"Have you thought any more about getting a cat?" Bob asked. "If you got a cat, maybe you'd find your mate."
I knew my smile was a little sad. I just hoped no one else knew it. "It's possible, Bob, but I'm worried about what would happen to a cat with my busy schedule. I just don't think it's fair to get one when I'm gone so much of the time."
That was the reason I was going with at least.
"I could watch him for you," Bob offered. "I'd even take him to the park for you."
"I'll think about it."
Truthfully, I'd been thinking about getting a cat. Just not for me.
I munched on my muffin and drank my coffee as I watched everyone around the table. It was an interesting event, and I loved people watching.
Bob was animated, chatting away with Frankie. Both their mates looked as if they needed intravenous feedings of caffeine. Henry was coming and going from the kitchen, bringing food in for the buffet. Sinclair, Stone, and Sampson were in a conversation. Stryker was just sitting there staring down at his coffee cup. He didn't look as if he was all there quite yet.
I chuckled as I lifted my cup then took another sip. I wasn't a total caffeine addict, but there were times when everyone needed a little pick-me-up. Today was one of those days, especially if Sinclair needed us all in his office for a meeting soon.
Speaking of which…I stood and carried my cup into the kitchen to rinse. Henry might cook for us, but I wasn't about to make the man wash my dishes. I wasn't that big of an asshole, although some might argue with me.
After taking care of my cup, I made my way down the corridor to Sinclair's office. I was glad to see the man inside, sitting behind his desk. "I guess I'm a wee bit early," I remarked as I looked around. The only other person in the room was Stone, Sinclair's mate.
Sinclair glanced up and smiled before looking back down at the papers on his desk. "The others will be along soon. I wanted a moment to touch base with you and see how you're doing. You've been going out on a lot of assignments lately. I worry you've been going out on too many without any downtime."
It was nice that the man cared, but he didn't need to. The constant work kept me from going out of my mind, worrying about things I could not have, dreams unrealized. "I'm fine, Sinclair. I promise."
Sinclair raised his head again and stared at me for a long moment before giving a nod. "Very well. You'll tell me if you need some downtime, won't you."
It wasn't a question.
"I will." It just wasn't going to happen anytime soon.
Sinclair smiled and gestured to a chair. "Have a seat. The others should be joining us in a minute."
"Stone said one of the elders asked for a personal favor?"
My curiosity was alive and well.
I should have been a cat.
Oh, wait. I was a cat.
Go me.
"Yeah." Sinclair's narrowed eyes were a clear indication of what he thought of being asked for a personal favor. "The jackass just assumed I'd do it without any intel or anything."
I lifted one eyebrow. "He didn't give you any details?"
Sinclair shook his head. "He gave me the barest amount of information on the mark he could get away with and then just expected me to assign one of you to the job as if it was a done deal. We don't work that way. You know that."
I did know that. We were never given an assignment that hadn't been thoroughly researched. As the panther who actually pulled the trigger, I always wanted to know everything about my mark. I didn't like making mistakes.
"Who's the mark?"
"I actually don't have a name or description."
I felt like a fish out of water as my jaw dropped. "You don't have a name or description?"
"No, and I don't like it." There was a slight curl of Sinclair's upper lip, a snarl and flash of fang. "How can you request services like ours if you don't have a description of the mark you want eliminated?"
