Logan's Rattler

by A J Jarrett

  The sign signaling their turnoff came within view. Lawson followed Finn’s directions to L&L Coffee Stop. Police cars with their

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  flashing lights were like a beacon guiding their way. The sun had yet to rise to its fullest height, so there was still a shadow of night blanketing the quiet street.

  Lawson parked around the side of the building, and they all got out and walked the short distance toward the entrance. Broken glass lay scattered out all along the front sidewalk in front of the store. Finn couldn’t believe his eyes when they stood facing L&L Coffee Stop.

  The calm and inviting store looked like a wrecking ball had been set loose on the inside.

  “Dear god!” Logan gasped as he stepped carefully around the broken glass. Finn shot out his hand to steady his mate when he lost his footing. “It’s destroyed.”

  “Logan.” Leo ran up to Logan and hugged him tightly. “The sheriff wants to talk to you, too.”

  Logan looked over to him, and Finn nodded his head. He watched his mate walk over to where the sheriff stood taking notes. Leo rubbed Logan’s back while the police questioned him. Knowing his mate was safe for the moment, Finn looked around the busted-up store.

  All the front windows were smashed in. Tables and chairs laid in pieces on the floor. Every cabinet behind the counter had been ripped from its hinges. Nothing in the store looked identifiable. Whoever did this was trying to send a message.

  “Do you smell that?” Lawson asked quietly as he came to stand beside Finn.

  Finn took a deep breath then flicked out his tongue to taste the air.

  A woodsy pine scent mixed with animal fur filled the air. Had they not been shifters, they wouldn’t have picked up on the combined odors. Finn knew those scents. Werewolves.

  “Yep, and bet I know the one responsible for this.” He turned his hard stare to Lawson. “Did you ever reach your brother yesterday?”

  “Yeah, he’s actually at the house now.”

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  “Call him. We need to have a sit-down with Garrett. This involves a werewolf, and as far as I know the Carrington pack is the only one in these parts.” Garrett was the alpha and mate to Lawson’s brother Lachlan. If this was Logan’s ex-boyfriend’s doing, they had to obey pack law and go through the alpha.

  “Why would a wolf shifter do all this? I mean, this place has been demolished. Why bother?” Finn watched as Lawson toed his shoe against a hunk of rubble on the floor. When he did that, a framed picture was revealed under the chunks of glass and wood pieces.

  Finn bent down and picked up the broken frame. It appeared to be a picture of Logan and Leo, by the looks of it, from the opening day at L&L. The odd thing about the picture was that someone had taken the time to tear Logan’s head from the picture before discarding it to the ground. That small act was telling. Whoever did this wanted to hit Logan where it counted. And what better way than destroying his business.

  “Because it’s Logan’s ex.” Finn held up the photo.

  Lawson grabbed the pictured and examined it. “Why would he do all this? It’s not going to endear the guy to Logan.”

  “I’m not sure, but that wolf didn’t seem too stable to me when I met him. This could be really bad.” Finn glanced in Logan’s direction and saw him finishing up with the police. “Call your brother and have him pick us up from here. I want to talk to the alpha and get this settled now.”

  “I’m on it.” Lawson pulled out his cell and walked outside to make his call.

  Finn walked over to where Leo and Logan rummaged around where the long serving counter used to be. He placed his hands on Logan’s shoulders and massaged the tense muscles knotting his neck.

  Logan’s body eased just a fraction but was still strung bow tight.

  “What did the sheriff say?” Finn asked. He was a little curious as to what the law enforcement’s take was on this.

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  “Well, he thinks it was a random act of violence with no motive,”

  Leo answered. “He said technically we weren’t robbed because they didn’t take anything. The safe is still in our back office untouched.

  Not a single thing was taken.”

  “Lachlan is on his way,” Lawson announced as he came back inside. “I also phoned Ben, and he is sending some guys over to clean up the best they can and board up the windows until we can get a glass company out here to repair them.”

  “Who are you?” Leo asked.

