* * * *
“IDON’T LIKE THIS,”Austin said.
The way he felt was obvious even over the phone, but Caleb didn’t turn to look at it where it was on the counter.Instead, he fussed with the bouquet of flowers in front of him.
He had no idea what he was doing, but he hoped that Eric Tate wouldn’t realize that.They needed him to believe that Caleb was a flower shop owner working late all alone in the building.Caleb clearly should’ve paid more attention to what his grandmother had tried to teach him when he’d worked at her shop, but it had been years ago, and he’d never been planning on doing anything like this for a living.
Which was a good thing because his flowers were a bit sad-looking.
“We know,” West said.
Both of them and Caleb were on speaker.Caleb hadn’t wanted to be because he didn’t want to do anything that would alert Tate that something about the situation was odd, but Austin wouldn’t let him play bait unless he agreed to this, so he hadn’t had a choice.It had been a compromise he was willing to make, especially when he’d seen how relieved Austin was when he’d agreed.As long as he wasn’t too obvious about being on the phone with someone, he thought it would be all right.Besides, he wanted to know when Austin and West noticed Tate arriving.They couldn’t be sure that he would, but they’d made it so that he knew about the shop and that Caleb would be alone here tonight.Caleb wasn’t sure how Austin and West had managed that, but he trusted them.They knew the shop was on Tate’s map, and it had been easy to convince the owner, a swan shifter, to go visit her sister out of town for a few days.
“I’d like to see you dealing with this if Jonathan was in that shop instead of Caleb,” Austin grumbled.
“Iwantedto be there,” Jonathan piped up.
He was with Austin and West, but he’d been given the order that he wasn’t to move from the hotel room across the street where they were staying.He’d agreed readily.He’d wanted to be involved, but he knew there was nothing he could do that two dragon shifters wouldn’t do faster and better when it came to this situation.Caleb was glad to hear his voice, though.It helped soothe his nerves.
“And I told you no,” Caleb said firmly, adjusting another drooping stem.“One of us being in danger is enough.”
The flower shop Tate had chosen was perfect for his purposes.Mrs.Hendricks hadn’t hesitated to let them use her shop as bait once Caleb had explained they suspected it would be a target.She’d been at the meeting Caleb had attended, so she knew this was their chance to stop the arsonist.
Caleb moved to the window display, pretending to rearrange the potted plants while looking up and down the street for any sign of movement.It was getting late, but then, Tate usually set the fires in the evening or at night.The only people still around were moving without hesitation, including a jogger with earbuds and an elderly man walking his dog.Nothing that set off his wolf senses, and West and Austin would’ve said something if they’d recognized Tate.
“Movement to your left,” West’s voice said through the phone.“Guy in a dark jacket, baseball cap pulled low.He’s walking slowly and looking at the shop fronts.Reminds me of what that bookstore owner said about the guy she noticed before the fire.”
Caleb’s heart raced, but he forced himself to keep moving naturally.He couldn’t afford to alarm Tate.“Is it him?”
“I can’t tell from here,” Austin said, sounding as frustrated as Caleb felt.“But the body language is right.He looks like he’s watching and waiting for something.”
Through the phone, Caleb could hear the rustle of fabric and quiet movement as Austin and West moved, maybe to get a better view.They’d spent hours planning this, going over every possible scenario and every way things could go wrong.But now that it was actually happening, Caleb felt unprepared.He didn’t regret offering himself up as bait, but he was worried.
“He’s stopped,” West reported.“Directly across from your shop.He’s just standing there.”
“Looking right at you,” Austin added, and there was something in his voice that made Caleb’s wolf prick up its ears.
Caleb forced himself to continue his fake work with the flowers, even though every instinct screamed at him to look up and look at Tate.Instead, he moved to the cash register, fumbling with some receipts Mrs.Kendricks had left like he was closing up for the night.They needed this to work.Caleb couldn’t afford to get it wrong.
“Is he coming closer?”Caleb asked quietly.
“No.He’s still just watching.”Austin paused.“Caleb, I need you to listen to me very carefully.If anything feels wrong, anything at all, you have to get out immediately.Don’t try to be a hero, even though he’s human.He’s dangerous.”
“I know the plan,” Caleb said.All of them did, but Caleb was the one in danger right now.He didn’t want Austin to freak out, but he felt like he wanted to scream.
“He’s moving,” West said suddenly.“Crossing the street.Caleb, be careful.”
Caleb’s mouth went dry, but he kept his movements steady and natural.He didn’t need anyone to tell him to be careful.He wasn’t planning on dying tonight.
He walked to the front of the shop, turning the open sign to closed like his grandmother had done every evening for years.Through the glass, he caught a glimpse of a man approaching.He looked like any guy with his baseball cap and jeans.Caleb had almost expected him to appear dangerous, but he didn’t.
“I see him,” Caleb murmured.
“We’re keeping an eye on both of you,” Austin said.“Remember, act natural.You’re just a shop owner working late.”
The man paused outside the shop window.Caleb could feel his gaze on his skin.But he did as Austin had ordered and moved back toward the counter.Caleb’s wolf wanted to bare its teeth and to challenge this threat before Tate could do something irreparable.Instead, Caleb forced himself to check his watch like he was tired and ready to go home.
“Caleb,” Austin’s voice was careful, but Caleb could hear the tension in it.“I need you to start moving toward the back door.”
