“And it’s not like we haven’t got space to put him up. There’s plenty of room. Which reminds me….” Roadkill inclined his head toward Dellan. “Where’s he gonna sleep? On this floor, we’ve got two loft bedrooms. Plus there are three beds on the floor below this one, along with a couple of couches.” His eyes twinkled. “We do not have a bed big enough to fit you two and a tiger. Just saying.”
Rael glanced at Horvan. “I think we make him comfortable out there in the living room area. We can take one of the loft bedrooms. That way we’re close if he needs us. There’s space enough for him.”
Horvan agreed.
“Then me, Crank, and Hashtag will sleep downstairs. Two of us can share when the doc gets here. Not like we haven’t done that before, right?”
Hashtag chuckled. “Dibs on not sharing a bed with Crank. He has wandering hands when he sleeps.” He winked. “Although between us, I’m not one hundred percent convinced it’s subconscious behavior.”
“I heard that!” Crank hollered from the kitchen. Rael and Hashtag laughed.
Roadkill got to his feet. “Then let’s get a list together, and I’ll go to the store for supplies. I’ll take Crank.” He peered at Hashtag. “You’ll wanna set up the perimeter cameras, right?”
Hashtag nodded. “I’ll get onto that now. And by the way, boys—we made the national news.” He grinned. “Of course, the animal rights groups are taking all the credit, but I think we’ll allow them that, right? And speaking of them….” He disappeared for a moment, then returned, carrying a folder he handed to Horvan. “In case we get any visitors who spot Dellan.”
“What’s in there?” Rael asked.
“Forged papers that say Dellan is a legally acquired animal,” Horvan told him, peering inside the folder. “I got Hashtag to procure them for us.”
“Forged?” Rael appeared appalled.
Hashtag snorted. “You don’t think those papers Anson’s secretary referred to are real, do you? We know they’re not, because we know Dellan was not found in some drug dealer’s basement. Well, if he can have forged papers, so can we.” He walked over and patted Rael’s shoulder kindly. “But we’re the good guys.”
Hashtag left the room, Roadkill behind him.
“Don’t forget to take plenty of cash!” Horvan called out after Hashtag.
“Oh, gee, why didn’t I think of that?” His voice was heavy with sarcasm.
“Why cash?” Rael asked. “Put it all on a card.”
“We never use credit cards on a mission. Too easily traced. And we want to stay under the radar. That goes for you too.” When Rael frowned, Horvan shook his head. “Think about it. You went to see Anson, and you paid a lot of attention to the tiger, didn’t you? Stands to reason Anson is gonna check you out, or at least check out your whereabouts. And he’s not gonna be able to find you. Which reminds me. I’ll give you a cell to use. You can’t use yours.”
Rael sighed. “And this is how you live all the time? How do you cope?” He put his arms around Dellan’s neck and rubbed his face in the thick fur there.
Horvan moved until he was kneeling beside them both. “It’s how I’ve lived up till now. But things change. Now I have two mates to think of. I guess that means taking a look at how I want my future to be.”
The loud growl that shattered the peaceful moment came from Dellan’s stomach.
Horvan got to his feet. “I think it’s time we all ate something, don’t you?” He scritched behind Dellan’s ears again. “And I know where there’s a big juicy steak or two with your name on them.”
Dellan was out of the small bathroom in a heartbeat.
“There’s nothing wrong with his hearing,” Rael commented.
What raised Horvan’s spirits was the fact that Dellan was clearly understanding speech better than before.
Maybe whatever they gave him is wearing off. Even through their link, Horvan caught the hopeful note in Rael’s voice.
God, I hope so.
HORVAN HAD to admit, Rael had done them proud. The cabin was perfect for their needs. The beds up in the loft rooms were a good size, and the ladders going up to them were a charming feature. A thick wooden beam ran across the ceiling from one side of the cabin to the other. The stove belted out a good deal of heat into the space that was both a living and dining room. Three couches filled up one end of the room, sitting on thick rugs. And the floor below was perfect for the boys, with lots of room.
“They’re back,” Hashtag told them, looking up from his laptop screen.
Horvan gazed at the image from the camera nearest to the property’s boundaries with the road and smiled. Hashtag’s defensive system included an alarm that would tell them if someone approached the cabin.
They weren’t taking any chances.
Dellan was investigating the cabin’s nooks and crannies, strolling around the floor and peering into every corner.
Hashtag chuckled. “Looks like Dellan is checking out his defenses too.”
Dellan paused at the foot of the ladder, staring up at the mezzanine where the bed was located. He crouched low, then sprang into the air, landing on the upper level with a thud. The floorboards beneath him creaked.
Hashtag gasped. “That was some jump.” Dellan stared down at them from his new lofty height.
Rael laughed. “When it comes to high jumps, tigers are the undisputed kings. They can easily jump over ten feet high. And you should see them spring vertically up a twenty-foot pole.”
“Seriously?”
Rael nodded. “In fact, no one knows how high a tiger can jump, because every time one sets a record, another tiger breaks it.”
The door opened, and Roadkill and Crank entered the cabin, both carrying heavy-looking boxes. Hashtag went to help them. Crank put his burden on the countertop and glanced at Horvan.
“I got something for Dellan from the store.” He walked out of the cabin.
Horvan snickered. “Unless it’s a crate full of meat, I can’t see much impressing Dellan.”
Crank came back into the room, carrying a large box.
“What’s in there?” Horvan inquired.
“Nothing. It’s empty.” Crank set it down on the floor and took a step back. “Cats love playing with empty boxes, right?”
Horvan snorted. “Maybe house kitties do shit like that, but—”
Dellan landed nimbly and ran over to the box. He jumped into it and sat there, staring at Crank.
Horvan turned to Rael. “Did you know he’d like…?” His words died at the sight of Rael’s frown. “What’s wrong?”
Rael glared at him. “I’m pissed, that’s what’s wrong. I was two seconds from shifting so I could play in it. Dellan beat me to it.”
For a moment, no one said a word. Then all five men were laughing while Dellan got on with the serious business of playing in his box.
Horvan had to hand it to Crank. He knew his kitties.
HORVAN WOKE to an insistent nudging. He cracked his eye open and came face-to-face with Dellan’s large round striped head, visible in the light that filtered up from the floor below.