“Thanks.” I licked my lips, relishing the mouthful of water. Concussions weren’t anything to play with and while we Felis were built tough I didn’t want to worry about pissing off the medical staff. “Where am I?”
“St. Joe’s. And don’t worry, your boyfriend’s on the way.” A scowl appeared on his face. “Bastard’s hard to get hold of. Called his cell phone, went to voice mail. Idiot called back an hour ago blasting my eardrums.”
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Bran had probably gone silent to keep from being interrupted on his one-man hunt and it’d cost him. “What time is it?”
“Just coming up on three o’clock in the afternoon.” Hank moved back to his chair. “You remember anything ’bout what happened?” His tone shifted from friendly to official. “Let me find the guy who did this to you. Kick this mugger’s ass into next Tuesday and then some.”
I went to shake my head but the little miners inside with their pickaxes decided otherwise. “No. I mean, I hit a wall and—” The fuzzy memory of being attacked by another Felis fought through to the surface. “I got mugged?”
“You got banged up,” Hank started, “And got lucky. Bunch of street kids saw you go down and came over to help, called 911 and scared the fellow off before he grabbed your wallet or anything else.” He smiled. “Guess that horseshoe up your ass is still working.”
“Ow.” I drew in a deep breath as I sorted through memories. “I think I remember the ambulance arriving.”
I wasn’t sure if I was remembering the actual events or a movie.
“Don’t sweat it. I’ve taken worse.” He rapped on his head with his knuckles, making a popping noise with his mouth. “You kept drifting in and out, babbling something about kittens.”
I flinched inside.
He looked at me with a cop’s curiosity. “What were you doing running down there in a parking garage?”
“Got a job.”
“I figured that.” Hank’s bushy eyebrows rose. “Care to share?”
I weighed the pros and cons of letting him in.
“I’m tracking a pair of runaways.” I figured I had nothing to lose. And if it helped heal the rift between us I was all for it. “I was hired by the parents to find them. Romeo and Juliet story, you know the tune.”
“Think it was one of them that slugged you?” Hank asked.
I paused, weighing the odds. Evan Chandler had enough of a lead that he could have looped back around to clock me. But the fuzzy silhouette and the scent told me otherwise.
Of course I couldn’t tell Hank this.
“I’m not sure. I do know they don’t want to be found.” I touched the side of my head, finding a golf ball-sized lump. “Ooh. That’s not nice.”
“Do you have any pictures?” Hank pressed onward, ever the policeman. “Let me put out the word to the street cops. If they’re under-age—”
I wouldn’t have considered pulling in the police before now but this had taken a twist and not for the better. There was another player in the game, someone who didn’t mind beating me like a piñata to get me out of the way.
“They are. At least for a week or so.” I pointed at the storage locker in the corner. “There should be a manila envelope in my personal effects bag, next to my clothing. Got pictures of the two of them inside.”
I wetted my lips again, taking stock of my body as Hank went to the locker. Toes, good. Ankles, good. Knees, old and aching. Hips sore and I knew if I looked under the sheet and generic hospital gown I’d see bruises that probably matched those on my left shoulder.
In other words, I was a mess.
At least the bullet scar on my arm hadn’t re-opened. Logically it was practically impossible for it to have pulled open but emotionally I was always going down the darker path.
“All of your clothing’s here, just so you know. Doesn’t look like you trashed anything and they didn’t have to cut anything off so when you leave don’t worry about having to steal any hospital scrubs.” Hank put the pictures against the wall, one by one, and took shots with his phone. “I’ll send these to the boys and have them distributed to the street cops.” His fingers flew over the tiny keyboard. “If we see them we’ll take them off the streets.” He paused. “I can’t promise anything.”
“I know. Plenty of other crimes out there, bagging runaways isn’t high on the list.” I gave him a smile. “But I appreciate it.” I fluffed the thin sheets and poked my bare feet out at the bottom. “Feels strange wearing just a hospital gown and having this conversation.”
Hank huffed as he put the envelope back in my locker, a light blush on his cheeks. “The doctors might let you go home but not unless you have someone holding your hand for the night. And my wife’s got a firm policy against me bringing home strays.”
As if on cue the door flew open.
Wide-eyed and panting, Bran looked like something the cat dragged in. His reddened face matched his hair, plastered to his forehead with sweat.
He ignored Hank. “Are you okay?”
Before I could answer he’d stripped off his coat and tossed it over the chair Hank had previously occupied. “What do they have you hooked up to? What’s in this?”
Hank put up a hand as Bran came to my side and inspected the IV pole. “It’s just fluids. Standard procedure to keep her hydrated. As far as I know no antibiotics, no need for them.” He grinned at me. “I’m gonna leave now that your playmate’s here. I’ll call if we find them.”
Bran nodded at the detective, the two men locking eyes for a brief challenging moment. They hadn’t seen each other since Hank had dragged the entire Hanover family down to the police station a few weeks ago.
The stalemate broke without incident.
Hank chuckled and walked out the door with a wave. “She’s all yours. Might be time to put her on a leash.”
My lips drew back in an instinctive snarl at the mental image. I flipped my middle finger up at the closing door.
Bran laughed and bent down for a kiss. “Glad to see you’re well enough to be pissy.” He played with the transparent tube coming from my arm. “Let’s get this out of you and get you into bed.”
“I am in bed.” I patted the thin mattress. “And, frankly, I’d expected a bit more seduction from you. Just because we’re living together doesn’t mean you don’t have to work for it.” The last few words came out a little harsher than I’d intended.
He dropped his chin down, looking like I’d smacked him on the nose with a rolled newspaper. “God, Reb—I’m so sorry I didn’t get here faster.” He sat on the edge of the bed. “I turned the phone off ’cause I was trucking with some kids and didn’t want to be disturbed.”
I didn’t say anything.
Bran gave me a weary smile. “And you know I was with Angie because you can smell her on me.” He rubbed his nose with the palm of his hand. “Damn it’s hard to hide anything from you Felis.”
My hand wrapped around the back of his neck as I pulled him close enough for me to whisper into his ear.
“Let me tell you a secret.”
He drew in a deep breath and held it.
I murmured. “I didn’t know until you told me just now.”
He made a noise, something between a sigh and a gasp.
I continued. “You might have been in the same room as her, I can believe that. But I don’t scent her all over you like before. She kept her distance, kept her hands off of you.” I’d caught a whiff of her hair conditioner, the same gloppy fruity smell but if I hadn’t smelled it earlier I wouldn’t know or care whose it was. It was also mixed in with a hundred other scents, the usual street traffic picked up from being out in public.
Bran didn’t move but I felt the tension ease out of his neck and shoulder muscles. The poor bastard had been terrified to come to me, expecting a tongue lashing.