34. Leo
Chapter 34
G abe and Xan are both losing their ever-loving shit as we pull up in front of Candice’s house. There are flames everywhere, and I still can’t get her or Jacks to answer their damned phones. Joseph is trying to get both my pack mates to settle down enough to put on their PPE so they can see if Jacks or Candice are in the house. Xan is screaming that he can’t feel anything, and Gabe is raging back and forth across the lawn.
Joseph’s brother, Samson, jumps off the back of the truck, already fully equipped, and heads towards the front door. Xan tries to rush past him, but Joseph hits him–hard enough to at least get him to stop screaming, and hopefully hard enough to stop panicking. I finish getting my own gear on and run towards the door. Because of my height, I am usually the last option to send in. However, my pack mates are not coherent enough to be useful, so I’m going to find our missing people.
I step into the burning house, smoke is everywhere, and I crouch down to try to see better. Something comes towards me through the smoke and I strain to make out Samson with a body draped over his shoulders. Judging by the size, I would guess male, so hopefully Jacks. I turn left, scanning the floor as I go, but no one is in the office. Through the living room, and it’s boiling hot in here, trying to walk quickly in a crouch.
I yell through the radio asking Sam where he found the body, I can’t think too hard right now of it being more than a body. Static fills the line and I can just make out “li’ing…oom.” I head towards the nest, and there is nothing, her nest is on fire, but I don’t see anything resembling a person. It’s too hot and my vision is getting fuzzy, but I need to find her. I check the bathroom, but the adjoining closet is nothing but fire, boxes and clothes still hanging up, all in flames. I need to check, but I don’t think I can. I get down on my knees and crawl towards the closet, my hands blistering through the gloves as I kneel on the floor looking for anything that might be Candice. But the world is spinning and the black spots in my vision keep me from making any positive identification.
Yeah, I have totally fucked myself here, I try to stand and the world spins around me. Too much smoke, and I collapse against the wall, thankfully away from the closet. I try to use my radio to call for help, but my fingers feel like fat sausages and I can’t press the button down.
Then another body is there–Gabe, pulling on me, dragging me through the nest and out the back door, into the yard, and away from the burning house. The world is spinning as we get into the clean air, but my skin burns on both hands and down my back where I hit the wall. He pulls off my helmet, checking my eyes while he calls into the radio to get help in the back. I hear a crack, and my brain pops up how pissed Candice is going to be that an alpha finally broke her fence.
“Shit!’ Says Gabe, loudly and with feeling, and I think he’s reacting to my uncontrolled giggles at the image of my Kitten ready to savage someone over her busted fence.
Joseph drops to the ground beside me, dragging a tank of oxygen, and swearing profusely. He pulls out three bottles of water, hands one to Gabe, and drops the other two on the ground by my head so he can put the oxygen mask over my face. My skin feels tight, and my face hurts, though I’m not sure if it’s burned, or I am grinning like a delirious lunatic thinking about angry Candice.
“Sam got Jacks out, he said he didn’t see anybody else. I’m gonna guess you didn’t either?” He looks between Gabe and me. Gabe shakes his head and they both stare at me.
“No.” My voice is almost gone, nothing but a raspy croak. “‘S Jass?” I need to make sure Jacks is ok, but my voice won’t work. Thankfully they understand.
Gabe is still pacing angrily across the yard, but Joseph answers, “Jacks is…banged up. He needs to go to the hospital. He’s starting to wake up, but not making a lot of sense. Xan is trying to talk to him now, but he seems pretty agitated. I better go get this fire out. He turns and runs back to the front to help the rest of the crew with the hoses and actually putting out the fire.
Agitated is a nice way of putting it, as Jacks comes stumbling through the busted gate, Xan following closely behind, arms out, trying to keep Jacks from falling. He is weaving like a drunk, dragging his own oxygen tank and taking periodic hits from it. Blood oozes from a gash in his forehead, and he is holding his chest under his arm, with the hand not dragging the tank.
He folds up on the ground beside me, his legs collapsing now that he has reached his goal.
“Didja find ‘er?” He garbles out, blood leaking from the side of his mouth as he talks. What the hell? “That fuc’in fuc’…’e too’ ‘er…m’gonna kill ‘em,” he rambles, swaying back and forth. Gabe is staring at him intently. His own eyes are red and leaking from where he dragged me out of the house.
