The Firefighter's Mate

by Jayne Ripley

  “I even bought a stupid lottery ticket,” Gabriela said. “How dumb is that? As if fate would hand me everything on a silver platter.”

  “What?” Nicole said, sitting up fast and spilling her drink a little. “That’s great! A lottery ticket! I have a good feeling about this, and ask anybody, I’m at least twenty-five percent psychic! You didn’t know that, did you?”

  “Actually…no, I didn’t. But I think the ticket burned up in the fire,” she said, but even as she spoke the words aloud, she was no longer so sure. She’d had it in her pocket, hadn’t she? In the jeans she’d been wearing that night of the fire, after the barbecue…jeans that she had put off washing until she had a full load of dirty clothes to run…

  She dragged her overnight bag to her, unzipped it, and pawed through the disorganized wreckage inside. It wasn’t hard to find the jeans because they still smelled vaguely of smoke. She shoved her hand deep into the front pocket. Empty. She tried the other one. Also empty. She tried the back pocket…and pulled out a folded white piece of paper with the lotto logo header and a bunch of quick pick numbers on it. It was tattered and wrinkled from her sitting on it and forgetting about it for so long.

  Nicole snatched it out of her hand and ran to her laptop that was perched on a small desk. She threw herself into the chair and did a hilarious little dance.

  Gabriela stood there and gaped at her, wondering what on earth had come over her friend. Was it the rum?

  “Why are you so excited? It’s probably no good now. I forgot to check the numbers because…” Well, because Nicole’s house had burned down… “Because I forgot and missed the drawing,” she finished lamely.

  Nicole waved her hands as if scattering the idea into the wind. “Doesn’t matter. We can check online. If you won, you won. If you lost, no big deal.” She searched and found the Web site, then began typing in the numbers. “Whoops. That’s a seven. Maybe I shouldn’t drink and type at the same time.” She clicked return, stared wide-eyed at the screen, and a moment later she jumped up and knocked over her chair. “You won!” She began to dance around, cheering and punching the air and yelling “You won! You won!” over and over again.

  At first, Gabriela thought Nicole was only pulling her leg. She never won anything. In fact, if there was a chance of some run of bad luck, she always seemed to be first in line. That was a negative outlook to have, and it wasn’t one she was proud of. Then again, she’d moved into town and shortly later the house where she’d been staying had been set on fire.

  But you also met Luke, a voice in her mind whispered.

  Look at how that had turned out. Even Luke had started being controlling just like the others, telling her what she could and couldn’t do, who she could and couldn’t talk to. Like her old ex-boyfriend in Philly. Or like the Philly pack alpha, thinking he could dictate how she lived her life, where she worked, what she wore, what she believed. No amount of protection was worth that sacrifice. Giving up freedom for security? Not anymore.

  Then Nicole grabbed her by the shoulders and started shaking her. “Why am I the only one screaming?” she screamed. “Why are you not screaming with me? You won sixty thousand dollars!”

  Gabriela stared at her, but Nicole dragged her over to the laptop and pointed to the screen with both hands while bouncing in place. Gabriela squinted at the screen, feeling curiously dazed, as if this whole thing were a weird dream or she was really drunk. “Is that your old laptop? I thought…the fire…”

  Nicole let go of her and dramatically grabbed her own head, bunching up her blonde hair between her fingers, making her eyes wild. “Yes, it’s my laptop! I had it with me, so it didn’t burn with everything else. Why are you asking about the computer, you nutcase? I say this with all love and respect, but look at the screen, bitch!”

  Gabriela looked at the screen. Then she looked at the lottery ticket. Then she looked at the screen again. The numbers matched. The screen said Winner. The amount was sixty thousand dollars.

