“No.”
“Maybe it’s hungry.”
“I’m hungry.”
I rolled my eyes at the dude as Ash and I crossed to Gray, and he slowly opened the door. The door creaked. Again, we froze, but when we heard a murmur about thestupid pussy, Gray looked over at me, and with a firm look, he slipped out into the hall.
At the top of the stairs, he disappeared, and then Ash followed him. Pressing against the wall, he waited until Gray was at the bottom, and then he was gone too. With a deep breath, I followed their lead.
“Meow.”
I hesitated for a moment, and then I was moving across the hall and almost threw myself down the stairs just as the bedroom door opened.
“Kitty! Shut up!” came the harsh voice of the owner.
I was half crouched on the ground floor hall, completely exposed. If he looked over his banister, he would see me.
Gray and Ash were at the kitchen door, eyes wide as we all waited.
“Meow.”
I had never wished harm on an animal until that moment. All it needed to do was run down the stairs after me, and I was busted.
I saw the guy clearly then as he walked toward the cat, and as he passed, his back to me, I flew across the floor to the safety of the kitchen.
“We have seconds, if that,” Gray whispered as we raced to the door. With a slow, calm precision none of us felt, Gray softly opened the back door to the yard, allowing Ash out. I could hear Kitty’s owner coming down the stairs, and as the lower lights went on, my brother and I exchanged a panicked look before we were both through the door. All three of us dropped to the grass outside.
We crawled across the grass on our bellies, our heads low to the ground. At the side of the house, we raised ourselves to a crouch, and again one by one, each of us left the yard.
I was the last one to the car, and when we were in, with Gray checking the area to make sure there were no observers, I started the engine and we pulled away.
When we had enough distance between us and the house, Gray started to laugh. “A banana?”
“A fucking cat?” Ash started to laugh too.
“Always knew pussy was likely to be the end of us,” I joked before we all dissolved into laughter.
“What’s on the paper?” Gray asked me when he sobered.
Ash looked out the window, his lips pursed, and with a sigh, I pulled it from my hoodie and handed it to Gray.
“Are youfuckingkidding me?” Gray exploded in the back seat as he read it. “Take us back, take me backrightnow.”
“You need to calm down,” I told him as Ash turned in his seat to look at Gray.
“Calm down?” Gray was still staring at the paper as he practically vibrated with rage in his seat. “This willdestroyher.” His eyes snapped to mine, and I nodded.
“I know.” I held his stare in the rearview mirror. “Gray, we’re going to fix it.”
“Fucking asshole,” Gray growled. “We need toendhim.”
“Gray,” I cautioned him as I drove, my eyes flicking once to Ash in warning.
“We’ll get him,” Ash assured my brother. “We can’t tell her about this.”
“Of course we don’t tell her,” Gray fumed in the back seat. “Why wouldthisbe in that guy’s house?”
“We have a memory stick. Hopefully, it tells us more.” Ash rubbed his hand over his face.
