Hashtag nodded. “We’re on for Wednesday.”
“You got it all organized that fast?” Horvan was impressed.
“And we have the video of Dellan pacing up and down in his cage to thank for that.” Hashtag ran his hand over his closely cropped hair. “These animal rights people get seriously wound up about this shit. Not to mention there are a ton of them out there. As soon as I shared the video clip, it started getting a lot of attention. I even got to talk to activists on the phone.” He sagged against the seat cushions. “It’s happening, guys.”
Horvan leaned over and gripped Hashtag’s shoulder. “You made it happen, dude.”
Hashtag gave a modest shrug. “It’s what I do, right?”
“Can you be ready with the tech by then?” Roadkill asked, sitting on the floor by the coffee table and helping himself to a huge handful of popcorn from the bowl Rael had placed there.
Hashtag lurched forward and grabbed the bowl, hugging it to his chest. “Mine. I’ve earned it. And yeah, I’m ready to rock ’n’ roll. I’ve recorded their video feed, making sure it shows only Dellan. Then I’ll make it into a loop. I hack into their surveillance system, and bingo, they see what we want them to see.”
“And you’re sure you can do that remotely?” Horvan inquired.
Hashtag smirked. “I’ll ignore that note of doubt. After all, you have your skills, I have mine.”
Horvan grinned. “Yes, I remember being on the receiving end of those skills. That thing you did with your tongue? Awesome.” Then he noticed Rael’s incredulous expression. “Oops.”
Rael put his hands on his hips. “Was every guy you served with gay?”
“Hey!” Crank yelled indignantly. “Straight guy here. I date girls, remember? Leave me outta this.”
“The lady doth protest too much, methinks,” Roadkill said with a wink. That earned him a growl from Crank.
Horvan chuckled. “Who said they were all gay? Some had to find out if my rep was true. And they were never dissatisfied,” he added with a hint of pride.
Rael folded his arms, his jaw set, his blue eyes flinty.
“Aw, honey, that was in the past. I’m a changed man, remember?” Horvan pleaded. “You know there’s only gonna be you and Dellan from now on, right?”
Crank cackled. “Now I’ve seen it all. Horvan metaphorically on his knees to another guy. That’s what I call being truly pussy whipped.” He did a series of bows to Rael. “King of beasts. The master.” He snuck a peek at Horvan. “Someone’s in the bearhouse,” he sang.
Horvan had the sinking feeling he was really in trouble, until Rael’s lips twitched and his eyes sparkled with humor. Horvan gave a low growl. “You little shit.”
“When you’ve quite finished,” Hashtag interjected, staring pointedly at Horvan and Crank. “Can we get back to this mission? Because there are things we need to discuss.”
Horvan slipped back into work mode. “Go for it.” He sat on the arm of the couch and gestured for Rael to join him.
“I’ve got a plan for once we’re safely on the ground,” Hashtag told them. “Eight or so of my contacts will post on social media, at a given signal from me, that they have the tiger, and he’s being taken to an animal sanctuary. Now, these are going to be from legitimate animal rights groups, and all posted from around the Chicago area.”
“Eight different groups are gonna claim responsibility for taking Dellan?” Crank beamed. “Genius.”
Hashtag gave a half bow. “I thank you. Now for details of the day. Early start, boys. This all kicks off at 7:00 a.m.”
“Why at that time?” Roadkill asked. “Why not at night? Surely there’ll be fewer people around at night. We’re talking a skeleton crew compared with possibly hundreds of people going to work.”
“Actually? I’m counting on the crowd. The ensuing chaos could work to our advantage. Besides, why have the protesters turn up at night? There’ll be no one around to see them protest, and that is sort of the point, right?” Hashtag helped himself to a mouthful of popcorn before continuing. “I’ll be in the chopper on my laptop, monitoring the action in the lobby. We’ll have Jase and Finn on the ground, keeping things moving with the protesters. Horvan, Roadkill, and Rael will go in with them, then make their way up to the top floor. You’ll give Crank the go-ahead to land on the roof. Once he’s down, we’ll have to move fast.”
“Question.” Roadkill cocked his head to one side. “This all works on the assumption that Rael will be able to communicate with Dellan. What if he can’t?” He gave Rael an apologetic glance. “Sorry, but we have to be prepared for all eventualities. And you said it yourself—you couldn’t get through to him.”
“It’s okay,” Rael said resignedly. “I’ve been thinking the same thing myself.”
“Why is no one asking if I can get through to Dellan?” Horvan’s chest tightened. “He’s my mate too, remember?”
There was an uncomfortable silence.
Roadkill cleared his throat. “In all probability, you will. After all, you and Rael have that link, right? So there’s every reason to expect you and Dellan will have it too. But… Dellan has never met you. He’s met Rael. Twice. They’ve communicated. So we’ve got a much better chance of letting Rael try first.” Roadkill peered intently at Horvan. “Okay?”
Roadkill was right, of course. Horvan nodded. He glanced at Hashtag. “You got a plan?”
He nodded. “Though you might not like part of it. Worst-case scenario—we have a wild cat on our hands, and we’re breaking into his cage. We’ll have to sedate him.”
“And how do you propose to do that?” Rael was so still.
Hashtag sighed. “By shooting him with a tranquilizer dart. Then when he’s out, we get him into a sling that we can carry out of there with poles balanced on our shoulders.”
“A sling… up a flight of stairs and onto the roof?” Crank pressed his lips together, his face tightening.
“Like I said, worst-case scenario. And if it comes to that, we just do the best we can. They won’t see us on the top floor. And I’ll disable what alarms I can. I’ll also be able to see what you see via your cameras.”
“How fast are we talking? From landing to taking off?” Rael demanded.
Hashtag’s brow creased. “This is where it gets tricky. If we have to use a tranquilizer dart, that could alter things. For one, we don’t know how long it will take to put Dellan out. That’s why we’d have to wait until he’s out before signaling to Crank.”
“And the longer that takes, the more likely the police will interrupt us,” Horvan added.
Hashtag nodded. “That’s why we need the crowds. The more the merrier. And speaking of the dart… we’re gonna need some help on that one. I sent a message to Doc Tranter. He’s calling me tomorrow night.”
“Why? He’s a doctor, not a vet,” Crank remarked.
“Sure, but he’s also a shifter, remember?”
Crank shook his head. “Yeah, I keep forgetting that part. The doc… whoa.”