  Her hands started to shake. Even with taxes taking nearly half, that was still enough to start her business. Maybe not all she’d ever need, but she could shoestring it off the ground. She’d always been frugal. She wouldn’t have to deal with Ainsworth’s offer or get financially entangled with anyone in any other wolf pack. She wouldn’t owe anyone and no one would have a claim on her. If she needed loans, she could head to the bank. With this much start up cash, she’d paint a much better picture to qualify…

  “Something’s wrong,” she whispered, shaking her head. “Something…”

  “What?” Nicole shouted excitedly in her ear, making her jump. “What could be wrong? The numbers match. We qua-triple checked it! You just won sixty g’s, chica!”

  “But I never win anything. I don’t have anything but bad luck. Ever.”

  “That crap’s over. You’re in Cadillac Falls now! You met Luke. You met me, which is the best luck a girlfriend can have, and you just won the lottery. Hey, it’s not millions, but also hey, it’s damn well better than a poke in the eye with a half-burned marshmallow.”

  The implications finally came crashing the rest of the way home. This was an incredible stroke of fortune, not only that she’d won something bigger than ten dollars, but also that the ticket hadn’t burned in the fire.

  She was going to start her business. Then she was going to pay off her father’s debt. She had a future.

  She started to scream and jump around. Nicole started to scream and jump around. They held onto each other, screaming and jumping around.

  The only thing that would’ve made the moment even more perfect for Gabriela, the only thing she deeply missed, was having Luke here to share it with.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Last night without Gabriela had been hell. Luke had tossed and turned and hadn’t been able to do more than doze. He’d woken up cranky and completely out of sorts, no fit company for another living creature. Even coffee hadn’t helped, and his breakfast had seemed to taste exactly like sawdust no matter how he scrambled the eggs or how much salt and pepper he used.

  At his wits end, he finally did what he always did when he was upset and everything was wrong with the world. He took his truck and went on a drive through the hills and back roads outside of town. He didn’t have any particular destination in mind. He merely followed the road.

  Driving always allowed him time to think. Sort things out. Get a handle on the situation.

  This time, what he was thinking was that he’d royally screwed up. He’d lost the woman who had come to mean so much to him because he’d allowed his over-protective wolf side to gain the upper hand. He’d been damn certain he’d known what was best. And had jealousy fed into that thinking? He thought it had.

  But he hadn’t been prepared for the gaping hole that had opened up inside him. Losing her felt as though all his insides had burned to a charred mess that cracked and broke away whenever a memory of her entered his mind.

  He’d been a fool. He hadn’t understood what she’d needed. When she’d needed support and encouragement, he’d given her orders, made demands on her. He had refused to understand. Yes, he’d been a jealous ass.

  Hell, he didn’t trust Ainsworth as far as he could kick him, but not every wolf in his pack was bad. They were mostly just stuck up in general, and more than a few of them walked around like they had a camshaft lodged between their ass cheeks. He didn’t want Gabriela to have to endure their scorn. He didn’t want her taken advantage of. He sure as hell didn’t want her under any threat. Until they caught this arsonist, he couldn’t rest easy or believe she was safe, especially without him around.

  Still, he had come down on her hard, giving her orders as if he owned her. Yeah, he cared for her. She meant more to him than he could find words to express. Every time he touched her, he felt complete. When she was with him, it was as if he’d found his best friend and the perfect object of his every desire, all rolled into one. All the same, that instinct to protect her had driven away the woman he lo
ved.

  The woman he loved.

  He cruised down a winding road on the backside of the hills, around bending curves lined with thick stands of trees. The road was dappled by sunlight from overhead, but he barely paid attention to the view. His last realization still rang in his mind like a struck bell. He loved her. There it was, plain and simple. All that perfect mate stuff only mattered because at the heart of it was love.

  She wasn’t part of his pack. Not officially. He’d hoped she would be interested in joining, to be with him if not for any other reason. A part of that had played into their fight. The jealousy, the fear he’d lose her, had made him angry and controlling. She had to do what was best for her. He only wanted to help. If she never joined the Rescue Company pack, then what did that matter? She was part of his pack. He loved her. His wolf thought of her as the only mate right for him. That was more important than even his pack.

