Caleb’s eyes widened.“Is that his name?”
Austin nodded.“Eric Tate.He’s a firefighter with the one twenty-eight.”
“I’m really sorry.”
“There are bad people everywhere, including within the fire department.I just want him to pay.I want him to be stopped.I don’t know how we’re going to do that, though.Did you by any chance contact any of your friends in the police department?”
Caleb grimaced.“I did.He wants to help, but he pointed out that we don’t have anything.He’s not wrong.”
Austin let go of Caleb, but not for long.He pulled his boyfriend toward the couch so they could sit together.The fact that Caleb was halfway in his lap was positive, but it made it hard to focus.Austin had to, though.“We have a little more than that.I went through Tate’s car trunk, which is how I found confirmation that he’s the arsonist.I found some rags that smelled of accelerant and a map.All the shifter businesses that burned down were circled, and there were more.”
“You put the map back, right?”
“Yeah.I wasn’t going to risk him noticing something was up.”
“But you took a picture.”
Austin grinned.“How do you know?”
“Because you’re smart and want this to be over as much as I do.Let me see.”
Austin took out his phone, unlocked it, and held it out.Caleb hummed as he poked around until he found the picture, then spent way too long staring at it.He used his fingers to zoom in, then back out.Austin was dying to know what was on his mind, but he was a little afraid to ask.He’d find out soon, anyway.
“So, my friend in the police department said he’d look into it once we have more proof.He also said to call him if anything happens, and he was worried,” Caleb said.
“Maybe he should look into Tate himself if he is.”
“He would if he could.”
Austin wasn’t sure that was true.He’d looked into Tate, and it wasn’t his job.Surely a police officer could do better?Austin wondered what kind of shifter this friend was, then, a few seconds later, if the guy was just a friend or if he and Caleb had been more.He almost asked, but he wasn’t sure he actually wanted to find out.
“Since Archer needs proof, we’re going to give him proof,” Caleb said, confusing Austin.
“I mean, you can send him the picture, but I don’t know how much proof that is.It’s just a map.”
Caleb shook his head.“That’s not what I was talking about.”
“What do you have in mind?”That didn’t sound good—at the very least, not for Austin’s heart.There was a spark in Caleb’s eyes that told him that he wasn’t going to like this, but he was powerless to stop it from happening.
Besides, why should he?The two of them were the only ones who could do anything about this situation right now.They couldn’t go to the human authorities, and Caleb’s friend didn’t seem to want to get involved until he had something more in front of him.Austin didn’t like that.
“We’re going to need some help,” Caleb said.
“That doesn’t sound good.”
“Because it’s not, at least not for Tate.West and Jonathan want to be involved.”
“West wasn’t happy when I told him about this.”
“Neither was Jonathan.It’s why I tried to keep him out of it.”
Austin arched a brow.“Is it?Were you trying to protect him?”
Caleb huffed.“You know the answer to that.Being smug doesnotsuit you.”
Maybe it didn’t, but Austin couldn’t deny how relieved he was.He’d never wanted to hurt Caleb.He’d hoped Caleb would understand, and it looked like, in the end, he had.It had taken them fighting, but they’d fight plenty of times over the years.
Austin couldn’t wait.
