Wolf Pack (22 page)
Tom stopped walking before he lifted his fist. Garrett gripped his shoulder to show he was with Tom every step of the way. After a few seconds, he pointed to the right. Garrett slapped his hand down twice and moved to the first door. The front of the house wasn’t engulfed in flames yet, so once Garrett was sure he wasn’t opening the door to where the fire existed, he pushed it open. There wasn’t too much smoke in here and with his mask he could see pretty clearly. He paused in the center of the room and slowly scanned the surroundings. He heard it then. A soft whimper in the direction of the closet. Garrett rushed forward and threw open the door. A small bundle was at the bottom. Garrett crouched down and gently peeled away the blue blanket. He peered down at the trembling child with a tear-streaked face. He held out his arms and the boy jumped into them. He stood then turned and strolled out of the room, intent on getting the boy to safety.
Tom was braced in front of the entry, waving him forward. The fire was spreading fast so he huddled his upper body around the precious package in his arms and ran. He headed straight out of the front entrance into the fresh air.
Someone tried to take the child from his arms but the boy cried out and clung to Garrett harder. Garrett shook his head to warn the others off. He’d take the boy to the ambulance.
Steve appeared in front of him and pointed toward the street. Garrett saw the flashing lights of the police and emergency vehicles lined up. His gear was heavy, his helmet had started to fog up, but he was not going to let go of the kid until he saw the EMTs. Steve led the way and he followed through the busy firefighters and police personal.
From the open back of the ambulance, a figure jumped down and jogged toward him. He grinned—he could entrust the terrified child to his sister. Julie reached for him and the paleness on her face revealed her fear for the boy.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
He nodded before he lifted his arms to hand the boy over.
“No!” the kid screamed as he tightened his arms around Garrett’s neck.
“It’s okay,” Julie told the frightened child. “This is my brother. He’ll take you over to my rig for us.”
The boy stopped yelling and settled down. Garrett shook his head but staggered forward. He was getting tired and he really needed to get his helmet off. Julie’s partner, Shawn, smiled at him when they reached the rig. Julie jumped up into the back and reached once again for the boy. Garrett nodded toward the gurney, telling her he’d set the child there. He climbed up before he carefully set the boy down on the bed. He ripped off his mask and took a deep breath of fresh air. The oxygen tank had helped him when he was in the house, but there was nothing like that first fresh breath. He looked at the boy, who was watching him with wide eyes. Garrett sat next to him.
“Hi, little man. My name’s Garrett,” he introduced himself. “What’s yours?”
“Nick Bolton,” the small child answered.
“It’s good to meet you, Nick,” Garrett said. “This is my sister, Julie. She needs to check you out to make sure you’re okay.”
The boy nodded before he started to cough. Julie moved forward, placing an oxygen mask around his nose and mouth. She spoke quietly to Nick as she worked. Garrett glanced over his shoulder and saw that his unit appeared to have the fire under control and it was almost out. He sighed in relief. Shawn passed him a bottle of water before he was subjected to a quick but thorough examination of his own. He wasn’t surprised. His sister and her partner took just as good care of the firefighters as they did any victims.
He spotted Tom jogging toward him and stood. Nick shot his hand out and grabbed his wrist faster than Garrett would have thought possible for such a young child.
“I’m not going anywhere,” he assured the kid. “I’ll be right here but I need to talk to my friend.”
Nick eyed him for several seconds before he nodded and released Garrett. Tom was there as Garrett hopped down out of the rig. They stepped a few feet away, where they wouldn’t be overheard but Nick would still be able to see him.
“No one else in the house,” Tom informed him.
“Someone left that kid alone?” Garrett asked, pissed off that anyone could be so irresponsible. There was no way a child that age could stay by himself in a house.
“It looks like some kind of altercation took place in the master bedroom. The fire was started in the kitchen. The cap called in Lieutenant Haas. He’s going to want to talk to the boy,” Tom said.
Garrett glanced back over at Nick. He was following Julie’s instructions but Nick’s gaze never left Garrett. “I’ll talk to him,” Garrett offered.
“One more thing.” Tom gripped his shoulder.
Garrett didn’t like Tom’s serious tone. He braced himself for bad news.
“The boy’s a shifter. Steve smelled it on him right away.”
“Okay,” Garrett said slowly, confused. Tom should know that Garrett had no problem with shifters. He’d been friends with Tom and Steve a while now and his sister was living with a shifter.
