wrong? What’s going on?”
Ash didn’t answer. He slammed the door, locked it, and then rushed past us to the back. He had both doors locked faster than should’ve been possible.
“What’s going on?” I asked again.
Phoenix collapsed into my arms, sobbing hard enough her whole body shook. I held her close and tried to not let them feel the panic, but the bond was on high alert now.
“He was there!” she cried out.
“Who was there?” I asked, needing to hear it, even though dread pooled in my gut. We all knew exactly who he was.
“Cameron,” Ash answered for her. “He was on school grounds. She said she thought she spotted him during lunch, but didn’t think it was really possible. She tried to tell an aide but they told her it was fine. The resource officers were being extra careful. That whole spiel.”
He was livid, and so was I. Why would they not listen to her? She wasn’t simply trying to get out of school, she was terrified.
“He was there, Aunt Bea,” she said, insistent this time. “I tried to convince myself he wasn’t, but he was. He was waiting for me, and then when I got out of school, he started walking towards me like he was any other pick-up parent. I screamed for Ash. Thank god he was there.”
Tears burned my eyes as I held her close, mouthing ‘thank you’ over her head at Ash. He nodded once, but even he looked grim.
“I have a feeling that fire was a distraction,” he admitted. “Be prepared for anything.”
“We always are,” I said, hating to admit it, but it was true. I knew better than to underestimate Cameron. Once he set his mind to something, he made sure that it happened.
“I hate him,” I growled. “I hate him so much.”
My voice broke, but I managed to keep myself from breaking down. The last thing I wanted to do was freak out Phoenix.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry that I brought this to your doorstep,” I told her. “All I ever wanted to do was keep you safe.”
“It’s not your fault. He’s the psycho,” Phoenix insisted, her voice so strong and fierce.
“He really is,” I said, shaking my head. “I wish I saw it before it turned into this.”
“We’ll figure it out,” Ash promised. “Just like we did for Dani.”
Something heavy slammed into the door, and we all nearly jumped out of our skin. I turned to see a smirking Cameron standing just outside the door, shoving something through the handles.
He gave a little finger wave like he didn’t have a care in the world.
I held Phoenix tighter, refusing to let go as Ash tore off after him, yelling at us over his shoulder. “Call the police!”
Taryn jumped into action, handling the call, but the asshole had wedged something in the door so Ash couldn’t get to him.
“Oh my God, is that something wet on the sidewalk?” Dani gasped.
“Gasoline,” Ash growled, though it held a hint of panic now. Gasoline and this dry weather was a volatile mix. Not to mention, I had no clue how much he’d used while we talked. They were so freaked out when they came in I wondered if they even would have noticed.
Cameron flicked open a lighter, one of the sturdy kind that would stay lit. He held it there in front of him, his eyes locking on mine. My stomach dropped, dread filling me as my blood ran cold.
He hadn’t simply opted for small fires this time, he was going to set this building ablaze.
Just like last time.
It wasn’t just me, either. He was trying to take everyone I cared about out. Except my pack. No, he wanted their suffering to be life altering. The kind they’d never recover from.
“Surely, they left some of the rookies in town, right?” Dani said, her voice wavering.
“They said all hands on deck, but I’m sure,” I reassured her. “If nothing else, Taryn called the police. Help is coming.”
“I’m calling the shops around us, too,” she said, her hands shaking but her voice steady.
Phoenix clung to me, sobbing in my arms, and there was nothing I could do to reassure her. This wasn’t the type of situation I could promise would be okay.
Ash was kicking at the door, trying to break through the thick metal bar he’d used to block it.
It wasn’t giving way. The metal barely protested, the doors taking more damage than it was.
“See you in hell,” Cameron called out, eyes locked on me again as he dropped the lighter. The pure euphoria on his face was horrifying. This man wanted to cause me pain.
At first nothing happened, and I almost let out a sigh of relief.
Until it erupted into flames all at once, the gasoline finally taking hold and flaring to life.
Even though I knew better, I pulled Phoenix with me towards the back door. We stopped halfway, the smoke seeping under the door answered enough. It was filling the building faster this time. He wanted to make sure they couldn’t stop it.
Fuck. I couldn’t let him hurt her.
“We have to get out,” I said, looking around as if an answer would pop out.
“I’m breaking a window,” Ash announced.
He shoved the bookshelves in the front out of the way, using every bit of his alpha strength to move them so he had a clear shot of the giant front windows.
“Here,” Dani said, grabbing a large hammer we had for repairs.