A phone rang, breaking the silence of the room. Everyone tensed as Gen pulled out her phone and looked at the display.
“If that’s Gordon, I’ll shit,” Bene muttered.
Me too, because the big boss had a way of calling at the most inopportune — and suspicious — moments.
“Not a word about this if that’s him,” Henrik warned.
My sentiment exactly.
“Not a word if that’s Officer Dulaire either,” Henrik added.
That ass,I couldn’t help thinking.
“In fact,” Bene threw in, “it’s probably best if you don’t answer at all.”
Gen stared. “Aren’t you overreacting a little?”
“No,” Henrik and Bene said in unison.
She looked at me, and I lashed my tail. Definitely not overreacting.
Another ring. Then another. Finally, she answered, turning on the speaker.
We fell silent, listening.
“Oh hello,Mina,” she said, giving Henrik a look that said,See? You always find the worst in things.
Yes, but that had kept him alive through several tumultuous centuries.
“Are you all right?” Mina demanded, clearly anxious.
“Yep. Great,” Gen chirped.
“I felt something,” Mina persisted. “Like you were scared or something.”
“Bene surprised me when he was prowling around in lion form,” Gen lied.
He put a hand on his heart, making it clear his pride was wounded.
Gen winced, mouthing,Sorry.
Mina sighed. “Bene again.”
He frowned.What the hell does that mean?
I chuckled.That’s what you get for being class clown, asshole.
“Everything else is okay?” Mina asked.
“Yep. Great. Oh, well, except the car. It’s…er, acting up. I have to bring it to the shop.”
Ha. A minor understatement.
“But I have a lead on an electrician,” Gen said and explained her farfetched plan. So farfetched, it might actually work.
Mina, of course,lovedit.
They chatted for a while, then said their goodbyes.
