Up in Flames by Alice Brown

bugs have been found in this station, one of which was in my own office. Then, the day after he recovered from his injuries, Meredith received a call on her personal cell phone stating he should have killed Lucas, and he knew where she was hiding.” Walter stopped and gave a quick glance at each one of his men. “Boys, we have a problem. We have a mole within our unit.”
    Lucas heard every word Walter was saying, but his attention was focused on his coworkers. If one of them was responsible for this afternoon’s attack, he was determined to find him and eliminate him. It was like cutting out a bad spot on an apple. Vampires couldn’t afford to have a loose cannon running amok. But as he watched each individual’s face, all he saw was the same quiet anger he felt every time he thought about the situation. Some registered surprise also, which he wanted to chuckle over. Yeah, boys, bossman has been hiding someone right under our noses for almost a year now. And they call us the best of the best!
    By the end of the meeting, Lucas wasn’t so sure about there being a mole in the group anymore. If there was, the person was doing a damn fine job of hiding it. There wasn’t one Ranger that didn’t immediately jump on board with Walter’s plans, and many even came over to speak with Meredith afterwards. No, Lucas was convinced whoever was leaking information to Eddie was not in the room tonight.
    “Walter, we have a problem that needs to be addressed,” Lucas spoke up as everyone was getting ready to leave.
    His boss looked over to him and nodded. “I know, we need a safe place for Meredith, because the second floor is no longer safe.” Windows had been blown out this afternoon, and several of the exam rooms had sustained heavy damage. Meredith’s little studio hadn’t really been affected due to its location at the far end of a hall, but Walter no longer felt safe stashing her there.
    He thought about it for a second and then stated, “Okay, here it is, guys. We have several safe houses that are unoccupied at the moment. And I know since Lucas is her mate, he will be with her unless he is working. But, as proven the other day, if Eddie sends too many of his goons at once, Lucas may not be able to fight them all off. So, we are going to need security. Also, if there is a mole among us, he will be found quickly, since her location is to stay strictly with us.” He stopped there and made eye contact with every Ranger in the room. “Do I have any volunteers?”
    Lucas was happy to see every last Ranger in the room immediately volunteer. He had worked with most of these guys for years, and the thought of a possible traitor in their midst ate at his gut.
    *****
    Across town later that night…
     
    “What do you mean she didn’t get injured? Did you have the flowers delivered to her like I instructed?”
    “Yes, sir. They came in and I had to pretend I didn’t know she was up there. I took the flowers upstairs myself, but the doctor they have up there told me to leave them on the nursing station counter and he would get them to her. It’s not my fault the explosion went off too early,” the pathetic human whimpered.
    Eddie sat back in his executive chair and prayed for patience. Humans. Stupid cows, nothing more. The only good they provided was a never-ending source of food for him and his kind.
    “Let me get this straight. First, you don’t deliver the flowers directly to her like I specifically instructed you. Then, you have the nerve to show up here and tell me they have moved her somewhere else and you have no idea where?”
    The pathetic excuse for a man was shaking in terror, and rightfully so. “I…I guess so,” he mumbled.
    “Daryl,” Eddie called out.
    A moment later one of Eddie’s goons poked his head in the boss’s office. “You call, bossman?”
    “Yes, please remove the trash out of my office, and make sure he fully understands what happens to those who don’t follow my orders to a T. Oh,