Page 24 of Where There’s Smoke (Fire House Omegas #2)

Melody

“ H ello? Can I help you?”

Elliot sat behind his desk, paperwork covering the surface, and it felt wildly dumb to be doing this. He was clearly busy—no surprise there—and what? I was just going to come in here and sniff him like a maniac?

Ugh, I should leave.

“Someone has their sense of smell back,” Fitz proclaimed, and suddenly, I was so on the spot that my stomach twisted into knots.

He had his arm around my waist and ushered me forward as Samson slowly came around us to lean against Elliot’s desk. Elliot perked up in his seat, eyes darting to me, and I nodded, unsure what else to do.

“I-I do. I can smell, well, a lot now. I think?—”

“She thinks that it’s about time to get a good sniff of the ole pack lead.” Fitz grinned when I glanced over at him, a bit annoyed, but hell, I knew he was just saving me the trouble of forcing the words out. “She’s already had some good time with Sam and me. It’s your turn.”

Elliot blanched, sitting upright in his chair. He was stiff as a damn board from head to toe, and the room dropped into uncomfortable silence. After what felt like years, he sat forward, tenting his fingers while he leaned on his elbows.

“Look, I’m glad you can smell again, really. But I don’t have time to sit here, letting you sniff me. I have paperwork to discuss with you, and?—”

“Then it’s perfect!” Fitz was like an excited puppy. “You get your sniff on, Melody, and Elliot can drone on about some boring paperwork. It’ll make it so much better than just having to listen to him.”

After basically shoving me toward him, Samson and Fitz left with grins on their faces as I stood in front of Elliot’s desk. Already, I could scent something wafting toward me, and it crept in on my senses, making my heart pound.

“Ugh, fine. Just get it over with. I have important matters to discuss with you, regardless of how ‘boring’ they may be.”

Standing, Elliot circled his desk and stood near me, looking away while still offering himself up so that I could scent him. He looked so uncomfortable, but there was the flicker of his pulse in his neck. And something tingled between us like anticipation and curiosity.

I leaned in, getting my nose close to his chest and taking a deep breath.

My mouth watered instantly, heat rising in my body.

He smelled fantastic. I’d always thought I could smell the barest hint of his toothpaste, but it wasn’t that.

It was Elliot. He smelled like spearmint, but there was something else, something dark and sort of bitter.

Smoke. He smells like spearmint and smoke.

“All right, then, if you’ll take a seat. I have some things we should go over.”

I did as requested, taking a seat in the chair in front of Elliot’s desk as he returned behind it. He radiated tension, and it took me several moments to clear the lingering ideas from my mind in response to his heavenly scent.

“How are you feeling?” he asked, looking back at me, concern on his face.

“Like a train hit me, but from what I understand, this is kind of normal.”

He grimaced. “Unfortunately, it is.”

“So what’s up?” I asked.

“I have a few questions for you about the fire at the shelter,” he said, his face going hard. “I wouldn’t be asking you this unless it was important. Given everything that’s happening right now…”

“What is it?” I asked, cocking my head to the side. “Have you found anything else? Do you have any idea what started the fire?”

Elliot took a deep breath, like he was steeling himself and preparing for what he was going to say next. “Perhaps. Have you picked up propane tanks at all recently?”

I paused. He was asking about propane tanks? What was that about? I hadn’t needed stuff like that for as long as I lived. Hell, I wouldn’t even know where to get one or how to use it.

Narrowing my eyes at Elliot, I spoke. “No. Why would I need that stuff? I was microwaving a burrito, not cooking it over a grill.”

“Can you prove that?” he asked.

“Why would I need to prove that I didn’t buy propane?” I said disbelievingly.

“We found the accelerant that was used to set the fire,” he said, leveling me with a cool gaze.

That stopped me in my tracks.

“Wait, so you’re telling me that the fire was arson? That someone set the place on fire on purpose? I thought it was the old microwave. I was making a burrito, and the fire happened,” I said, trying to rationalize what he was telling me.

“There was definitely something wrong with your microwave. Your appliances were a few decades too old to be used. But that wasn’t the only cause. We found accelerant on the scene.”

“Accelerant in the kitchen? Surely, I would have realized if there was a chemical or accelerant in my kitchen. Let alone, tanks of propane,” I said, shaking my head.

My entire body ached, and I felt like I’d run a marathon, and this was not helping.

“We found a few canisters of the stuff in a dumpster behind the building after the fire,” Elliot said as he pulled a file out from his drawer. “We sent it to the lab and we got a result.”

He held up the file, and I snatched it from his hands, looking at him as I flicked the file open.

It was CCTV footage from the back of the rescue and clear as day.

There were images of a man dumping the canisters.

His face was somewhat blurred, and he had a hood on so I couldn't tell who it was, but it was obvious that it was a man and not me.

“So it really was arson?” I asked. Maybe I was being obtuse, but all the evidence was pointing toward arson. “Who on earth is this? Why would anyone decide to burn down my shelter? None of this makes sense!”

Elliot nodded, not meeting my eye for a moment. “You have an insurance policy on the rescue. You're probably set to make some good money from it burning down.”

That stopped me spiraling for a moment.

“I’m sorry. What did you say?”

