“You’re beingtoohappy.”
Austin laughed.“Oh, please.There’s no such thing as being too happy.”
“The only way I’d be more freaked out is if you were West because he smiles even less than you.”Jeremy turned to Taylor.“Remember when he started coming into work smiling all the time?We all thought he’d killed someone or something, but instead, he’d started dating Jonathan.”
Jeremy’s eyes widened.He turned back to Austin, and Austin knew he’d figure it out, so he wasn’t surprised by Jeremy’s next words.“You’re dating someone.”
The radio crackled before Austin could confirm or deny.Taylor frowned, and from his expression, Austin could tell he was receiving information none of them would like.
He was right.Seconds later, Taylor turned toward them.“The fire is at the community center.”
Austin swallowed, all thoughts of Caleb and happiness leaving him.He knew the community center.He and West volunteered there because a lot of shifters who frequented it.It wasn’t a shifter business exactly, but the director was a bear shifter, and several other volunteers were part of their community, along with many of the kids who came around daily.
Austin and West exchanged a glance.Austin was sure that his best friend was thinking what he was thinking.Was this fire an accident, or was it related to the other fires?Not that it mattered.Right now, the only thing that did was that they needed to fight the fire and ensure that no one got hurt.Still, Austin couldn’t help but wonder.If the arsonist was behind this, they’d taken a big step forward.This wasn’t just a business owned by shifters.It was a place where many shifters of many different ages met.
Had the arsonist done it on purpose?Were they trying to kill the shifters who’d probably been inside when the fires had started?
“How many victims?”he asked, afraid of the answer.
Taylor shook his head.“I don’t think anyone has that kind of information yet.”
Which meant it was going to be bad.
Silence fell in the engine.No one wanted to joke around anymore.No one cared about who Austin was dating.They only cared about what they’d find once they reached the fire.
Austin wasn’t sure they were ready to face whatever it would be, but they didn’t have a choice.They jumped out of the engine, and Austin looked up at the building in front of him.
The left side was still intact, which was a good thing.The right side, on the other hand, was smoking.A window had shattered, and Austin could see the flames flickering inside.It would get worse.Austin knew it.
Something caught his attention.He was surrounded by other firefighters and first responders, so he wasn’t surprised to see one of them standing close by, but Austin frowned when he recognized the firefighter he’d seen at the restaurant fire.Just like that time, the guy wasn’t doing anything.He was just standing there, staring at the burning community center.
“West, Austin, I got word that there’s at least one little girl still inside,” Taylor said.“You volunteer here, don’t you?”
They both nodded.Hopefully, knowing the place would help them.
Taylor nodded back.“I was told she’s in one of the art rooms at the back.Can you get there?”
“Yeah,” West confirmed as he turned to Austin.Austin could only nod.Of course they could get there.
They grabbed their masks and the rest of their gear and quickly finished dressing up.Austin wasn’t paying attention to the weird firefighter anymore, but that changed when he bumped into the guy.The man jumped and turned to glare at him, and Austin glared back because what the fuck was he doing?Why wasn’t the guy working?Every other firefighter on scene was running around, but not this one.
“Sorry about that,” the firefighter said.
Austin squinted to see the guy’s name, but the firefighter quickly twisted his upper body in a way that made it impossible for Austin to read it.That was odd, wasn’t it?It almost felt like the firefighter was trying to avoid Austin finding out who he was, which didn’t make sense.
“Ready?”West asked.
As much as Austin wanted to know what was up with this guy, he was here to work.There was a little girl inside this building who needed him.
He nodded at West.“Ready.”
They bumped their fists together, and Austin turned to face the community center.He could tell the building wouldn’t survive.The neighborhood was losing a lot today, and not only the shifters who frequented the place.Humans regularly came here, too.It was a place where everyone was welcome.
Or rather, it had been.
But while the building was a loss, the people still inside weren’t, and that was what Austin needed to focus on.He could feel bad about everything else later.For now, he had a job to do.
* * * *
