He moved carefully, keeping an eye on the station, but he couldn’t hear or see anyone.Whoever was there was no doubt busy, which meant that Austin had an opportunity he probably wouldn’t get again.This was his one chance to get his hands on something that would point to Eric Tate’s involvement with the fires—or that would prove he was innocent.
He might be.Austin just wasn’t holding his breath for that.
He wasn’t sure why Tate hadn’t locked his car.Maybe it was because it was in the station parking lot, or maybe he thought he had.That had happened to Austin a few times, but he didn’t have anything to hide.He was pretty sure the same couldn’t be said for Eric Tate.
He was right.
It didn’t take him more than a minute of digging into the trunk to find a piece of paper half hidden under the carpet.He would’ve wondered if Eric Tate was an idiot, but he doubted the man expected anyone to link him to the arson, let alone dig into his trunk.Besides, he’d thought he’d locked it.
He hadn’t, which meant that Austin found the map hidden there, along with a rag that smelled like accelerant.
The map was an old-fashioned map, which someone had drawn red circles.Austin didn’t have to look it up to know that the circles indicated the shifter-owned businesses that had burned down because he’d been on scene for several of them.There were more spots circled that he didn’t recognize, but it was easy to guess what would be there if he checked it out—shifter-owned businesses.Tate had clearly planned out what his next targets would be.
Austin was angry.He hated that he was right because he didn’t want to believe that a firefighter could be an arsonist, but he couldn’t deny what was right in front of him or the fact that Eric Tate had been behaving oddly at the scenes.
He wanted to find the guy and shake him, to demand to know why he was doing this, but in the end, he didn’t really care.The only thing he cared about was that he needed Eric Tate stopped, but unfortunately, that was more complicated than calling the cops and having them here by the time the engine returned to the station.This guy knew about shifters.He’d targeted them.The community couldn’t afford for the authorities to find out about them, though.Shifters needed to continue being a secret to humans, which meant that Austin couldn’t do anything with the information he had.
It made him want to scream, but instead, he took pictures of everything, then put it all back as best as he could.This wasn’t something the police could stop.Someone else was going to have to step in and ensure that Eric Tate didn’t hurt anyone else, but it shouldn’t be Austin.The problem was that he didn’t know who to contact.
But maybe Caleb would.
He was a shifter, and he knew a lot of people.Maybe he even knew shifters who worked in the police department who would be happy to take the situation off Austin’s hands and take care of Tate.Austin could only hope because he had no idea what else to do.He hadn’t actually thought he’d find out who the arsonist was when he’d agreed to look into it, and while he was glad he had, it left him anxious and wondering if Eric Tate was ever going to pay for what he’d done.
Or if someone else was going to get hurt, maybe someone Austin knew and cared about.
* * * *
CALEB CHECKED HIS PHONEagain, just in case Austin had texted him, but there was nothing new on his screen.It wasn’t like Austin to be late, even fifteen minutes, and it was almost twenty by now.It made Caleb anxious, but he told himself not to worry.Surely Austin was about to arrive.
He didn’t.After half an hour, Caleb decided he had enough.He grabbed his phone and got up, ignoring the way the people in the restaurant looked at him.They probably thought he’d been stood up, and it certainly looked like he had been.If his date was with anyone but Austin, he might think that was what had happened, but considering everything, he was worried.
Austin wasn’t working today, so his shift hadn’t run long, and he’d have called Caleb if that had happened anyway.Caleb and Austin were working to find an arsonist.What if that person had found Austin instead?What if they’d hurt him?
Caleb tried calling Austin, but he didn’t answer, which didn’t help Caleb feel any less anxious.He hesitated, wondering if he should call West, but in the end, he decided to do something different.
He drove to Austin’s apartment.
He’d never been there, but he knew the address.He had no idea what floor Austin lived on, but he could figure it out, and figure it out he did.It wasn’t hard to find Austin’s name once he got there, and as he pressed the button to call up to Austin’s apartment, he prayed that Austin would answer and that this was a misunderstanding.He couldn’t believe that Austin would’ve stood him up.
Or maybe he didn’twantto believe it.Maybe he didn’t want to believe that Austin could be anything but the man he’d been showing Caleb.Of course, standing someone up on a date was nothing like what Sal had done, but still.Caleb had put his hopes in this relationship, and while he’d expected Austin to fuck up eventually—just like he would—this didn’t feel like something Austin would normally do.
“Who is it?”Austin asked, the sound of his voice crackling slightly.
Caleb breathed out.“It’s Caleb.We had a date.”
There was a moment of silence, then Austin swore.“Shit.Yeah, come up.I’m on the third floor.”
Something had happened.Caleb could tell, but he didn’t ask, not yet.First, he wanted to make sure that Austin was okay.Then, he’d need details.
He rode the elevator up to the third floor.When he stepped out, one of the doors in the hallway was open, so he headed there, knocking before peeking in.Austin had been pacing, but he looked up and smiled, and Caleb told himself that everything would be fine.It had to be.
He stepped in and closed the door behind himself.For a moment, he and Austin watched each other.Austin looked a bit frantic, but he didn’t offer an explanation, which meant that Caleb had to ask.
“What happened?”
Austin raked a hand through his hair.“Sorry.I forgot we had a date.”
“I noticed when you didn’t show up at the restaurant.I’m pretty sure the people there thought you’d stood me up.”
