Page 27 of Bear Haven
“Bex,” he snapped, then softened his tone. “Come on, baby,” he coaxed. “Let’s go.”
“My house, Gus…”
“I know.” He settled on the bike and started the engine as she straddled the seat behind him. Neither bothered with helmets as he sped out of the boathouse. He heard the sirens as they closed in on the fire. That was a good thing about a small town. Law enforcement didn’t take long to get from one end to the other.
Bex’s grip on him was unyielding and he wished he could reassure her in some way, but he didn’t know the words.
For the second time in little more than a year she was losing a home. She was losing ground after she’d gained so much.
He parked the bike a block from the house and started walking toward it before he realized Bex wasn’t with him. She was still sitting on the back of his motorcycle.
Her wide, heartbroken eyes tugged at him. She didn’t blink, didn’t speak. She simply stared. Flames were reflected in her gaze. He wanted to hold her, console her, tell her it would be all right, but they didn’t have time and he didn’t think he could lie to her like that. “Bex?”She looked up at him, tears streaming down her cheeks.
“Why does he hate me so much?”
“He hates us all. Come on. We need to make sure everyone got out.” After a few seconds, his words seemed to sink in. She swiped at her face and swung her leg over the seat and slid to her feet. He folded her hand in his.
The first floor was full of flames. Glass could be heard breaking. Wood splintering. Her gasp mirrored his.
Chemicals from the renovations blew and fire engulfed the lower floor.
“No. No. No.” Bex’s horrified scream was lost in the sound of another explosion, this time from the second floor. Gus quickly dropped them both to the ground and used his body to shield her.
Anger and hurt radiated off Bex, hotter than the fire that burned in front of them. For a few moments, they knelt together, gathering their wits and breath.
He cautiously rose to his feet and pulled her up with him. Neighbors hung around on the sidewalks in front of their homes and more walked down the street toward the commotion.
Everything they had would be gone. Anything she had left from her mother. All of Gus’s tattoo supplies, his portfolio.
All the research about the hunters.
All of it. Gone. There’d be nothing salvageable. There’d be nothing they could take with them save the clothes on their backs.
All of Bex’s dreams… Up in smoke. He’d never meant for any of this to happen to her. He couldn’t help but blame himself. If he hadn’t picked her up in Bryson City or taken her along the Dragon, none of this would’ve happened. Luke wouldn’t have happened upon them with his theories, however right they ended up being. They’d have never known what was going on with the Mayor.
They’d have never been in the kind of danger they were in now. She’d have never been in the kind of danger she was in now.
It was on the tip of his tongue to apologize, to beg her forgiveness, but for all this, for all they’d been through since they met, had they not…
She and Beck would have never met, either.
Try as he might, Gus couldn’t feel all that bad with that thought in his head.
Firefighters soaked the porch, trying to put out what flames they could. Bex’s grip on his hand tightened and instead of the anger from moments before, he felt her sadness and fear.
The shifters who’d been in the house paced at the edges of the yard and Gus scanned the face of each one. He didn’t see Michael and he didn’t see Blake among them.
Sitting on the back of an ambulance was Beck. Maxine hovered close. Bex let go of Gus’s hand and rushed forward. Ash marred his cheeks and his shirt was torn at the shoulder, but he was safe and he was alive with an oxygen mask over his mouth and nose.
Beck embraced her and exchanged a look with Gus that set him at ease. Bex would be safe with Beck for a few minutes while Gus went in search of those he hadn’t seen yet.
Leah and her cousin Mari were huddled together with Gus’s father. “Where’s Michael? And Blake?”
“Gone,” Leah said. For a heartbeat, Gus’s heart stopped. It must’ve shown on his face because she rushed to add more information. “No, not gone like that. I’d kill Blake if he died. They ran into the woods as soon as everyone got out of the house and they haven’t come back.”
“Son, are you all right?”
“Yeah. We…” Gus didn’t know what to do. Stay with Bex obviously. But he wanted to go after his brother and their friend. He wanted to go after those who’d ruined another part of Bex’s life. He wanted to tear the hunters limb from limb. He wanted to hurt someone, kill someone. He’d never had that urge before. He’d never wanted to harm anyone quite like that before, but he couldn’t shake the feeling, the rage boiling inside him.
