Doc scrunched up his forehead. “That couldn’t have been more than two minutes. Did you tell them?”
“Crush kind of did, he was being an ass. I’ll punch him the next time I see him.”
“Hmm,” Doc said. “But no one has made the connection between you being missing, and me... having a mate?”
“Doesn’t seem like it.”
“Hmm,” Doc said again.
“Anyway, Crush is picking up Hijinks.”
“Tell him thanks.”
More messages popped up in the chat, but none of them were relevant. Ottis stared. “No one wants to hack the phone. They want gossip.”
Doc sighed. “That figures.”
His phone buzzed.
Bruiser
I’ll hack the phone.
Doc
Thank you. When will you be available to do it?
Bruiser
Now’s fine.
Ottis kicked his legs excitedly. “Bruiser says he’ll hack it now.”
“Great.” Doc huffed, relaxing slightly. “So, are you up for some gossip?”
They exchanged a look.
“Straight from the horse’s mouth?” Ottis asked.
“Uriel calls him a gecko.”
“That’samazing.”
“No kidding. Every time he does it, Bruiser just about pops a vein. It’s hilarious.”
“I gotta see this,” Ottis whispered. “I’m gonna ask Uriel to call him a gecko, and then I’m going to take a picture of his face.”
“How did you get so close to Uriel? He hasn’t lived in Cartfalls for very long.”
“I got to know him through the other omegas, actually. We have a group chat that includes him.”
Doc raised his eyebrows. “Huh. Just him and you guys?”
“Yup. But I can’t tell you why. Not my secret.”
Doc looked thoughtful. “I understand.”
“That’s really nice of you,” Ottis said.