  “Leo, I’m sorry. This is Lawson. He’s one of Finn’s friends,”

  Logan introduced the two.

  “Nice to meet you.” Leo shook Lawson’s hand. “But why would you guys do that for us? I don’t even know you, and Logan’s only just met you all.”

  “Because we’re family,” Finn said simply. Leo didn’t understand what was going on, but he’d learn soon enough that he had now been taken under the protection of the Warriors of the Light. That, and he was Logan’s best friend. The man meant a lot to his mate, and Finn would make sure no harm came to him.

  The sound of a horn honking had them turning toward the front of the shop. Finn recognized Lachlan sitting behind the wheel.

  “There’s our ride,” Lawson announced as he ushered Leo out the front door.

  “But we can’t leave L&L like this,” Leo protested and tried to walk back inside the building.

  “I told you, we have some men coming out to take care of it. Now please get in the car. We can’t leave you here alone. It’s not safe.”

  Lawson opened the back door and lifted Leo up to sit on the seat.

  “Hey!” Leo protested.

  “Leo, please,” Logan pleaded with his friend.

  “Fine, but I want answers.” Leo scooted over to make room for Finn and Logan to get in the car.

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  “Hey, boys, I see your day didn’t start off the way you planned,”

  Carter said as he turned to smile at them.

  “Why the fuck are you here?” Lawson asked.

  “The little fucker wouldn’t let me leave without him.” Lachlan flicked his fingers in the center of Carter’s forehead.

  “Ouch, Lachlan!” the witch shouted as he slapped the other man in the arm. “Ben said I could go. That I might even be helpful.” Carter continued to rub at his forehead.

  The passenger door opened, and Lawson pushed Carter toward the middle of the bench seat. “Girls, stop fighting or I’m going to have to separate you two,” Lawson teased.

  “Whatever.” Lachlan breathed out a heavy sigh. “All I know is this had better be good if I have to go and see Garrett,” Lachlan said as he made eye contact with Finn in the back seat. “We’re not really on speaking terms right now.”

  “Dear god in heaven,” Leo said breathlessly. “You’re twins.” Leo darted his eyes between Lawson and Lachlan. “Identical and hot.”

  Finn wanted to laugh at Leo’s apparent attraction to the brothers, but it wasn’t the time to taunt the younger man. They had a serious issue to deal with.

  “Well first off, thank you,” Lawson stated as he looked Leo up and down from head to toe. “And second, you’re not so bad yourself, cutie pie.” Finn watched as Leo’s cheeks flushed and he hid his eyes.

  “Sorry to interrupt, but let’s stay focused here for a moment, shall we?” Finn nudged the back of Lawson’s seat. “I’m sorry, Lachlan, about all this, but it involves a wolf.” Finn squeezed Logan’s hand.

  “It’s Logan’s ex-boyfriend. I believe he is behind what happened here today.”

  “Enough said.” Lachlan put the car in gear and drove off.

  “My ex-boyfriend? Rhett?” Logan asked, and all Finn could do was nod. “He’s a werewolf?” He nodded again.

  “What the fuck are you all talking about?”

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  As if on cue everyone in the car, even Lachlan
who was driving, turned to look at Leo. In the haste of the situation they were facing, they all forgot they had a human, who knew nothing of their kind, in the car.

  “Leo, my friend, it’s a long story. But I’ll make it short,” Lawson said as he turned to wink at Leo from where he sat in the front seat.

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  Chapter Eleven

  “So I was dating a dog?” Logan asked as the car they were in pulled into a long driveway with trees lining the road.

  It took all Finn had not to laugh at the shocked expression on his mate’s face. “Technically speaking, he’s only a wolf probably half the time.” Finn shrugged his shoulders.

  “Don’t call them dogs,” Lawson informed them. “They get super pissed off. Something about dogs not being as high up on the totem pole as wolves.”

  “They’re all dogs if you ask me,” Lachlan muttered under his breath. “And assholes.”

