Chapter Six #3
The lights turned off in the shop. Caleb was supposed to be closing, so it made sense.
Austin couldn’t help but wonder what Tate would do.
He was here for a reason. The flower shop was only one of the targets he’d circled on his map, and he wouldn’t be here tonight if he hadn’t chosen it as his next target.
“He’s not getting into his car,” West said. “He’s grabbing something from the trunk, though.”
“Accelerant?” Caleb asked.
“Possibly. I think you should leave the shop.”
“Give me a few minutes.”
Austin wanted to scream that he might not have a few minutes, but instead, he pressed his lips together. He needed to trust Caleb. Caleb didn’t want anything bad to happen any more than Austin did.
A tense silence fell on the room. They all listened to Caleb move around, and Austin resisted the urge to tell his boyfriend to get the fuck out of the shop. The night was dark, but something told him that if it was up to Tate, it wouldn’t stay that way for much longer.
“He’s moving toward the back alley,” West murmured.
They’d planned for this. They’d known there was a chance that was what Tate would do, and they’d wanted to be prepared.
Austin was at the door in seconds, but he had to wait for West to say goodbye to Jonathan.
They murmured a few words to each other, and Austin did his best not to listen to them and not to scream for West to be faster.
Jonathan wasn’t going anywhere. He’d be safe here, but Caleb? Right now, he was anything but safe.
“Let’s go,” West murmured as he walked up to Austin.
They slipped out of the room and headed downstairs.
Austin was almost vibrating with anxiousness, but he tried to stay calm.
It felt impossible, but he couldn’t afford to focus on his boyfriend.
He needed to get evidence of what Tate was about to do without getting Caleb in trouble or hurt and without Tate noticing them.
Piece of cake.
Austin and West were silent as they left the hotel. They had the advantage of being shifters while Tate was human, which meant they would hear and see him moving around while he couldn’t hear or see them. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t notice them, though.
They’d just reached the back alley when the sound of something metal falling to the ground made them jump.
Austin plastered his back against the closest wall just for a cat to run past them.
He almost laughed because his heart was racing because of a cat, but he was reminded that Tate had to have heard the noise, too. Would it be enough to send him running?
Being a shifter also meant that Austin could see better in the darkness than any human. There was movement on the other side of the alley, so now, it looked like Tate hadn’t changed his mind.
Tate was moving toward the back door, but it swung open before he could reach it. Austin sucked in a breath at the sight of Caleb leaning out. They’d agreed he would leave through the front door because Jonathan would be able to see him. What was he doing in the alley?
Nothing good. Austin was going to strangle him when he got to him, but first, he had to make sure that Tate didn’t get there first.
“Is anyone there?” Caleb called out. He sounded scared—probably because he was scared. He knew that Tate was lurking out here. He had to think that Tate had made the noise.
Austin stepped forward, but a hand on his arm stopped him. West looked at him and grimaced as he shook his head, making what he wanted Austin to do obvious.
He was right. Caleb would never forgive Austin if he stepped in too soon and interrupted whatever was about to happen.
They needed strong evidence, not just Tate buying flowers for his wife or lurking around the back alley.
Austin had no doubt that Tate would come up with a good excuse for his presence there if he was found now, which meant they needed more.
They couldn’t afford for Tate to start another fire.
The community center had been his last time.
Caleb shrugged and turned back into the shop. He was acting casual, but Austin could see he was tense. Hopefully, Tate wouldn’t.
Caleb didn’t close the door. He allowed it to close by itself, and it gently swung, moving too slowly for Austin’s taste.
Until Tate caught it with a hand.
Austin stopped breathing. He watched as Tate glanced around the alley, opened the door fully, and slipped into the flower shop.
He didn’t let the door bang closed. Instead, he closed it softly, no doubt trying not to get Caleb’s attention.
Well, he had Austin’s attention, and Austin was ready to kick his ass.
Right now, he didn’t even care that he wanted Tate handed over to the authorities.
If the man touched as much as one hair on Caleb’s head, Austin would make sure he couldn’t breathe without a respirator ever again.