  His hands tightened on the steering wheel as he raced back into town. He had to resolve this, right now. He was headed straight for Fire Station Six. First he was going to have a long talk with his alpha. If Chief Smith couldn’t accept that Luke wanted Gabriela, an outsider, a lone wolf, and even if she was never interested in joining the ResCo over any other pack, then… Well, then Luke was going to leave the pack. Then, he was going to tell Gabriela what he’d done. The proof of his love would be in how far he was willing to go to keep her.

  His heart was hammering when he finally pulled into the driveway and parked behind the station. As he headed inside, he clenched his hands into fists. He didn’t want anyone to see them shaking. He didn’t allow himself to think. If he did, he might begin to second-guess this course of action. It was time to put his money where his mouth was. The woman he loved was worth it.

  Chief Smith was in his office, sitting at his desk and working on paperwork. He offered Luke a chair and shut the office door, then sat down and leaned forward, his expression amused, but his eyes far too knowing. There was a reason this man was alpha, Luke knew.

  “You look like a man with something big to say,” the chief said gently. “Go right ahead, I’m listening.”

  “Roger Ainsworth was sniffing around Gabriela. Offering to help her with starting her own business. A pet care business.” He took a deep breath, his emotions so entangled that it was hard to go on without rambling. The chief waited patiently, watching him. “Hinting at becoming an investor in her business. I went a bit overprotective.”

  Chief Smith leaned back in his chair and nodded. “You wouldn’t be the first.”

  “That’s not a good excuse though. I drove her way, making demands, ordering her around. I said things about her past in Philly. I was an ass.”

  “Sounds like it.”

  “Thanks, Chief,” he said wryly. “That means a lot.”

  “Men never need help acting like asses. But a man in love, well, that can bring it out more than ever. Go on, though. I shouldn’t have interrupted.”

  Luke shrugged. “She left me. I don’t blame her.”

  “Then why the hell are you here, talking to me?” the chief asked, cocking his head to the side. “Go find your woman. Admit you wronged her. Ask for her to come back into your life. Prepare to beg if you were an especially ass-like ass.”

  “Chief, she has no interest in joining a pack.”

  “So? Last time I checked, this country was free.”

  Luke bit back a surge of frustration. Was his alpha toying with him? “I mean she doesn’t want to join any pack, maybe ever. Not Rescue Company. Not anyone. She’ll be a lone wolf.”

  The chief snorted. “She won’t be a lone wolf so long as she has you.”

  “That’s just it. I’ll leave ResCo pack for her. If I have to choose, I’ll choose her.”

  “See? That’s what you should be saying to her, not to me. Because it isn’t even any issue for me. You can leave if that’s your choice, but Gabriela’s free to choose however she wants, wolf pack, no wolf pack. I understand. If she’s with you, and you love her, she’ll always be welcome by me. Is that what you wanted to hear? I’m surprised you even had to ask.”

  Luke frowned at the note of gentle reproof in his alpha’s voice. “I only wanted to make sure. Lay it all out there so we understand each other.”

  “We understand each other. Now get out of here and go find your woman. Tell her you love her. Make no demands on her, other than she love you back, because fair is fair, right?”

  He grinned and stood. “Right.”

  The sound of roaring motorcycles outside shattered the quiet, the rumble growing steadily louder. They both glanced toward the window. Through the blinds, Luke spotted a bunch of men and women on Harleys come roaring into the Fire Station Six parking lot. They circled around the lot, revving their engines and making a ton of noise.

  “Looks like we have company,” Chief Smith said, grabbing his hat off his desk.

  “What the hell does Sturmwulfen Pack want with us?” Luke asked, clenching his fists. He still suspected they’d had something to do with the arsons. His inner wolf was already growling in his mind, and he had to work to control the urge to shift into wolf form to protect his territory.

  “Let’s go ask,” the chief replied and grabbed his hat. “I doubt they’re here for a class on fire safety.”

  All of the firefighters on duty had come out of the station to stand between the Sturmwulfen and the building. The Sturmwulfen parked their bikes and on a signal, revved them as loud as they could before shutting them off all at once. The resulting quiet seemed to ring in the air. He followed the chief as Smith moved to stand in front of one man in particular riding a low, dark gray Harley with long handlebars and decals of a wolf skull with lightning bolts in its eyes. Luke recognized the man immediately.