  Finn wrapped a supportive arm around Logan’s waist and followed Lachlan up the front path. Lachlan reached out his hand and pulled the old-fashioned knocker on the door. They weren’t waiting long before the front door swung open.

  “Oh look, it’s the little kitty. Has he come back to his master?”

  The man who answered the door spoke like a baby as he smiled menacingly at Lachlan.

  “You fucking asshole.” Lachlan lunged for the man, who had begun to laugh, but Lawson pulled him back.

  “Bro, you need to calm down.” Lawson flashed an evil grin at the other man. “He’s just pissed because no one has put him on his leash and walked him today,” Lawson teased.

  The man stopped laughing and took a step toward Lawson. The lion shifter straightened his shoulders and stood to his full height.

  “You want a piece of me, pup?”

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  “What’s going on out here?” Another man came rushing to the door. He looked at them all, but his eyes settled on Lachlan, and Finn saw the surprise on the alpha’s face. “Lachlan? What are you doing here?”

  “Why am I here?” Lachlan released a bitter laugh. “One would think you should be asking me where I’ve been. Did you even notice I was gone?”

  “Of course I did. But you said in our last conversation that you didn’t want to be here, so I’m just surprised to see you here now.”

  “Well it’s not about us, Garrett.” Lachlan gestured to Finn and Logan. “It’s about my friend’s mate. He’s having some trouble with a wolf shifter, and since you’re the alpha in these parts, we’re assuming he’s one of yours.”

  “Oh, okay then. Come on in.” Garrett opened the door wide to let them in.

  Can’t he see that I’m hurting, too?

  Logan clenched his eyes tight and took a deep breath. Now wasn’t the time to be hearing these men’s thoughts. He could tell there was some animosity between Lachlan and Garrett, but at the present time, he had problems of his own to deal with. And even though he couldn’t control his gift, he still felt like he was being intrusive.

  He’s such a self-righteous asshole. Only thinking about his precious pack. Well what about me? I’m his mate. Shouldn’t I come first?

  Logan tensed as Lachlan’s words screamed in his ears. The man was in such great pain that Logan felt like someone was ripping out his heart.

  “You okay?” Finn asked as he rubbed Logan’s back in such a loving manner.

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  The gesture was so small but warmed him from the inside out, and it gave him the strength to quiet the voices to a dull echo. Logan smiled. “I’m better now. Thanks.” He leaned forward and pecked Finn on the cheek.

  They followed Garrett down a long hallway that opened up into a large seating area. An enormous fireplace sat positioned between the floor-to-ceiling glass walls. The view was amazing. It was as if the front room was a part of the backyard. There were glass windows everywhere, and Logan sort of felt like he was outside even though he was sitting on a plush leather couch.

  The only thing he found disturbing was all the animal heads hanging on the walls. This Garrett man must love to hunt.

  “It’s a wolf thing,” Carter said as he sat next to Logan. “They like to kill things and keep trophies of it. Gross if you ask me.”

  “So what’s this you said about a wolf causing your friend here problems?” Garrett gestured to Logan as he sat on the couch sitting opposite him.

  “To make a long story short,” Finn began, “I just met my mate four days ago. Before we got together he was dating a man by the name of Rhett.”

  Logan watched as Garrett’s facial features hardened. His jaw clenched as Finn talked.

  “And it would seem this Rhett isn’t taking our mating too well. I had words with him outside Logan’s coffee shop the other day, and just this morning someone ransacked the place. At first we thought it was a robbery, but nothing was taken. The person just destroyed everything inside the building.” Finn’s voice began to rise. “He ruined everything my mate and his best friend had worked hard for.”

  Garrett cleared his throat. He then sat forward on the couch. “I can understand your hostility, but how can you be certain it was Rhett? It could have been anyone.”

  “Of course you would defend him,” Lachlan accused.

  “I’m not defending him, love—” Garrett started to speak.

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  “Don’t call me that.” Lachlan stood from his chair. “You have no idea what love is.”

  “Lachlan, come on bro.” Lawson stood by his brother and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. “I hate to admit it, but Garrett’s right. We have to have definitive proof. You know how pack law goes.”

