Chapter Five #3
And his fear had pushed him to ruin everything with Caleb. Austin took out his phone, hoping to explain himself there, but he wasn’t surprised when Caleb didn’t answer. Of course he wouldn’t. He was angry and thought that Austin didn’t respect him. He didn’t understand because he didn’t know.
Was it too late for Austin to do anything about this now? Should he even try? He didn’t want to lose Caleb, but at the same time, focusing on Tate was more important. Maybe he could reach out once Tate was taken care of.
Except that he didn’t know how to take care of Tate because Caleb hadn’t given him the names he needed.
Austin had no idea how to contact anyone in the police department.
They worked together sometimes, but he’d never known any of the cops on his scenes to be shifters.
Austin also didn’t know who else to go to.
There was only one person who might be able to help now.
Caleb hadn’t answered Austin’s phone call, but West did. “Miss me already? You know we don’t have to spend all of our time together, especially when we’re not working, right?”
“I fucked up.”
That was enough for West to stop teasing. “What happened? What did you fuck up?”
“It’s Caleb.”
West groaned. “That means he’s going to show up here, doesn’t it?”
“I don’t know where you are, but if it’s with Jonathan, probably. He’s also going to be pissed when he does show up.”
“What did you do?”
“Caleb and I have been working together to find the arsonist.”
“I know,” West grumbled. “You already told me that, and I told you it was a stupid idea. Someone’s going to get hurt.”
“That’s why when I found out who the arsonist is, I decided not to tell Caleb. I might even have stood him up on our date, but that was because I was freaking out and forgot about it.”
“Hold on, you’re going to have to go over that with me again. You found the arsonist?”
“I think I did.” Austin hesitated, but he trusted West, and West was a dragon shifter like he was. He could defend himself.
Not that Caleb couldn’t. He wasn’t a dragon, but he was a wolf, while Tate was human—or at least, Austin thought he was.
He hadn’t gotten close enough to get a good sniff, but the scent that had been all over Tate’s car pointed to him being human.
Austin couldn’t be a hundred percent sure until he faced the guy, but he was going on the assumption that he was right.
“I think the guy is a firefighter with the one twenty-eight,” he added.
“Shit. How can you be sure?”
“He was acting weird at two of the scenes, and when I went through his car trunk, I found a map with all the businesses he burned down and stuff that smelled of accelerant.”
“When you went through his trunk? Austin, what the fuck are you doing? If this guy really is the arsonist, he’s dangerous.”
“I know. That’s why I didn’t tell Caleb about him. I didn’t want to risk him getting hurt.”
“I bet that didn’t go over well.”
“He stormed out. I’m just trying to protect him, West. You’d do the same for Jonathan.”
“I wouldn’t get Jonathan involved in an investigation when I’m not a cop, but yeah, you’re right.”
“You know as well as I do that this was the only way to do this. It’s not like we can tell anyone about us.”
“We could.”
Austin groaned. “I don’t mean the team. There’s nothing any of them could do, anyway. We’re firefighters, not cops.”
“Which is why you shouldn’t have been investigating this to begin with. This guy is dangerous. That’s why you don’t want Caleb to be involved.”
“I’m pretty sure he’s human, though. I didn’t smell any kind of shifter in his car, anyway.”
“Okay, that’s good at least. But if he’s human, Caleb should be able to take him on, right?”
“As a wolf shifter, he should, but what if the guy takes him by surprise? I could defend myself, but Caleb’s wolf form is much smaller.”
“You could defend yourself up to a point. I don’t like any of this, Austin. I didn’t realize how serious you and Caleb were about it because if I had, I would’ve tried to stop you. Both of you are going to get hurt if you dig deeper.”
“That’s why I asked Caleb if he knows any shifters in the police force. I thought I could hand everything over to someone who can actually do something about this and let them take care of the arsonist, but I’m not sure Caleb will talk to me again. He stormed out of my apartment.”
“Look, I’m not saying I’m an expert in relationships because I’m definitely not, but you and Caleb need to talk to each other.”
“We were talking.”
“Okay, but did you listen to him? Did you actually listen to what he was saying, or had you already made your decision that he needs to be protected? Because I know you. You’re convinced you’re doing the right thing, and maybe you are, but he has a say in this, too.