“It’s not the first time someone has decided that a payout was better than paying to upkeep a property.” Elliot’s face was utterly deadpan, and my stomach had dropped clean through the floor.

“What exactly are you suggesting?” I asked, my voice almost a growl.

“You could have had someone help you,” he said simply. “There are more security cameras we're trying to get footage from that should give us a clear picture of this guy's face. It's just taking some time, unfortunately.”

Did Elliot really believe I was capable of that?

“You think I tried to set the rescue on fire and risk the lives of all those animals?” I asked incredulously.

“Maybe you did it for good reasons. Maybe you thought you'd get more money to help those rescues. After all, nobody got hurt in the fire.”

My jaw was hanging open as I gaped at him. “You really are suggesting that I set the fire, aren't you?”

“Like I said, we have to look into it. I thought I would at least ask you before we started investigating that road.”

I scoffed. “Well, investigate all you want. Hell, just take a look at the insurance claim on the rescue. The payout is miniscule. Trust me, I haven’t financially benefited in any way, shape, or form from that fire.

” I ran a hand through my hair and started pacing.

“Ugh, and to think, I was starting to believe you weren’t a complete ass! ” I growled.

“I am not being an ass. I am simply doing my job,” he said through gritted teeth.

“Your job is to be an emotionless robot?” I asked, turning to face him, almost vibrating with fury.

“Clinical and logical,” he supplied.

“You know what? I don't need to listen to this,” I said, turning to leave.

But when I reached the door, Elliot snatched my bicep, pulling me back. He shook his head, frowning down at me. “Melody, I?—”

My hands landed against his chest as I shoved him with as much force as I could.

He must have been surprised, because he actually staggered back a few steps, his eyes widening.

For a moment, I could have sworn I was possessed because, without a single thought, my hand raised and landed on his cheek, making an impressive cracking sound.

I’d slapped the alpha.

Was it the smartest thing to do? No, but I was so infuriatingly angry that I wanted to do much worse in that moment.

“Absolutely not . You have no ground to stand on, and I won’t hear another hurtful word leave your lips. Don’t you dare come anywhere near me. I did not set that fire, you stubborn dick. When you figure that out, you can work on apologizing to me.”

Not waiting a moment longer, I stormed out of the room and went straight to my bed. I think the nest needed a little rearranging.

“What is his issue?” I thundered as I paced around my room, Dotty in my arms. She was being undeniably adorable, chewing on strands of my hair, but I was too angry to pay attention to that.

“He was in the wrong for asking you that, but it is his job to investigate,” Samson said. “He has all the tact of a bull in a china shop, and he needs a smack on the back of the head.”

“You can say that again,” I agreed. “I did kind of shove him.”

Fitz smirked. “Good, someone needs to put him in his place! Occasionally we can bring him back to reality, but considering he's technically our boss, we aren't always the best option for a reality check.”

“He made me feel like a criminal,” I admitted in a small voice.

The puppy started to wiggle in my arms, desperate to get free, so I popped her on the floor and she bounded around the guys’ feet.

At one point, she launched herself at Samson's shoelaces and started chewing enthusiastically. “Also, I really shouldn’t have smacked him. I don’t know what came over me. ”

“Like I said, he was wrong. He picked the worst possible moment. You’re already feeling vulnerable, you just got your sense of smell back. Honestly, he deserved it and he'll get over it. He's a big boy.”

Tears gathered in the corners of my eyes. I quickly wiped them away, not wanting to look even more distraught in front of these alphas.

“Look.” Samson’s voice was calm and firm as he grabbed my upper arms. “He is in the wrong, but he will figure out who set fire to your place, okay?”

“How is he going to do that if he's too busy accusing me?” I asked, raising a brow at him.

“Let him chase that theory for a day or two, and when it comes up fruitless, he will apologize and move on to the next suspect.”

“Is there another suspect?”

Samson winced. “Not yet, but he will find one. It takes a special kind of lowlife to burn down an animal rescue.”

I sighed, leaning into his embrace. “I hate this. My stomach hurts, and even though Elliot is a giant ass, I still like him. What is wrong with me?”

Fitz cackled. “That's Elliot’s superpower. Even though he's a big old butthead, we love him anyway. It's clearly a form of Stockholm syndrome.”

“Maybe I should get away while I can,” I murmured into Samson’s chest.

“Sorry, I think you're stuck with us now,” Fitz declared, flopping down on the bed. “Don't worry, I make up for my pack mate’s shortcomings with my dazzlingly handsome looks.”

“Really?” Samson asked, turning to his pack mate, me still in his arms.

Fitz simply beamed at us. “Well, the trust fund doesn't hurt, either.”

“That doesn't change the fact that you’re a gigantic pain in my ass.”

“Yes, but I'm a pain in the ass like a puppy. Cute and adorable. Elliot, you just want to throw through a window.” As he spoke, he picked up Dotty and held her to his face so they were eye to eye. “Elliot's a big meanie, but we love him, anyway, don't we?”

It was obvious that the members of Pack Wilder loved one another, despite their ribbing and teasing. They were a family through and through, each balancing the others out in various ways.

I could understand them being attached to Elliot in spite of his brutish nature at times.

But why was I starting to feel more for him?