it was actually dark, with a whole factory on fire. Phoenix cursed under his breath and exited the car. Immediately, the heat from the fire as well as the ash and embers in the air made breathing difficult. He didn’t wait for Juri as he ducked under the tape and marched toward one of the cops on duty.
“Chief Archer.”
Royce Archer, a huge bear shifter in his fifties, turned. He looked irritated until he recognized Phoenix. Grimacing, he lifted his hand in greeting. “Jones. I’m glad you’re here. Vickers and her gang are waiting for you. She suspects arson.” Archer lifted one eyebrow and scratched his forehead. “Like you warned us. Any idea when the investigator will be here? I want confirmation before I send my boys and girls crawling through the woods looking for a culprit.”
Phoenix felt a presence behind him and knew Juri had joined them. He sighed, looking past Archer to the burning pile of wood, metal, and poisonous gases. “She’s on her way over from Paw’s Cove. As soon as Holly or I have confirmation, you’ll be the first to know.” Phoenix sniffed the air. “I hate fire. Our bear noses are useless against such an onslaught of smoke.” He coughed and slapped Archer’s shoulder. “Who declared this a safe distance? Holly?” Phoenix curled his nose in distaste. “That smell is super nasty. I don’t want anyone who doesn’t have to be here put in risk of breathing in anything toxic.”
Archer shrugged his wide shoulders. “One of Vicker’s men said it was fine. It’s only me and Dale here, anyway, and a couple of paramedics in case the firefighters get hurt. We shooed away the onlookers. Right now, we’re assuming the factory was empty when the fire started.” He wiped his gloved hand under his nose and cleared his throat. “But don’t you worry, Gene and Harriett are supposed to trade with us later. All right with you?”
Phoenix nodded and shot Archer a grateful smile. The police chief was one of the clan members who never questioned his ability to lead, and who backed him any way he could. Most of his deputies were the same. Phoenix didn’t know what he’d do without the sheriff department’s support.
Archer shook Juri’s hand. “Good to see you. Your man mentioned earlier you were on another business trip?”
Before Juri could reply, Phoenix excused himself and went in search of Holly. As fucked up as the situation between him and Juri was, Phoenix was officially still alpha and he had to check in with the fire chief to make sure everyone was okay. He had no desire to air his and Juri’s personal problems in public, either.
Phoenix found Holly Vickers by one of the fire trucks, snapping orders at two of her crew. “Chief Vickers.” He smiled when Holly turned and regarded him with a scowl.
“About damn time. Not that you’ll be of any help, but I got another call from Chief Wilkins. The investigator will be here in ten minutes tops. And the damn press is here, too. Need you to deal with them and play the charming politician.”
Phoenix scoffed. “Calling the Hazel Wood’s Observer press is as much over the top as calling me charming, don’t you think? Where are they? Archer told me the site was closed off to civilians.” He placed his hands on his hips and took in the still roaring fire. “What a damn mess. How long do you reckon it’ll burn?”
Holly growled as she twisted the cap off a bottle of water. She took a sip. “Isabel Archer managed to sneak past her uncle. Of course. She’s taking pictures of the fire and wants to interview you.” She rubbed a hand over her face. “The factory will probably burn for a couple more hours. Right now, all we can do is try to keep the fire from spreading. We have no idea what crap Lawson stored in his factory aside from the obvious. He wasn’t all there at the end. There’s no way I’m willing to send my team closer to this hell than is absolutely necessary.”
“I understand.” Phoenix turned and saw Juri still talking with Archer. Juri’s face was a mask of stone, a clear sign that whatever they were talking about pissed him off. His stance—arms crossed over his chest and feet braced apart—spoke of his discomfort. “Why me?”
“Pardon?”
Phoenix focused back on Holly. “The Archer spawn. Why does she want to talk with me? Wouldn’t it make more sense to interview one of