If the two of you really are working together, you can’t keep him in the dark just because you’re scared. ”
West was right. Austin didn’t like to admit it, but he was. “Will you tell him that when he comes over?”
West snorted. “You’re on your own there, buddy. I’m not telling him anything except that you called and that you know that you’re an idiot. I’m pretty sure he already knows that, though.”
“This relationship shit is scary,” Austin bemoaned.
“That’s because you’ve never loved anyone as much as you love him. It’s worth it, though. You’ll see.”
Austin knew that West was right. That didn’t make it any less terrifying.
* * * *
CALEB HAD A KEY TO Jonathan’s apartment, but these days, it was always dangerous to walk in without knocking.
West was there more often than not—and Caleb had walked in on him a few times, but thankfully, he and Jonathan had always been fully clothed when he had—so Caleb wasn’t surprised when he was the one who swung the door open.
West didn’t seem surprised to see Caleb, either.
He arched a brow, and Caleb shook his head, pushing past him.
“Jonathan’s in the kitchen,” West said.
“You know why I’m here?”
“Austin’s an idiot.”
“I’m not going to argue that.”
“But you are, too.” West closed the door and crossed his arms over his chest as he turned to face Caleb. “Do you know how dangerous what you’ve been doing is?”
That gave Caleb pause. “He told you about that?”
“Do you know what it would do to Jonathan if he was to lose you?”
Caleb glanced in the direction of the kitchen, but he couldn’t see Jonathan from here. “That’s a low blow,” he told West.
“Maybe, but it’s true. You’re his best friend.”
“I’m doing a good thing.”
“I never said you weren’t. I’m just worried, and rightfully so considering that you and Austin have been playing detective.”
“We haven’t been playing anything. We’ve been looking for the arsonist, and Austin thinks he’s found them. Did he tell you that?”
“He did. He also told me why he refused to give you the guy’s name.”
“Yeah, because he’s a firefighter. Do you think Austin’s protecting him?” Caleb had been thinking during the drive over. It didn’t feel like something Austin would do, but what did he know? Caleb had also thought that Austin wouldn’t leave him behind, yet he was.
West shook his head. “Are you kidding me? Of course not. He’d never do something like that. If this firefighter is responsible for the fires, he should pay.”
“Then why wouldn’t Austin tell me the guy’s name?” Hell, Caleb wasn’t even sure it was a guy. He’d assumed, but he could be wrong. He didn’t think he was, though. West knew more than he did, and he was talking as if the person was a man.
“You know why, Caleb.”
Caleb sucked in a breath. He did know why. That didn’t mean he was any less angry, even though he did understand where Austin was coming from.
“I’m a shifter,” he snapped. “I can defend myself.”
“You don’t actually think that Austin believes that you can’t.”
“I’m just saying that he doesn’t need to protect me. I can do it myself.”
“He knows. That’s not going to stop him, though. You have to realize that you being a wolf shifter doesn’t mean this arsonist can’t hurt you. Would you let Austin deal with this on his own?”
“I’m not going to have a choice, am I? He is dealing with it on his own. He refuses to let me help.”
“He doesn’t. He doesn’t even want to take care of this himself. He’s looking for someone who can.”
“Maybe I could’ve helped him find someone if he’d talked to me.”
“He has now, hasn’t he? What are you going to do?”
Caleb wanted to scream. Why was West making him feel he was the bad guy here? “I’ll help him. I might be angry with him, but that doesn’t mean I won’t do everything in my power to stop the arsonist. You might think I don’t know Austin, but it’s clear you don’t know me.”
West grimaced. “Maybe I don’t, not really.
I know you’re Jonathan’s best friend, though, and that he doesn’t want anything to happen to you.
I know that what you and Austin are doing is dangerous because there’s a chance that the arsonist will find out you’re investigating him and react.
I don’t care if he’s human. He’s still dangerous.
He burned down several buildings, and it’s obvious he didn’t care about any lives that might be lost in the process.
You know what happened at the community center. ”
Caleb nodded curtly. He did know. It was a miracle that no one had gotten hurt in that fire. There had been children inside, vulnerable people who hadn’t been able to get out. What would’ve happened if the firefighters hadn’t gotten to them in time?
