"I think that's one of those things we need to discuss later."
"Right." That was a good idea.
"Come on." Stalker started heading for the entry. "The kitchen is right down here."
I grabbed Tommy's hand and followed after Stalker. I was still a little unnerved being around all these strangers, but I knew these were men Stalker worked with. I had to trust that he wouldn't let us be somewhere we weren't safe.
Stalker was right about the food in the kitchen. His friend Henry had cooked up a storm. I was actually a little in awe over the number of dishes the man had made until he mentioned that he'd made enough for everyone.
I just wasn't sure who "everyone" entailed. Once all the food was carried into the dining room and it began to fill with men, I had a pretty good idea. I kept a firm hold of Tommy's hand and stayed in the background as much as possible.
Large groups of men were never a good thing where I came from. From the way Tommy was pressing into my legs, he knew it, too, and I hated that. I tried to shield Tommy from the violence in our skulk as much as I could, but it wasn't always possible.
"Come grab a plate," Stalker suggested.
"We will." My smile was tight. "I'm just going to wait until things thin out a bit." I lifted Tommy up into my arms. "Tommy doesn't do well in crowds."
Neither of us did. I could already feel beads of sweat gathering at my temples.
"Hey, remember what I said?" Stalker stepped close. "I'll protect you and Tommy."
"Yeah, but…" I glanced at all the men either getting food or sitting down to eat. "These are some really big men."
Huge.
"Hi, I'm Bob."
I turned to see a short man with glasses and freckles standing behind me. "Hello."
"I'm so excited that you're here. Stalker told me you were bringing your little boy. I can't wait to take him to the park with us when we walk the cats."
Surely I didn't hear that right.
"Did you say cats?"
"Oh yeah." The guy's smile was infectious. "Mustachio loves going to the park on his leash, but so do Derp, Dexter, and Spike. They all do."
"You take your cat to the park?"
"Yes."
Huh.
"Don't worry, when we get your son a cat, he'll have a leash and harness, too."
I slowly turned to look at Stalker. "We're getting a cat?"
Since when?
Stalker winced. "Bob wanted to do something special for Tommy. Since everyone else has a cat, he thought Tommy might like one, too, although I did suggest a kitten due to Tommy's age."
Huh.
"It's nice to meet you, Bob, but I need to get Tommy some food."
"Oh, of course." Bob patted my arm. "We can talk later."
I wasn't so sure about that. Bob seemed nice, but he was a little whacked. I didn't even know where we were going to sleep tonight, and everything I owned was in one little bag. I couldn't handle a cat right now.
