Chapter 159

My gaze shifted to Nikolas. He appeared barely able to stay awake, but he struggled to do so for us. I wondered if he truly did not know who his description of the arsonists sounded like or if he was just trying to avoid blaming his own sons.

Either way, I knew that this subject was not one to continue in front of him. For now.

“Nikolas, you look exhausted,” I said as I walked over to Andrew and grabbed his hand. “Maybe we should leave and let you get some rest.”

“No, no,” Nikolas said, shaking his head weakly. “I’m fine, really…”

“I think that they’re right, sweetheart,” Eliza said, patting Nikolas on the shoulder. “You can hardly keep your eyes open, and the doctor did say that you should get your rest. I’m sure that they’ll come back soon.”

“Tomorrow, we promise,” Andrew said as he stood up. “We still have the details of that loan to discuss.”

Nikolas smiled and nodded.

“Very well. Tomorrow it is, then.”

Eliza walked us to the door of Nikolas’s hospital room.

“I insist that you two stay at my house while you’re here,” she said.

“We really couldn’t impose on you like that,” I replied.

“You wouldn’t be imposing, really. I could use the help with Donner while I’m up here with Nikolas.”

Eliza’s eyes lit up with the first genuine smile I had seen on her face since we came to the hospital, and I couldn’t help returning it.

“Of course. We’d love to help.”

Eliza hugged first me and then Andrew.

“Thank you both so much. I know that this is a lot to ask of you—”

“Think nothing of it,” Andrew said. “You and Nikolas are like family to us. We’d do anything for you two.”

After parting from Eliza, Andrew and I were silent until we reached the gold Aston Martin, both lost in our own thoughts. Once inside the car, I turned in my seat to face Andrew.

“You heard Nikolas’s description, right?” I asked.

Andrew faced straight out the windshield, his hands lying flat in his lap and his eyes distant.

“Yes,” he replied.

“Then you are thinking what I’m thinking, right?”

He closed his eyes and nodded.

“Pete and Chuck,” he said.

“We need to go confront them.”

Andrew’s eyes shot open.

“We don’t have any evidence.”

“We have eyewitness testimony.”

“Nothing that could definitively pin them for the crime.” He twisted toward me and rested his arm on the back of his seat. “From that description alone, it could have been any pair of sweaty drunks in ‘Vote for Bob’ shirts and ski masks.”

“Then let’s go the site of the fire and find some evidence.”

He shook his head.

“No, Crystal. This needs to be handled by the local police. We shouldn’t taint the scene of the crime by getting our noses into it.”

“But you’re the Alpha King,” I argued. “It’s your job to protect your constituents, whether that’s from vampires or from arsonists.”

“Yes, but that doesn’t mean personally having my fingers in every pot possible. Sometimes, it’s better to let other professionals do their jobs.”

I gripped Andrew’s arm and leaned towards him, my eyes imploring him.

“Please, Andrew. You said that they’re our family. Wouldn’t you want to take this into your hands if it were me…or Lisa?”

Andrew cringed. With a sigh, he leaned back in his seat, buckled his seatbelt, and firmly grasped the steering wheel.

“Buckle up,” he said. “We’re going to trespass on a crime scene.”

Driving up to the remains of the factory, I could not believe the utter destruction that had been wrought. What had once been a proud Victorian building was now a towering pile of blackened brick and wood. Long gone was the white-and-gray paint scheme of the house and the vibrant red roses that once surrounded it, replaced by soot, decay, and rot.

The sight tugged at my heartstrings, but I was just glad that Nikolas was not a part of the death that we were seeing.

Ignoring the bright yellow caution tape running along it, Andrew and I climbed over the short gate and made our way up to the decrepit house. A hole in the where part of the structure had collapsed allowed us to walk inside without any obstacles.

“So, what exactly are we looking for, Scooby Doo?” Andrew asked as he used his foot to start shifting around soot and other debris.

“First of all, I prefer to think that I’m more of a Daphne or Velma,” I said, lifting up a piece of ceiling to see what might be underneath. “Second, you tell me. You said that we needed solid evidence before we confronted Pete and Chuck.”

“I suppose that anything that could tie them directly to the fire, anything that belongs to them, for example.”

I found a scrap of a scorched dress. Taking a deep whiff of it, I cringed at the heavy scent of sweat and beer.

“Well, their scent is certainly here,” I said.

Andrew sniffed the air. His nose crinkled.

“Yes, I second that,” he said. “Unfortunately, even werewolf laws don’t account for scent evidence yet. Keep looking but be careful.”

Cursing myself for always wearing heels, I made my way across the former factory floor, trying to not trip over any rubble. As I nudged it away with the tip of my shoe, I found burnt photographs and dress designs, remnants of silk and other fabrics, and more devastating reminders of the life that Nikolas had built with this factory. It was all I could do to hold myself together.

After half an hour of meticulous searching, I reached the backdoor. I was about to admit defeat when something crinkled beneath my shoe. Bending down, I picked up what appeared to be the remains of a driver’s license.

Much of the license had been melted by the flames, but two parts had fortunately survived: the name and picture. I smiled to myself as I identified the owner of the license.

Pete Vanderbilt.

“Andrew,” I called out, “I think I’ve found something.”

Andrew and I knocked on the door to Nikolas’s former residence. Pete opened the door, a snarl on his face.

“What do you two want?” he asked.

“Can we talk for a minute?” Andrew asked. “Inside?”

Pete looked between us and shook his head.

“No. We can talk right here.”

Andrew seemed about to argue, then he thought better of it.

“Fine. We know that you and your brother set fire to your father’s dressmaking factory.”

Pete stiffened. Chuck appeared behind him, his arms crossed over his chest.

“We have no idea what you’re talking about,” Pete said, even as sweat dripped down his forehead.

I reached into my purse and pulled out the burnt driver’s license.

“Then why was this at the scene of the crime?”

Pete’s eyes widened, and Chuck’s arms clenched.

“I must have left it there when I was visiting Father the other day,” Pete said, his voice a pitch higher than normal.

Andrew’s eyes narrowed.

“Doesn’t he have a restraining order against you now?”

“I…well, that never…”

Andrew slammed his hand against the doorframe. His nails and teeth sharpened, fur sprouted across Andrew’s body, and his ears grew into a point. His voice dropped an octave as he spoke.

“We know that you did it,” he growled. “It would be easier for you if you confessed.”

I followed Andrew’s example and let Susan take partial control. As I transformed into my wolf-person form, I bared my fangs at Pete and Chuck. A low rumbling sound erupted from my chest.

Pete and Chuck, horrified, tried to back away. Andrew slammed his hand down once more, dragging his claws across the wood and leaving marks in his wake.

Pete and Chuck froze mid-step, their breathing erratic.

“All right, all right, we did it!”

Andrew growled at them one more time before transforming back into his human form. I followed suit.

“Crystal, call the police. I’ll watch these two.”