“So you know that the arsonist won’t care about who you are and that he won’t hesitate to hurt you. Do you understand why Austin is hesitant? Why he’d rather talk to someone who knows what they’re doing instead of doing it on his own?”
Caleb didn’t want West and Austin to be right, dammit. Besides, that wasn’t why he was angry with Austin. “I never said he wasn’t right. I do think it would be smart to contact a police officer, tell them what we know, and let them handle it.”
“Will you do that, then?”
“I don’t even have a name, West. How can I talk to any of my contacts if I don’t have that? I can’t tell them who to investigate. Besides, I’m not even sure they’ll do anything. They need more than the word of a firefighter to investigate another firefighter.”
“Caleb?” Jonathan called out from the direction of the kitchen.
Caleb narrowed his eyes at West. “You didn’t tell him why I’m here, did you?”
“He didn’t even know you were coming. The only reason I did was that Austin called me.” He grinned, and Caleb knew he was in trouble, but before he could say or do anything, West opened his mouth. “Yeah, he’s here,” he told Jonathan. “And he has something to tell you.”
Caleb glared at West, but it was too late. Jonathan was going to be so pissed.
He appeared at the kitchen door, a towel in his hands. He smiled at Caleb, but he looked confused. “Tell me what?” he asked.
“It’s about the arsons,” West continued.
Caleb had to resist the urge to kick him. Maybe he shouldn’t. West deserved to be kicked.
“What are you talking about?” Jonathan asked. He narrowed his eyes at Caleb. “Caleb? What’s he saying?”
Caleb wouldn’t get out of this. Jonathan wouldn’t let it go, just like he wouldn’t let it go if their positions were reversed. Jonathan would be angry, but he would also be on Caleb’s side when it came to Austin and what he’d done, and that was good. He needed someone in his corner.
He sighed and moved toward the couch, dropping down onto it.
“Austin and I have been investigating the arsons,” he told Jonathan.
“And before you start worrying, that just means that we’ve been making lists of the businesses that burned down, the people who owned them, things like that.
I didn’t know we were anywhere close to finding out who the arsonist is until Austin told me he knows. ”
Jonathan blinked. “What does he know?”
“Who the arsonist is. He refused to give me a name. We’ve been working on this together. That’s what we agreed on when we started, and that hasn’t changed, even though we started dating. He kept me out of it on purpose.”
Jonathan shook his head. “That wasn’t nice, but what the fuck were you two thinking?”
“I’m fine, Jonathan. I don’t even know who Austin thinks the arsonist is.”
“That doesn’t mean they couldn’t hurt you. What if they’d found out you were investigating them?”
Why did everyone seem to think that Caleb was weak? “I’m a shifter. I could have taken them.”
“You don’t know if they’re a shifter, too. You don’t know anything, so don’t tell me you weren’t in danger.”
“Maybe I was, but I really don’t think so. Austin says he thinks that the arsonist is a firefighter. He’d know if there was other shifter firefighters, right?” Caleb turned to West for confirmation.
“We don’t work with every firefighter in the city,” West explained.
“Although we do cross paths with a lot of them. I’ve never noticed another shifter working with us, but I could be wrong, and so could Austin.
It’s not like we sit around and chat.” He hesitated.
“But no, I don’t think that the person Austin suspects of being the arsonist is a shifter.
That’s not the point, though, Caleb. Austin was trying to protect you.
He might have gone about it the wrong way, but he doesn’t want you to get hurt. He cares about you.”
West was right. Of course he was. Austin had told Caleb that he was a protector. It was why he’d become a firefighter. It made sense that he’d want to protect Caleb and that he was ready to do so by any means necessary.
“Fine,” Caleb grumbled. “I get why he’s doing this. It doesn’t mean I’m happy with it or that I won’t argue against it.”
“Good,” Jonathan said, and something in his voice made Caleb frown. “Because you and Austin are both in trouble. You kept West and me out of it, but that’s over. We won’t let you do this alone.”
Caleb opened his mouth to tell Jonathan that he didn’t want him to get involved. The last thing Jonathan needed was to deal with something like this. He’d been through enough, and it was Caleb’s job to protect him, even though they weren’t dating.
Well, shit. Now Caleb really knew how Austin felt.