Despite my troubled mind, sleep eventually won out. I didn’t wake again until the delectable scent of bacon danced into my nostrils the next morning.
After a big stretch and a leisurely visit to the bathroom, I sauntered into the kitchen. Breakfast was laid out on the counter, and everyone stood around with their plates in their hands, making small talk as they ate.
“Morning,” I said to everyone except Brewer, then propelled myself onto the kitchen table. Even if they preferred to eat on the fly, I would be taking my time to enjoy that bacon.
But when I landed on the tabletop, my feet connected with something other than the hard wood I’d expected. I leaped straight into the air with a shout.
And everyone—including Brewer—laughed at me. It wasn’t my fault the cat instincts took over and made me look like one of those silly videos where humans shock their feline companions with an oddly placed cucumber.
Well, I wasn’t some silly joke, and I refused to be treated as one. This time when I jumped onto the table, I knew what to expect, which meant I was able to keep my composure.
“What are we looking at?” I asked, all cool and casual.
“I got the idea last night to mark all the places we know for sure this guy has visited,” Kaye said. “So I printed out a map of the city, and here we are.”
“Johnson and Brewer put out a magical emergency fire before they checked in here,” Amy added, pointing to one of the Xs that marked the spot. “So, we know three places the guy has hit so far. Four if you count the place you and I physically ran into him yesterday.”
Johnson bent over the table and circled each place for emphasis. “Hmm,” he grunted. “That makes a box.”
I looked down at the map. It did, sort of, make a square. A little lopsided, but close enough to the shape that it counted for something. “What’s in the middle, then?” I asked.
Everyone leaned in. “A park,” Kaye said. She stood up and took a bite of her breakfast burrito.
“No,” Amy breathed. She looked at me with sparkling eyes. She’d seen something. “It’s not a park park. It’s just a dog park!”
We all moved in really close to get a better look.
“She’s right,” I said with wide eyes. “He’s got a place to stay near the dog park, I’d bet good money on that.”
“I don’t know what the little furball just said, but…” Brewer shot me a glare. “But I bet this dude stays close to the dog park. So he can take that pup of his for a walk.”
“We need to capitalize on this,” Kaye said, shooting up to her full height. “Catch him totally unaware.”
“But he’s already seen Moss and me, and he’ll definitely be on the lookout for us again,” Amy said with a pout. “You’ll have to go without us.”
“No, not if you shift,” Brewer said. “You can shift into any animal, right?”
Amy nodded uneasily. “Yeah, but he’s seen Moss.”
“A cat is a cat.” Kaye shrugged as she made eye contact with me. “And while Moss is a very attractive cat…”
“He’s still just a cat,” Brewer finished.
Kaye nodded. “My guess is this guy had no idea you guys were after him but sensed your magic and locked you in to make sure he couldn’t be followed.”
Amy still appeared unsure, but the two male agents both bobbed their head in agreement.
“Okay, that’s all fine,” I said, moving away from the map and toward the plate of bacon. “Amy and I can scout out the park while the rest of you hit the sales. If we see him, we’ll make ourselves scarce and call you in to help.”
Kaye translated for the male agents, and then everyone scattered to finish getting ready.
I took my time polishing off the bacon, then wandered into Kaye’s bedroom when I was done. I found Amy there, sitting on the bed and fiddling with her phone.
“Where’s Kaye?” I asked, surprised to see Amy on her own. I guess it made sense, seeing as the guys had taken over her room. She probably preferred to hide out here than to deal with Brewer any more than she had to.
“Shower,” she answered, then set her phone down and patted the bed beside her. “Well, Mr. Mossy. Ready to go undercover?”
I crouched low, getting ready to jump up, but something unexpected under the bed caught my attention.
What was that thing?
An abandoned hair tie.
And it was just sitting there. Mocking me. I reached out a paw and batted the thing.
But somehow, I missed. Grrr. I inched forward and smacked it again. This time it flew forward, disappearing deep beneath the bed.
Ha, take that!
“What’s wrong with you?” Amy asked with a laugh.
“Nothing,” I said and jumped up to join her on top of the bed. “Just had to lay down the law.”
She chuckled and scratched behind my ears. “You’re such a tough guy.”
“Yeah, and don’t you forget it,” I said, before falling over onto my side with a big heaving sigh. “It keeps happening, and it’s getting worse each time.”
Amy studied me, her brows knitting together in confusion. “What keeps happening?”
“Cat stuff,” I whispered, the words tasted bitter on my sandpaper tongue.
“I already explained this to you long ago,” Kaye broke in, appearing suddenly in the open doorway. “Since you haven’t shifted back into your human form for a while, the cat is slowly taking over.”
“But it’s not my fault! I’d change back in a heartbeat if I could.”
“Don’t worry, Moss,” Amy said, twisting her fingers through my soft fur. “We won’t let you lose yourself. Will we, Kaye?”
She shook her head. “Of course not. We’ve got your back, cat.”
“Can we do anything to slow the process down?” Amy asked Kaye in a hushed voice. “It does seem like his catty behavior has accelerated ever since we got to this safe house. Do you think—?”
Kaye shook her head slowly. “It’s just a coincidence. And it’s going to be okay.”
I let out a doleful cry that sounded an awful lot like a full-blown meow, even to my own ears.
“It’s going to be all right,” Amy repeated.
Man, I wished I could believe her.