“He’s scared, traumatized, and his dad’s missing. You have to keep him calm. At his age he hasn’t shifted yet, but these events could cause him to lose control. If he shifts this early he won’t know how to change back to human form.”
Garrett sucked in a sharp breath. He was still learning about shifters and hadn’t considered how the ability would affect a child.
“He seems to have taken to you already. You know shifters get emotionally involved easily, especially when they’re young. He’s going to need you to help him control his urges. His wolf will want to protect the boy and take over. You can’t let that happen.”
“Okay.” Garrett wasn’t sure how he would accomplish the task, but he would make sure Nick remained calm and in human form.
“The cap ordered you to stay with the boy. Child services will meet you at the hospital. That’s where I assume you’re headed?”
Garrett knew his sister’s routine and could tell she was preparing Nick for transport. “Yes.”
“I’ll check up on you in a little bit. One of us will bring you some clothes,” Tom said.
He was grateful to have such good friends. He stripped off his outer gear until he only remained in a T-shirt and his utility pants. Tom bundled up Garrett’s uniform before he strolled away. Garrett was hot and sweaty but he needed to check on Nick more than cool down.
“Hey,” he said as he climbed back inside the rig. “You doing okay?”
“Where’s my dad?” Nick pulled down his mask and asked. “I heard that man say no one was else was inside.”
Damn shifter hearing.
“We don’t know,” Garrett admitted.
Nick struggled to sit up. Julie pressed her hand down on his shoulder while Garrett grabbed both of Nick’s hands. “It’s okay, buddy. We’re looking for him.”
“I want to help!” Nick cried.
“First we have to take you to the hospital and have you checked out by the doctors,” Garrett said.
“I want my dad!” Nick wailed.
“I know.” Garrett brushed back the dark hair that had fallen into Nick’s eyes. “I know you do. But your dad would want us to take care of you first, wouldn’t he?”
Tears had started to pool in Nick’s eyes. He sniffed but nodded.
“Then let us do that. I’ll stay with you,” he promised. “See all the police officers?” He pointed out into the yard of the house.
“Yeah,” Nick mumbled.
“They are going to look for your dad. That’s their job,” he said.
“You swear?” Nick asked. “They’ll find my dad?”
Julie cleared her throat, catching his attention. She shook her head at him. He knew he shouldn’t make promises that he couldn’t keep. He glanced back at Nick. “I swear that they’ll do everything they can.”
Nick seemed satisfied and leaned back, settling in. Garrett let out a breath of relief.
Julie placed the mask back over Nick’s face before she turned and grabbed a water bottle from a small fridge. She handed it to Garrett and he didn’t waste any time gulping the refreshing liquid down.
“We need to go,” she said. “You coming along?”
Nick tensed but Garrett patted his arm and soothed him. “Yep.”
“Okay,” she said. “Let’s go, Shawn,” she called out to her partner.
Shawn came running up before he slammed the doors closed. Julie went back to her clipboard, writing something down, so Garrett just held Nick’s hand and relaxed. It was going to be a really long night.
About the Author
Crissy Smith lives in Texas with her husband, daughter, and three Labrador retrievers. The three dogs love to curl up under her computer desk and nap while she writes. It doesn’t leave a lot of room for her but what’s a woman to do?
When not writing or reading, she enjoys hunting, camping and shooting. But she has a girly side too and is addicted to pedicures and coffee.
She has been writing since she was a teenager and still loves everything to do with the paranormal. Her stories and characters all have a place in her heart. She loves the Alpha male, the dominant werewolf, and the Master vampire, which find their way in most of her books.
Learn more about the characters she has created at her website where they have their very own page. It will be updated from time to time to let you know what's going on with them. Also you can find out who will be in the next book.
Email:
[email protected]
Crissy loves to hear from readers. You can find her contact information, website and author biography at
http://www.totallybound.com
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Also by Crissy Smith
Were Chronicles: Pack Territory
Were Chronicles: Pack Community
Were Chronicles: Pack Daughter
Were Chronicles: Pack Security
Were Chronicles: Pack Investigator
Corporate Wolves: Losing Control
Secrets: The Shifter and the Dreamer
Shifter Chronicles: Birds of Prey
Shifter Chronicles: Eye of the Tiger
Shifter Chronicles: Coyote’s Kiss
Caught in the Middle: Magical Ménage
Summer Seductions: Summers’ Girl
Cloaks and Daggers: Vampire Hunter
What’s her Secret?: Designated Alpha
