Chapter Two
Austin stared at thepictures on his phone, zooming in on the burn patterns he’d noticed at the bookstore fire.There were three of them, all coming from the back corner of the bookstore, and they were too deliberate to be accidental.Whoever had used the accelerant knew what they were doing and how fires behaved.The scorch marks on the exterior wall showed the classic V-patterns of a fire moving, but they were too perfect and controlled in Austin’s opinion.
He’d seen enough accidental fires to know the difference.This wasn’t some electrical problem or a forgotten candle—candles didn’t belong in a bookstore, anyway.Someone had wanted Margaret’s bookstore to burn, and they’d known how to make it happen.
Austin rubbed his burning eyes.It was nearly eight PM, well past the end of his shift, but he couldn’t shake the image of Margaret’s face as she’d watched her store turn to ash.The official investigation would take days to conclude what Austin already knew, and by then the trail would be cold.
His phone buzzed with a text from West.How are you holding up?Rough call today.
It hadn’t really been, but West knew that Austin had taken it harder than usual.Austin typed back,Fine.Just thinking.
About the fire or about Caleb?
Austin scowled at his phone.What?
You kept looking at him.Alot.Even I noticed, and I’m not exactly known for my observational skills when it comes to romance.
Heat flushed up Austin’s neck.Had he been that obvious?He hadn’t thought he was.He seemed upset.It was professional concern.
Austin could almost hear the amusement in West’s next text.
Right.Professional concern.That’s why you asked me about him three times after you saw him at the tattoo shop last month.
Austin didn’t answer.West knew him too well, and there was no point in denying what they both knew was true.There was something about Caleb that had caught Austin’s attention from the moment he’d first seen him, even though they hadn’t spoken to each other until today.It wasn’t just his looks, although Austin couldn’t deny that he was good-looking.He was also smart, caring, and passionate.
And today, Caleb had tried to hide his fear from Jonathan, no doubt so Jonathan wouldn’t worry.He’d been protecting his best friend, something Austin understood down to his bones because he’d give his life for West.
His phone vibrated again.Margaret’s at Mercy General for observation.Room 314.
Austin frowned.How do you know that?Even though she’d insisted she was fine at the scene, they’d transported her to the hospital, just in case, but they weren’t supposed to know which room she was in.It wasn’t their job.
Jonathan called.He and Caleb went to check on her.
Of course they had.They both knew Margaret, and in Caleb’s case, it wasn’t just as the owner of a local business.She was a shifter, like Caleb, and it was clear that he cared about their little community.
It was different for dragons.They were big and imposing, and a lot of shifters tended to stay away from them if they could, especially when some dragons gave them all a bad reputation, like Sal.He might be gone, but people knew what he’d done, and it reflected on other dragon shifters.
Austin grabbed his jacket and keys.Margaret deserved to know that someone was taking this seriously, even if that someone was just a firefighter with suspicions he couldn’t prove.He’d already promised her he’d look into it, but maybe she could remember more now that a little time had passed.Austin should visit her, too, if anything, to make sure she was doing okay—or at least that was what he told himself as he left the station.The fact that Caleb was apparently with her had nothing to do with him driving to the hospital, really.
The hospital smelled like disinfectant, a familiar scent for Austin.He took the elevator to the third floor and followed the signs to room 314.The door was slightly open, and he could hear voices inside, which meant that Margaret wasn’t alone, just like he’d expected.
“The insurance should cover most of it,” Caleb was saying.“And I’ve already talked to the other business owners on the street.We’re organizing a fundraiser to help you get back on your feet.”
“You didn’t need to do that,” Margaret replied in a rough voice.“I have savings.I’ll manage.”
“Let us help,” Caleb said gently.“That’s what we’re here for.”
Austin knocked on the doorframe.“Hi.I’m Austin.I responded to the call at your bookstore today.I wanted to check on you.”
Margaret looked up from her hospital bed.She was a small woman, probably in her sixties, with silver hair and brown eyes that were still red from the fire.“I remember you.”