  Lachlan turned his beet-red face toward his brother, and the hard lines marring his face softened. He gave a quick nod of his head and sat back down. Lawson stood behind his brother’s chair, and Logan envied Lachlan that. He never had a brother and always wished he had someone there for him like Lawson was for Lachlan. Granted he had Leo and Finn now, but when he was a small child, he’d have given anything to have a sibling by his side.

  “Your brother’s right. We need actual visual proof before I can accuse the man.” Logan could see the glistening in Garrett’s eyes as if the man was on the verge of tears.

  “So he’s one of your wolves then?” Finn asked.

  “I hate to admit it, but yes. Rhett is a bit of a loner. Keeps to himself and never has much to say.” Garrett shifted his eyes to Logan.

  “I wasn’t aware he was dating someone. How long have you been together?”

  Logan shrugged. “A little less than a month or so. We didn’t have any problems until the night he took me to the woods. Him and his friends wanted me to do things.” Logan dropped his eyes too ashamed to look at the man.

  “Things?” Garrett asked as he waved his hand in front of him gesturing Logan to continue.

  “Garrett, my mate is descended from witches. We just found this out.” Finn grabbed his hand and held tight. “He has the gift of empathy, and he can hear other people’s thoughts if the emotions they are feeling are strong. So he heard Rhett and his buddies desire to take turns in raping him.”

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  “That’s awful. But I have to ask, who were the other men?”

  Garrett asked, confusion clear in his tone. “Like I said, he’s a loner, and as far as I know, he isn’t close to any other fellow pack members.”

  “I didn’t get their names.” Logan shook his head. “All I remember is they all wore black. Well, there was one thing I haven’t mentioned before because I thought I was just seeing things. But their eyes were black. Not like they had black eyes, but the actual eyeball was black.”

  Logan never told Finn that because he just assumed it was the poor lighting in the pitch-black night. No one could possibly have black eyes like that. Could they?

  “Are you sure, Logan?” Finn asked as he looked over
at the twins.

  “Yes. Why? Does it mean something?” He wasn’t following what was going on.

  “It means Rhett is hanging out with a bad crowd,” Lawson answered for him.

  “This so isn’t good,” Carter said from his left.

  Logan watched as Finn, Garrett, Lawson, and Lachlan pulled out their cell phones and started punching in numbers. They all paced around the room frantically. Something was going on, and he had no clue what it was.

  “Carter, why isn’t this good? What’s going on?” Logan felt dizzy watching the men walk around the room speaking rapidly into their phones.

  “You said those guys with your ex had black eyes. That only means one thing.”

  Logan threw his hands up in the air as he glared at the witch.

  “And what is that exactly!” he shouted.

  “It means we’re dealing with Warriors of the Dark.” Logan’s mouth fell open as he stared at Carter. The witch nodded his head.

  “So you know what that means? You’ve been getting it on with one of the bad guys.” Carter chuckled.

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  “This isn’t funny,” Logan snapped. “And I never ‘got it on’”— Logan made air quotes with his fingers—“with Rhett.”

  “Whatever, dude. I’m not here to judge.” Carter’s head followed in time with Garrett’s steps. “But what I find more interesting is that Garrett wasn’t aware that one of his own had strayed from the pack.”

  “I was thinking the same thing.” Logan looked up when Finn spoke. Finn ran his knuckles across Logan’s cheek, and Logan leaned into the touch.

  Garrett cursed loudly then hung up his phone. “That was my next in command, Wes, he can’t locate Rhett anywhere. It’s like he’s disappeared.”

  “Ben wants us back at the warrior compound now,” Lachlan said as he walked over to the group.

  “You’re leaving?” Garrett’s voice hitched as he looked at the other man.

  “Yeah, I’m leaving. This place isn’t safe, Garrett.” Lachlan motioned around the room. “And if your pack has been compromised, it could mean bad things for the Warriors of the Light, and I need to help protect my family.”