He didn’t care if that made him a monster.
After everything Tate had done, he didn’t feel like it did.
“Give it a few minutes,” West murmured.
Austin nodded. “We can get closer in the meantime.”
“I have your word you won’t barge in there before we have what we’re looking for?”
Austin opened his mouth to lie, but he suspected that West would know it was a lie.
He had Jonathan. He could easily put himself in Austin’s shoes and know how he was feeling and what he was willing to do right now.
Austin didn’t even care if Caleb got angry and left him.
As long as Caleb was fine, Austin would be, too.
* * * *
CALEB WENT BACK TO the front of the shop.
They’d agreed that was where he would leave from, and he couldn’t wait.
This flower shop didn’t remind him of his grandmother.
It reminded him of Tate, and he found that creepy.
He needed to get out of there and back to the hotel room where the others were waiting for him, and the sooner he did that, the better.
Hopefully, they’d managed to get evidence that Tate was up to something, and they could all go home and let Archer take care of Tate.
They’d placed several cameras around the shop.
There had already been a few from the security system, but they’d wanted to add some that were more hidden so that Tate wouldn’t be able to take everything down.
He’d have to get inside the shop to use the accelerant and ensure everything would burn down, so there was a good chance they would finally get evidence that he was the arsonist. Once they did, they could hand everything over to Archer, who would do his job.
Caleb would finally be able to rest easier and focus on Austin and their relationship.
He couldn’t wait to see what that would be like.
He wasn’t a relationship guy, but then, he’d never dated another shifter.
He’d certainly never dated a dragon shifter, and while he would never forget what Sal had done, he was sure that Austin was nothing like that asshole.
That didn’t mean he was going to become best friends with all the dragon shifters he crossed paths with, but he was willing to give them a chance.
Something creaked behind him, causing him to freeze.
He held his breath, hating that he didn’t know this place well enough.
If he had, he would’ve been able to tell if this was a normal creaking noise for the building or if there was something more to it.
Surely Tate would wait for him to leave to get inside.
He hadn’t waited for people to leave the community center.
Caleb felt movement behind him and rushed forward. He was almost at the front door, but before he could reach it, something hard slammed against his back. He lost his balance and tilted forward, trying to twist his body so he could face his attacker. He knew who it was.
Tate was making his move.
Caleb panicked. He’d volunteered to do this, but that didn’t mean he’d been ready to be attacked. He hadn’t thought that Tate would go this far. He’d thought Tate would wait until he left, but instead, here he was, standing behind Caleb.
Caleb started to shift. He needed to defend himself, and it was the easiest way to do it. Tate had to suspect that he was a shifter, anyway. He knew that Mrs. Kendricks was one since he’d targeted her shop.
Tate thrust a hand toward Caleb’s face. Caleb jerked back, which was the only reason he didn’t get pepper spray right in the eyes.
He coughed and quickly hid his face into his arm, knowing he couldn’t afford for Tate to get the upper hand.
His friends were out there, waiting for him, but they might not know what was happening or reach him too late, even though he still had the call to Austin’s phone open.
No, Caleb had to react like he was on his own and couldn’t count on anyone to rescue him.
He heard Tate swear, but he didn’t stop moving. He ran to the counter, eager to put it between them. He hoped Tate didn’t have another weapon, but he couldn’t be sure, and that made him nervous. What if Tate shot him? Tate wasn’t a shifter, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t dangerous.
Tate grabbed the back of Caleb’s shirt and pulled.
Caleb lost his balance and flew backward, trying to use his arms to stay upright but failing miserably.
Tate swung him around, sending him crashing into a massive potted plant in the corner.
Pain exploded along Caleb’s side and made him breathless, but he couldn’t stop because if he did, he was dead.
“What the fuck is happening here?” a loud voice boomed.
Caleb could have cried because he recognized that voice.
The lights didn’t turn on, but Caleb didn’t need them to see Austin and West striding into the room.
Tate had let go of him when he’d sent him flying, so Caleb scrambled to his feet, using the potted plant as support.
Tate had his hands held up as if surrendering, even though he probably had no idea what was happening.