Shepherd gave a throaty chuckle. “Trip an alarm? Unless theMona Lisais in there, I don’t think we’ll have to worry about that.”
“Don’t be so sure. People put alarms everywhere these days.”
Shepherd turned off the car, and the music died. I noticed his facial hair hadn’t grown, and we didn’t have any razors at the hotel. Shepherd kept a decent stubble most of the time, which shadowed his intense bone structure. But he’d given himself a close shave for the party. His forever look. In fact, all of us looked too perfect, and I didn’t care for it.
He cracked his knuckles. “Where the hell is he?”
As if hearing us, Christian shadow walked into sight and stopped at Shepherd’s open window. “One is cleaning the kennels and the other just went to the toilet. Now’s our chance.”
“Are you sure they don’t have an alarm system?” I asked.
Christian gave me a bemused look. “This place is a century old and overflowing with unwanted strays. Hardly the place that would install a noisy alarm. I broke out a window when they were both on the other side of the building. They can’t hear a thing for all the barking.”
I opened my door and rounded the front. “Lead the way.”
We jogged across the street as quickly as we could since Shepherd and I were easily identifiable in our costumes. Once we reached the far right side, we climbed in through a broken window.
Shepherd hurried to the door and pressed his ear against it.
Christian snorted. “Jaysus wept. Do you think I can’t hear that dolt taking a shite? The coast is clear.”
Shepherd cut him a glare. “What about the other one?”
“I guess we’ll find out,” he replied.
I noticed a white coat hanging on the wall and tossed it at Christian. “Put this on.”
Without one of his usual sarcastic remarks, he squeezed his arms through the sleeves. If anything, him looking like a veterinarian might buy us a few seconds.
Christian opened the door and swaggered out, and damn if he didn’t look sexy as hell posing as medical personnel. Dr. Poe, specializing in blood draws and the female anatomy.
We passed a room markedSurgery, the paint fumes heavy in the air. Shepherd and I fell back so Christian could lead us through the reception area. He swung right down a long hall with windows and a few doors. I stopped in my tracks when laughter erupted from the bathroom at the end of the hallway. Uncertain what the plan was, I gestured to the corridor on the left. I’d come here once before to adopt my dad’s dog, and the corridor led to the kennels.
I peered through a window into the kitten room. Aside from a few mewling babies, it was quiet in there.
Unlike the bathroom.
Music and other noises sounded from behind the door, and I guessed he was watching something on his phone. Probably videos of people slipping on ice or dogs chewing up furniture. While Christian eased up to the door, Shepherd and I dipped into the corridor and watched. I wondered if he might burst into the bathroom and give the man a heart attack, but he waited.
“We’ll have to come back to him,” I whispered, stepping into sight.
Christian pretended to look at a watch that wasn’t on his wrist. “I can wait.”
“He could be in there for hours. We’ll come back for him.”
Christian approached us. “And what if he comes out early?”
I entered the kitten room and opened a few cages. Most of them just looked at me, but a few jumped out. I scooped the smaller ones into my arms and sprinkled kittens on the speckled floor, propping the door wide open so they could wander in and out. Some went zooming down the hallway while others cautiously sniffed the floor.
When Shepherd noticed what I was doing, he went into the cat room and did the same. Before we knew it, we had cats wandering everywhere. Some of the larger ones weren’t thrilled to have Shepherd messing with their cage, and one scratched him. Once the cats were free, we headed toward the kennels.
Christian heaved a sigh as he walked beside me. “I’ve been doing this for centuries.”
“And that’s how long we might have been waiting. We don’t have time. This way, if he finishes early, he’ll be too distracted chasing after all the cats. He’ll just think his friend is playing a joke on him. As long as we can get to Viktor first, I don’t care if Toilet Guy calls the cops.”
“I don’t like leaving without taking care of him.”
“If you’re hell-bent on taking care of him, why didn’t you bust down the door?”