“Who? Jacks…Who took her, what the fuck are you talking about? What happened?”
While we are talking Xan finally catches up, dropping to Jacks’ side, with the first aid kit and trying to clean the soot off his mates face while he talks. He runs his hands over Jacks’ chest pressing in various places until Jacks hisses and flails at him.
“S’your fault…you hired that fuc’.”
Xan takes a deep breath. “I love you, but you have at least three broken ribs, I am guessing a punctured lung by the way you dribble when you talk, and most likely a concussion. Your jaw is also swelling, but I can’t hazard a guess on that. Now can you please explain what you mean so we can get you to the fucking hospital and go find our omega before I completely lose my fucking mind!” Xan’s voice rises with each word until he is shouting in Jacks’ face. I’ve never seen him this frantic before.
“Trey…that fuc’…he ‘az here. Sa’d ‘is name ‘as Sef…Sef Thoms’on…he ‘as here to fiss the winnow…Big wrench.” Jacks holds his hands out like he is showing us the size of a fish he caught…looks like a big wrench, yeah.
“Hi’ me inna fuckin’ chess an face…hi’ Can’ice wi’ hi’ fiss; knock’d out. Mo’erfucker kicked me inn’a face.” He is dribbling drool and blood all down his chest, and Xan and Gabe are both staring at him intently.
Gabe marches over and squats down beside Jacks–reaching out. But his hand just hovers, not sure where to touch that won’t hurt him. “Trey? The beta that works in my garage…that Trey?” Jacks nods like a bobble head, blood and spit flying.
“Son of a bitch!” Gabe yells, grabbing one of the water bottles and throwing it across the yard. He stands up, stalking back and forth again, scrubbing his hands through his hair.
He stops and turns to us. “Xan, get the paramedics. Take these two to the hospital. I need to talk to the cops, tell them Candice was taken and by who, I’ll head back to the shop to pull up Trey’s application information he gave us. The more info we have for the cops, the better, and he better hope like hell they find him before I do.” He stomps off towards the front yard, yelling for the medic team to bring a couple of stretchers around back. Gone before any of us have a chance to reply.
Gabe
I hate that I need the cops. I don’t mind working with them–we do it on the regular with stuff for the fire department–but I hate that I can’t find Candice on my own, and I need their help.
Stopping in front of the house, the guys who were harassing Candice for her statement a few weeks ago are standing out in front of the burning husk that used to be her home. Watching the fire with their thumbs up their asses.
Boys in blue, take a bow, you’re a credit to your station .
No, stop it. You need their help.
Shit.
I stalk over to them, looking every bit the raging alpha, and the first one that sees me coming reaches down to unsnap his baton.
Yeah, don’t think I didn’t notice that little action, piss-ant.
I try to seem less intimidating, I need them to listen. “Officers, I need your help, my pack brother’s been beaten and our omega kidnapped. This was her house, the man who took her set it on fire."
They exchange a look before the tall one replies, “Sir, you must be mistaken, omegas can’t own property. We have this residence listed under one Candice Manning, beta."
Well, fuck .
“Yes, sorry, sir, Candice is our mate, we haven’t bonded yet, but we’re courting her. She was taken by one Trey Benedict, he works at my garage…except my packmate said he gave another name earlier when he was here…so that might not be the right name.”
The short one speaks now, the one who unclipped his baton. “So, sir, you’re telling me that your un-bonded beta mate ran off with one of your employees, and now you want us to go after them?" He looks smug, like he caught me in some sort of lie.
“No, you smarmy little bastard, he’s telling you that his omega mate–who was hiding out as a beta–was fucking kidnapped by the same bastard who set this fucking fire, and he is trying to get your help to get her back if you will pull your heads out of your asses long enough to do your goddamned jobs!" Joseph comes marching across the yard, away from the still sputtering shell that is all that’s left of Candice’s house.
“I’ve known her since she was a child, she’s been passing as a beta since her last family member died a few years ago, and yes, this is her house. I was here replacing a lock a few weeks ago. You need to call your captain and send them over to Gabe’s Garage to get the rest of the information he has on the suspect.” Joseph nods towards me and the first cop turns white. Yeah, we’re the only garage in town–guess who services all the police vehicles, and usually gives them a discount?
