Fire: Book 4 of the Mythical Beings Soulmate Series (Taehyung X Reader)

Chapter 10: "... to help make her mine."

Y/N POV:

The ringing of the phone early the next morning pulled me out of my sleep and I couldn't help but feel a sense of uneasiness crawl over me. Getting a phone call early in the morning is never a good thing and since the song coming from my phone was "Setting Fires" by The Chainsmokers, which was Tim's ringtone, I knew this call couldn't be good. Letting out a groan, along with a frustrated sigh, I picked up the phone, clicking the green accept button. "I hope you're calling me with good news because this is way too early in the morning for bad news."

"Sorry Y/N, but it's not good news." Tim's voice was apologetic and I let out another sound of aggravation. "It's the café on Main. We've been here since about 2 AM and there's definitive signs of arson." I noticed how tired his voice sounded and I felt a sense of guilt for the way I answered the call.

"Shit. Let me call Angelo and we'll head right on over." I had already climbed out of bed and was heading to the bathroom to start the shower. Disconnecting the call, I stripped down and turned the water on. While it heated up, I placed a quick call to Angelo, letting him know to meet me.

After hanging up, I stepped into the shower, washing up at my record speed. I quickly toweled off then went back into my bedroom. I pulled on a pair of black pants, along with a white polo embroidered with the office logo. Pulling my hair up into a ponytail, I grabbed my hat and jacket, stuffed my phone in my pocket and grabbed my bag. After checking to make sure my tablet was in there, I headed out of the apartment, hoping it wasn't what I thought it might be.

When I pulled up in front of the café, I could see Tim waiting for me outside, along with Angelo. There were still two fire trucks out front and I knew they were checking for hot spots and flare-ups. Unfortunately in a café, it was all too common for both of those to occur. "How did you make it here so fast, Rookie? You practicing for the F1 races?"

Angelo laughed and shook his head. "Not with my SUV. I would need a fancier, faster car for that."

"Touché." I ruffled his hair then turned to Tim. "How's it looking here?"

Tim sighed and ran a hand through his sweaty hair. "Not good. Original call came in about 1:47 AM and first trucks arrived at 1:52 AM. I got here about 3 minutes later." I nodded, impressed at the response time. "The fire had already spread through the kitchen and was heading into the dining room."

"Suspects?" In a small business like this, the first suspects were always the owners. People trying to make a quick buck off the insurance money.

"Not the owners." Tim pointed towards an older couple, one that looked to be in their late seventies. Both of them were clearly distraught, a look that was hard to fake. "They opened the café when they were in their twenties and have been running it together ever since. I know you will want to do your own investigation, but I don't think it's them." Nodding my head, I agreed with Tim's initial gauge. Just from watching them, I would have to say the same. They don't look like the type to ruin the business they had been running together.

"I'll talk to them, but I trust your judgment." I didn't miss the way Tim's chest puffed up at my words, but I let it slide. Turning to Angelo, I gave him a tired smile. "You ready Rookie?" Angelo nodded and Tim led us into the café. A quick scan of the dining room was enough to tell me that the owners weren't responsible. Hanging sadly in charred frames were signed photos of countless celebrities, from Marilyn Monroe to Michael Jackson and even one of the Prime Minister of Great Britain. Some of those signatures were worth more than the insurance money so I crossed the owners off of my list of suspects.

I followed Tim into the kitchen and could immediately see why he said it was arson. The fire had destroyed quite a bit, but there were signs of arson, ones that would be too hard to miss. We went through the kitchen, taking notes, sliding furniture out of the way, looking for the source. Angelo was the one to find it and my stomach dropped when I realized it was the same as the boat. The feeling of uneasiness intensified when Angelo located the message scrawled on the inside of a freezer door: 2 of many.