Rio's Fire (6 page)

The only people who would never see that side of him were his students. Even though Fire was his mate, Rio did not have infinite patience.

“So, are you going to tell me where we’re going?” Fire asked in his seat next to Rio. Deciding not to spoil their night, Rio gave Fire a mischievous grin.

“Nothing fancy. I just wanted to take you out and get to know you. Trying to get to know you at work is kind of hard with little ears that can hear a pin drop.”

“Those kids don’t pay attention to me,” Fire said offhandedly.

Rio furrowed his brows, wondering if Fire was really that naïve.

“You’ve got to be kidding me. Kids are the nosiest little beings and have better hearing than shifters. Just because you think they are not paying attention, you better believe they’re listening to every word you say. That’s why I’m very careful what I say and do around them.”

Fire snorted. “I don’t believe that. I talk to them until I’m blue in the face and it falls on deaf ears. They have the attention span of a gnat.”

“You have got so much to learn.” Rio was flabbergasted with Fire’s reasoning. “Have you ever been around
any
children?”

“Why, does it show?” Fire asked sarcastically. “There’s a few babies running around the Den, but whenever I see them I run in the opposite direction.”

Slowing the truck until he was at a complete stop, Rio turned toward Fire. “How on earth did you become an art teacher?” It made no sense to Rio. Why would somebody become a teacher if they ran from kids? It was perplexing as hell to him.

Fire threw up his hands animatedly, letting out a long-suffering sigh. “Ask Maverick. He had this grand plan that teaching would help me find my way. The only thing that teaching has done is make me turn grey and jerk uncontrollably from shot nerves.”

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That definitely explained a lot. Rio now knew why Fire had absolutely no control over his classroom or how clueless he was in planning activities. He wasn’t sure if Maverick’s reasoning was sound, and Rio wasn’t going to question the alpha. What he was going to have to do was help Fire become a better teacher. Unsure of why Fire needed direction, Rio was going to have to work with what he had.

Mr. Fishman presented a problem as well. Rio knew for a fact that the human had no idea that shifters existed in Brac Village. And if Maverick hadn’t told the man by now, Rio was not going to clue him in. It was now up to Rio to whip Fire into shape. If Maverick was demanding Rio’s mate be an art teacher, then damn it, Fire was going to be the best art teacher Rio could make him.

“Hadn’t really thought about where we were going. I just wanted to get you out of the house. Do you have a favorite place to eat?” Rio began to drive again, thankful that the back roads weren’t busy with traffic. Living in a small town, they were hardly ever busy, and Rio liked it like that. Brac Village was a small and peaceful town, and had enough forest for his panther to run.

“I’m really not hungry,” Fire admitted. “Can we just drive around? It’s been a while since I had this much freedom.”

“Care to tell me why you’ve been locked in the tower?”

His mate shook his head firmly. Rio wanted to know but he wasn’t going to pry. It seemed he wasn’t the only one who had layers of depth to him. And Rio was looking forward to peeling back every single layer of Fire’s.

“Okay, am I allowed to ask if you have any siblings?”

The sides of Fire’s mouth twitched. “I have one brother,” Fire replied.

Rio let his mouth drop open in a feigned gasp. “Wow, you actually answered one of my questions. I think I’m going to have a heart attack.”

46 Lynn

Hagen

Fire gave a small chuckle. “This coming from a man who had refused to let me know his first name.”

“Touché. You got me there.” Rio was actually having a good time with his mate. God, how long had it been since he had a decent conversation with somebody over the age of six? Although Rio was talking, he was grappling with things to say. He was a bit rusty with his social skills. “Parents?”

Fire scowled, glancing out the side window. All right then, Fire’s parents were off the menu as well. Rio was starting to wonder what he
could
talk about.

“I’ll tell you what, why don’t you let me know what subjects are safe to talk about? Sound good?”

“There are just some things that I refuse to talk about because those people still piss me off.”

Although Rio wanted to smile, he didn’t think it was a very good idea. Seeing Fire…well…Fire-d up was kind of cute. Rio had a feeling telling his mate that his anger was adorable would not be wise.

