Once we were ready to go out, we split into three teams again—me and Amy, Johnson and Brewer, and Kaye by her lonesome.
The guys planned to hit some new estate sales while Amy and I staked out the dog park. Kaye would be a free agent, ready to come back up whoever needed her as she drove around the city searching idly for clues.
Frankly, I wondered why Johnson had chosen to buddy up with Brewer instead of Kaye, especially if he was sweet on her. These agent guys were dolts, the both of them.
At least the drive to the park was pleasant. I was with my ladies yet again—just the way I liked it and just the way we worked best.
We’d only started screwing up once the other agents had signed on to help. A coincidence? I think not.
“Okay, here you are,” Kaye said as she parallel-parked into a tight spot about a block away from the dog park. “Feel any magic nearby?”
At least four big hotels stood within eyesight. This was not a quiet little street corner but rather the middle of a bustling metropolis.
“There’s way too much going on to pick up on anything,” I said, watching as a man extracted an acoustic guitar from its case and began to play. “I’d bet our target is staying at whichever of these places accepts pets, though.”
“I already checked,” Amy turned to look at me. “And they all take pets.”
“Well, that narrows it down,” Kaye quipped under her breath. “I’ll head into the parking garage to see if I can find his vehicle, but chances are, our exposer is out and about, casing the city.”
“Um, don’t you need to change?” I asked Amy as she made to get out of the car. “And please don’t transform into one of those yappy, little hellhounds. It’s bad enough you’ll be a dog, but at least— “
“I’m not going as a dog,” Amy interrupted as if this should have been a given. “Otherwise how will we call Kaye if we need her?”
She rummaged in a tote bag at her feet, then pulled out a baseball cap. “That’s why I brought this.”
I watched as Amy tucked her hair up into the cap, all the while threatening not to groan or roll my eyes. Here was a girl who could shift into anything—anything! —and she’d chosen a hat for her disguise.
“I see that look on your face, Mr. Mossy,” Amy chastised, making eyes at me through the rearview mirror. “That’s why I also brought these.” On went an oversized pair of sunglasses and a throwaway surgical mask.
“Really? A face mask?” I asked, shaking my head. Now she looked like a celebrity who’d just gotten plastic surgery and didn’t want the whole world to see her new nose before it was ready.
“Tada!” She posed with her hands under her chin. “If anyone asks, I’ll tell them I have terrible allergies.”
“Brilliant,” I said with a laugh because what else could I even say? “You have terrible allergies, but still choose to bring your cat to the dog park out of the goodness of your heart.”
“Yup,” she said, popping the P sound as she reached back into the bag and pulled out a denim shirt. When she pulled it on, the shirt devoured her petite frame. What a shame.
“Borrowed it from Johnson,” she added, catching my quizzical stare. “And now that I’m all ready to go, it’s your turn.”
“You said I don’t need a disguise,” I protested. If they tried to put a sweater or a ball cap or anything like that on me, I’d scratch and scratch hard.
“Okay, Moss, now don’t freak out, but…” Kaye reached over Amy and popped open the glove compartment. “I had a feeling you’d have to be leashed for this, so I picked a little something up at the pet store.”
I watched in horror as she lifted a five-point harness from the dashboard.
And not just any pet harness—a pink one.
“What is that monstrosity?” I scoffed. “And why would you ever think I’d be okay with this?”
Kaye handed the harness to Amy and mouthed something I couldn’t quite make out. “Look, I’m sorry about the color. It was all they had. Sometimes you just need to take one for the team, okay?”
“Take one for the team? Ha!” I shot back. “I don’t see either of you taking one for the team, so no. I don’t think I’ll be wearing this bubblegum fever dream.”
“Real men wear pink,” Amy said with a flirty wink.
But not even that was enough to make me roll over and say uncle. “My problem is with the harness, first and foremost. The color is just a minor nuisance, thank you very much.”
“Moss,” Kaye hissed at me. “Just stop fighting us on this, okay?”
“Oh, no. I’m going to fight you until the bitter end on this one. There is no way… I mean, seriously! It’s not like I’m going to run away. Don’t you trust me at all? If this is how you were going to treat me, then you should have just left me back at the prison.”
Kaye whipped around in her seat, her eyes shot daggers at me, but I still refused to back down. “Moss O’Malley, you know darn well this is a lot better than CosmoPAWlitan. You’re going to wear this leash, so help me, or I will send you straight back without so much as a second thought. Do we understand each other?”
“Moss, please,” Amy asked with a pinched expression.
I glared at Kaye. Here I’d thought we were becoming friends. She was lucky Amy needed me, or I’d call her on her bluff.
“Fine,” I said at last. “But Amy puts it on me.”
“Good kitty,” Kaye said with a satisfied smirk.
I offered her my most demonic growl in response.
Amy got out of the car and came to sit beside me in the backseat. And let me tell you, the experience of donning the harness was not a pleasant one, even with Amy’s soft hands running through my fur.
I wanted to help ease the process, but it felt as though my limbs had become petrified, like my bendy parts couldn’t bend anymore.
For her part, Amy tugged and tucked, doing her best to make sure it fit snugly without pinching.
I had a different kind of problem, though.
“Hey,” I said as gently as I could, given my extreme discomfort. “Would you please smooth out my fur? I need it to all be facing the right way. It’s very important. Please.”
Amy reached a hand under the mesh fabric and tucked my fur down as best she could.
It wasn’t perfect, but it was the best she could do, not being a cat herself.
“Can you carry me?” I pleaded. “I don’t think my legs are quite ready to attempt movement.”
Kaye reached back and clipped a matching hot pink leash onto the harness.
“Couldn’t have gotten a black leash, huh?” I said, deadpan.
She shrugged. “They came together.”
Of course, they did.
Amy gently lifted me from the car and cradled me to her chest.
Kaye rolled down the passenger side window and shouted, “Text me with any trouble. Otherwise I’ll swing by and pick you up for lunch. Good luck!”
The window went back up, and we watched as Kaye pulled back into traffic.
Joyous barks sounded in the distance. Not distant enough, if you asked me. Especially since we were about to march right into the fray.
I shuddered as I imagined what all those high-strung dogs would do once they saw a cat in their midst. How had I gotten stuck on dog park duty?
“It’s okay, my sweet boy,” Amy cooed, reaching down to plant a kiss between my ears.
Oh, that’s how.