The taller officer is nodding numbly. “So, is that a yes, you’ll meet me at the garage?" The nodding continues, so I quickly turn to Joseph.
“Thanks man. Listen up, I left Xan, Jacks, and Leo in the back. They need a couple of paramedics as soon as possible. They’ll be going to the hospital. Xan needs to stay with Jacks, do you understand?" I wait for him to nod. “I’m headed over to the garage to pull all the files we have on this bastard. Jacks said he introduced himself to Candice as Seth Thompson from Thompson Glass, but that might just be a made up name. Can you take care of my pack? Please?"
Joseph grabs my shoulder and squeezes it. I’m surprised by the gesture, but Jacks told me that Candice’s known him since she was a kid. Apparently, she grew up next door to his pack, so maybe that’s why. “Go on man, I’ll finish this up and get the guys to the hospital. You go find your omega. Yeah?”
He shoves me lightly towards the road and I realize I don’t have the truck or the Jeep with us. I turn back to the officers, not wanting to have to ask them for anything, but I’ll gladly swallow my pride if it’ll get our omega back sooner, and in one piece.
“So…I was on the firetruck on the way over and seem to have left my truck at the station, can you guys give me a lift?”
They grumble at me, and I’m not super happy right now either. But the town is small enough that the fire station is right next to the police station, so they don’t have to go out of their way at all.
When we get to the station, they let me out of the back of the patrol car. “I appreciate it guys, is somebody gonna come on by the garage to get Trey’s information? "
They both hem-haw around before finally agreeing, and I bolt next door to grab my truck and take it back to the shop as fast as I can. I look at the dash clock and realize it’s not even three in the afternoon yet. Today has been nuts, but the sooner I get this shit together the better.
I walk in the door and Kelly jumps up from behind the front desk.
“Hey, sorry Gabe, Trey never came back from lunch, and with you and Xan gone to the fire department…I didn’t want Sally to have to run the place alone on her first day."
I pat her on the shoulder. “Thanks for takin’ the initiative here, I appreciate it. And I need all Trey’s paperwork.”
She starts pulling out work orders, “No, sorry, stop. I need all his hirin’ paperwork. He has Candice, set her house on fire, and beat the shit outta Jacks…and Leo is in the hospital with him for smoke inhalation cause he was tryin’ to find her. So things are kinda fucked right now, and I need to figure out how to find Trey."
Sally’s head pops around the corner right as I finish speaking. “Well, if he’s not coming back, I’m going to finish this break job he started, ok?" This is not the time to laugh, but I manage a quick chuckle.
“Thanks Sally, sorry you kinda got slammed with this shit on your first day." Her eyebrows draw down, and I worry for a second that I’ve offended her by saying “shit”…if that’s the case, I don’t think she’s gonna last long around here .
“Boss, I’ve told you five times already this morning to call me Sal, aright? Sally’s the name of a doll in a musical with a singing skeleton, cute, but not really me." She grins at me and ducks back out to the garage. Ok, yeah she should get along fine.
I turn my attention back to Kelly right as the bell jingles over the door and Thing One and Thing Two, AKA: the officers from earlier, step through. I ask Kelly to make copies of the papers and she just gives me side-eye.
“Did you forget you and Xan went on a cleaning spree recently?" I’m puzzled by the question, but watch as she prints three pages off to give to the officers. “Did you gentlemen need these electronically, or will print be ok?" Thank fuck she knows what the hell’s going on.
Xan scanned everything in, this office is now a paper free zone, and I would have spent the next two hours searching filing cabinets for papers that no longer exist.
“Hey, can you print me up one of those too, so I can look it over." She rolls her eyes, but does as I ask.
I turn to the officers, paperwork in hand, “I know he calls from this number, and answers it when we have to call him in. Is there any way to trace that? Or find out who it belongs to."
Thing One–the tall one–nods again, and pulls the transmitter off his shoulder to call it in. I really hope we’re getting somewhere with this.
“Kelly, can you please call the hospital and see if Jacks and Leo arrived yet? Xan’s with ’em, but he needs to stay with Jacks to keep him stable.”