“Okay, then maybe I’ll tell you a little about me. I have no siblings, but I do have my parents, and I had a good childhood. I’ve known for a long time that I wanted to be a teacher and mold small minds. My life has been pretty boring. And sadly enough, that’s my life in a nutshell.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Fire turned to look at Rio. “You haven’t lived at all. Where is the fun in all of that? Please tell me you don’t think knitting is a blast.”

“No,” Rio said a little defensively. “I said my life was boring. I didn’t say I was an old biddy. Give me some credit.”

Crossing his slim arms over his chest, Fire gave Rio a look that said he really didn’t believe him. “Then tell me, Mr. Adventure, what do you do for fun?”

Rio opened his mouth to answer then snapped it shut. He kept his voice steady as he worked his way through the question Fire had
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47

posed to him. What did he do for fun? Rio became irritated when he saw that his mate was wearing a wry half smile. “I go for runs.”

“Please tell me there’s more to it than that.”

Rio turned the corner, passing a florist shop. “Fine, I admit, I lead a very boring life. Big deal. At least it keeps me out of trouble.”

“If that excuse helps you sleep at night, more power to you.”

“Why are you being such a prick?” Rio asked, wondering which layer of this sardonic mood fit his mate. “I’m only trying to have a conversation with you. You don’t want to talk, just fucking say so.”

He was starting to worry that maybe their personalities just did not fit each other. Rio had grown too morose and had lived a solitary life too long. Maybe he really didn’t know how to interact with other people.

“Look”—Rio blew out a long breath—“I didn’t mean to snap. Can we just have a good time tonight?”

“Sure.” Fire gave him a bright and cheery smile. Rio didn’t trust it. “On second thought, I would really like something to eat.”

Rio had a funny feeling about his mate’s sudden mood change. He didn’t know Fire well enough to judge the mood swing, so Rio pulled in to an empty parking spot in front of the diner. “Is this good for you?”

“Yep. Let’s go have a bite to eat.”

Rio eyed his mate questionably as he cut the motor. Why did he have a sneaky suspicion that Fire was up to something? Letting out a heavy sigh and knowing he was fucking this night up, Rio gave Fire a nod as he climbed out. As the two walked to the door, Fire patted his back pocket. “I must’ve left my wallet on the seat of your truck. Go on in. I’ll be right behind you.”

Feeling guilty for snapping at his mate, Rio gave a nod as he grabbed the door and opened it, walking into the diner. The place didn’t seem that crowded. Good. Rio wasn’t up for his cat acting irritable all night. He turned to look for Fire and let out a litany of curses under his breath.

Fire was nowhere in sight.

48 Lynn

Hagen

Maverick was going to kill him.

* * * *

“You what?” Maverick growled into the phone. “How the hell do you lose your mate?”

“My eyes were off of him for a total of ten seconds. No one told me he was that damn fast.”

If Maverick didn’t think Rio was one hell of a kindergarten teacher, he would boot his ass right out of town. He knew he shouldn’t have let Fire go. His gut instinct told him to keep that man under watchful eye. Fire hadn’t attended any gamblers meetings. He had only talked with Drew a few times. Fire wasn’t ready to be out on his own. The man was far from ready to face his problem.

Maverick hadn’t wanted to interfere between mates. That was what the hell he got for listening to his heart instead of his head.

When he got his hands wrapped around Fire’s throat, he was going to choke the shit out of the fey.

“I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to call my sentries in on this one. Fire has left me no choice.”
Give the man an inch and he
commits suicide.
It was going to be a cold day in hell when Maverick allowed Fire anywhere. But the fey was not going to get out of this that easily. He was still going to be an art teacher. Fire was going to learn to be a responsible adult if Maverick had to choke the lesson into the man.

“Understood. But just so you know, I’m going to be looking for him myself.”

“Yeah, good luck with that one. Let’s see who finds him first.”

Okay, so Maverick was pissed off beyond belief. He had every right to be. In all actuality, Fire did not have it bad here. If he wasn’t such a fuckup, the man could come and go as he pleased. But the only thing he had done was prove Maverick right.

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49

He slammed the phone down, hearing the hard plastic protest. It was unrealistic to him how he had to keep such a close eye on a grown man.

