He was a good bit away before he heard anything over the fire. It was the shrieks of someone being burned alive.

James's mind was an overgrown hedge maze. Everywhere he turned he ran into the same wall and it was the look on Orlando's face. He had to snap out of it and deal with the problem at hand.

When he got back to his house, Mrs Greene was outside tending the garden. She was wearing a long sleeved top and a wide sun hat. When she heard his shoes skittering over the grass and dirt, she lifted her head to smile at him.

Her face changed when she saw the blood coating his body and the limp and whimpering form of Ella in his arms.

She dropped the trowel and called for Bonnie. The younger girl came out of the house and she and her mother talked in hurried tones. James wasn't sure what they were saying but soon Bonnie was taking Ella out of his arms. He held onto her until Mrs. Greene rubbed his arm and assured him it was okay to let go.

With nothing left to hold he felt like his body was made of paper. He trembled in the slight breeze. He didn't want anyone to see him like this and did everything in his power to hold himself still and composed.

The sun washed over Mrs. Greene's face as she tipped her head back to look into his eyes.

"Come here." She motioned towards herself with outstretched arms.

James shook his head. He would not break.

"Don't be silly and come here." She ended up coming to him but once he felt her arms around him, he crumbled into the hug. She was smaller than he was so he couldn't quite loose himself in her, but the familiar smell of flour and soil was enough to feel safe. His body was still shaking as he relived the whole event in his head. He didn't care about the blood or the fire, he was even sure that he could make himself ignore the sound of Jess burning to death, but Orlando haunted his mind. He had left him behind, and god knows if he burnt or what they did to him. All he knew for sure was that he had left him to die.

He felt tears threaten but he wouldn't let them out. He wouldn't give the wolves that.

"Shh." Mrs. Greene cooed, patting the back of his head and his shoulders, like she had done when he was a child. "Its alright. You are both back now." She stepped back from him but kept one hand on his shoulder. "Come in and have a drink and tell me what happened."

James told her the whole story, leaving nothing out, with a glass of whiskey in his hand. He took small sips and felt the drink warm his throat and chest.

Mrs. Greene let small breaths out. "Right."

James looked up at her. "They killed Orlando and all you can think to say is right?"

She shook her head and put a gentle hand on his shoulder. "All I can think about is you."

James turned his head towards the fireplace. "I'm fine."

"You didn't seem fine. Maybe I should give Robert a call."

James narrowed his eyes. "I can handle it myself."

"You don't have to."

James knew she was right. One word of this and saint Robert would be back in town to clean it all up. But he didn't need his help. This was one thing that James knew how to handle. He was going to cut the wolves into pieces and feed them to each other.

Mrs. Greene sighed. "James please be careful. You could have been hurt."

"I know."

"You should get some rest and we can think about this tonight." She patted the side of his face and he resisted the urge to ask her to stay when she stood.

"Fine." He said. "But tonight I am thinking up a plan to get back at those wolves. No one hurts my family."

Mrs. Greene looked concerned at the icy tone of his voice. James set down his glass and went to his room. He lay awake and thought back to how his father had dealt with the wolves. He didn't agree with much that the man had done but he had to admit that he had had a talent for keeping the mongrels under his boot.