  John Gerig was a hulking man wearing black motorcycle leathers, heavy boots, and looking as though he’d been on the road for three days straight without stopping for a shave. He had a scar on his neck opposite a tattoo partially hidden by his jacket collar. His dark gray eyes blazed with anger. He pulled off his helmet and stretched, cracking his joints. Then he turned a feral grin on Chief Smith.

  “Just the wolf I was looking to see,” Gerig said, his gravelly voice dark with threat.

  “That right?” the chief said. “We always have time for our friends in Sturmwulfen. How can I help you gentlemen?”

  Gerig made a disgusted sound. “You can stop with the polite bullshit. We got news you need to hear. Now.”

  Luke’s fists clenched as he readied himself to defend his alpha and his pack. His inner wolf was growling and snarling, urging him to shift forms and attack. The strong alpha aura came off of Gerig, but Luke didn’t let it intimidate him. “If you’re looking to go wolves and tangle, I think ResCo Pack would be happy to teach your gang of thugs something about lighting fires.”

  “Tell this pup not to be so territorial,” Gerig snapped, his lip curling to show teeth. “Or I might take the time to teach him a lesson.”

  All Luke’s friends and coworkers took a step toward the Sturmwulfen, low growls rumbling in the air. The Sturmwulfen gang reacted the same way. Everyone was a moment away from engaging in a huge werewolf brawl until Chief Smith held up his hands for quiet.

  “We’re not looking for a fight,” Chief Smith said mildly. “But we aren’t interested in hearing a bunch of threats either. You’re on our turf now. State your business, Alpha Gerig.”

  Gerig sneered. “Formal then? All right, Alpha Smith. Some of you think we had something to do with these fires. We don’t. We want to fight a man, we fight a man. There’s no cowardly burning down houses with women inside.” He paused, glaring around at them. No one moved. Both packs faced off against one another, a moment from shifting and fighting.

  Chief Smith only nodded. “Fair enough.” He glanced at his wolves, looking at Luke the longest, but Luke was too keyed up to be offended. “Everyone. Be calm. Remember our codes.”

  “Yeah,” Gerig snarled. “Make sure you remem
ber your codes like tame wolves.” But when no one in ResCo Pack rose to the bait, he only snorted and shook his head. “The pyromaniac you’re looking for? It’s not some town-drunk human like that idiot cop thinks. That firebug is from Cadillac Falls pack. Not Sturmwulfen. Not some crazy human.”

  “And how do you know that?” Luke demanded, not believing a word of it.

  John Gerig eyed him coldly. “Because we’re the ones who tracked the scent back to Ainsworth’s damn castle in the hills. The arsonist is hiding in Alpha Ainsworth’s home.”

  Dead silence greeted this announcement. Luke’s thoughts were reeling, but he had no idea how to respond. Did he dare believe someone like John Gerig? What if the man was telling the truth? And why would Ainsworth knowingly hide an arsonist who’d attacked two women in ResCo pack inside his mansion? It didn’t make any sense.

  “Did you take this information to Detective Carpenter?” Chief Smith asked.

  Gerig laughed. It was a sound without any humor in it. “Think he’s going to believe a bunch of ass-kicking degenerates like us?” The Sturmwulfen sent up a bunch of shouts, cheers, and curses until Gerig held up a hand for silence. “Do what you want with the information, Smith. We thought it was our civic duty to let you know. If that pyro attacks one of mine though…” His grin turned savage. “He ain’t gonna be in one piece for long.”

  A plain brown sedan pulled into the parking lot right then. Detective Carpenter was at the wheel. He had someone in the backseat too, but Luke couldn’t see who it was right away.

  The Sturmwulfen climbed back on their motorcycles, throwing ugly scowls at the detective. Then they roared out of the parking lot and tore off down the street. The buildings echoed with the growling rumble of their Harley engines.