Heading out of his office, Maverick walked with long, angry strides, hunting down Hawk.

* * * *

Fire had met a few people on his outings. From his past friendship with the sordid type, Fire had learned quickly who would be the right person to turn to in order to make a bet in this town. But he had to move fast. By now Rio would’ve called Maverick. And knowing the alpha, the dogs would soon be barking at his heels.

With a quick glance all around him, Fire hurried into The Café.

He immediately spotted who he was looking for. The guy was grimy, but he wasn’t here for looks and personality. Keeping his head low, he scuttled over to the man.

“Fire! Haven’t seen you around for a while. Where is your bodyguard?” The guy peered past Fire, his eyes darting around.

“I was paroled. What do you have for me?”

The man splayed his hands wide, a crooked smile adorning his face. Fire cringed at the horrific oral hygiene displayed in the man’s mouth. “Why, I have no idea what you are talking about.”

Fire was running out of time. He didn’t have time for this man’s bullshit. “Don’t pussyfoot around with me. Tell me what you have to bet on.” To entice the man, Fire pulled out five hundred dollars. That was all he had left to his name. He could see the greed in the man’s dark, gritty eyes. His tongue flicked out and then ran across his bottom lip.

Fire had him.

“How about some horses?”

50 Lynn

Hagen

Fire didn’t know shit about horses. All he knew was that they had four legs, a tail, and flies loved to buzz around them. “You got anything on boxing?”

The man gave a halfhearted laugh. “You go straight for the punch, don’t you?”

Fire mentally rolled his eyes at the bad pun. “Will you stop fucking around and tell me what you have?”

Using a hand with grubby nails, the man pulled out a sheet of paper from the inside of his jacket. “Give me a sec.”

As Fire waited, his eyes flickered around the shop. Customers were at the counter ordering coffee, the smell of fresh grounds filled the air, but Fire wasn’t interested in any of that. The only thing he wanted to do was place his bet and get back over to the diner.

Although by now, he was sure to be the most wanted man in Brac Village.

As he watched the guy, Fire began to reconsider what he was doing. He had sworn off betting, but here he stood, jonesing like a junkie. A large part of him was screaming for him to get back over to the diner, but his addiction was kicking in, keeping his feet planted firmly.

Fire didn’t want to do this, but was powerless to stop himself from wanting to place a bet. Inside, he felt like he was letting everyone down. Maybe Maverick was right after all and Fire was nothing but one big fuckup.

As soon as the guy started talking, Fire’s heart began to race. The adrenaline from placing a bet was coursing through him and he knew there was no backing out now.

“Got a fight this Saturday night. Sorto versus Lapina. Where you puttin’ your money?”

Fire was familiar with both fighters. Although Sorto was good, he knew Lapina was still twenty to zero. Lapina was still the reigning champion.

“Give me five hundred on Lapina.”

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51

“On which round?”

“Third.” Fire gave the man his money, and in return Mr.

GrimyScum handed Fire a voucher ticket.

“You’re all set. Win or lose, I’ll see you Sunday morning.” The man tucked the paper and Fire’s money inside his jacket pocket.

Fire tucked the ticket into his pants pocket and left The Café. Now that he wasn’t around the small-time bookie any longer, Fire felt like shit. He had fallen off the proverbial wagon and landed in self-misery.

Fire scrubbed his face, wanting to go back inside and call off his bet.

But it was too late now. The guy wasn’t going to give Fire his money back.

The alpha was right. Fire wasn’t ready to be out on his own. And he had betrayed Rio’s trust. That alone made Fire feel like the lowest scum on the planet.

Maybe he really did need serious help. As he stood outside The Café feeling like the biggest loser, Fire remembered he was probably being sought out by Maverick’s men.

Oh shit
. Fire watched as Hawk stalked toward him, a fierce and promising look on his face. “Where in the fuck have you been?”

Swallowing the tight knot in his throat, Fire’s eyes widened as he glanced around, the guilt hitting him hard. “What do you mean? Rio and I were walking into the coffee shop and the next thing I knew, I lost him.”

“You are so full of shit. Get in my truck. And I promise you, if you give me any problems I will tie your ass to the hood so you can be my bug deflector.”