Chapter 12
Ineed to get back to the hospital.”
Cecilia had finished recording her impressions of the meeting on her phone, which Hank had handed over as soon as the wolves had left. Now she really needed to get to the lab for serious work. She was itching to look at the CDC’s existing data with her new understanding. Not to mention studying the data that Simon had emailed her. But she couldn’t start doing that until she had a computer larger than her hand.
“I can call an Uber—” she began, but Hank cut her off.
“I’ll take you. I just want to make sure everything here is settled first.” His gaze went to Mother where she was sitting and sipping tea. The man was obviously super protective of her and Sammy, and Cecilia couldn’t damn him for it. In fact, it only made him more attractive to her.
“Kennedy reports five more cases of the Flu, all fatalities.” That statement came from Simon, his tone so bland he didn’t even look up from the tablet he and Alyssa were using. And wasn’t that nauseatingly cute? Two people cuddled up together on Mother’s couch as they discussed personnel, whom they were protecting, and where.
Actually, that was cute. And reassuring. It felt good to know that Simon, in addition to the exhausted police, was looking out for Detroit’s residents. Meanwhile, Cecilia looked at Hank who was busy making omelets for everyone. And lord, they smelled heavenly. She was about to ask who was Kennedy when he answered as if he’d read her mind.
“Detective Ryan Kennedy. He’s one of us.”
“Grizzly?”
Hank nodded as he brought her a Denver omelet that had her stomach rumbling with hunger. One bite later, she nearly forgot everything else. “Oh my God,” she gasped. “This is good!” It’s hard to screw up an omelet, though she’d managed it a few times. But overall, that also meant it was hard to make an amazing one. Hank had done something to simple ham and eggs that made her taste buds weep. “Are all shifters great cooks?”
“Just my Hank,” Mother answered with a grin as she accepted her own plate.
The man in question grinned back as he ducked his head, obviously pleased and a little embarrassed by the praise. “Alyssa, you’re next.”
“Thanks a million, Hank.”
Cecilia watched the exchange, noting that he had served her first, Mother second, Alyssa third. The women first, starting with her. In most pack hierarchies, the alpha male would come first, but Simon hadn’t been fed yet. And she had no idea what it meant that Hank had given her food before any of the other women.
Clearly standard pack structure didn’t apply here, but in other things—like that bear versus wolf clash earlier—pack structure had been well in evidence.
She just wished she knew what it all meant. Hopefully her notes would make sense later. That’s what she did when she got too exhausted to make conclusions. She focused on details, wrote them all down, and tried to sort them out later. She sighed as she tucked into her omelet. Maybe they were right. Maybe she needed to eat first and mentally regroup before trying to sort through data she couldn’t fully process yet. She was still eating when someone drove up in a large truck, followed quickly by a police cruiser. Apparently, it was what everyone had been waiting for because Alyssa hopped off the couch, Hank left kitchen duty, and Mother said, “About damn time,” into her tea. Simon didn’t appear to react at all as he continued to study something on the tablet.
Two men climbed out of the truck’s cab, one so old as to be considered elderly, the other barely out of adolescence. But both had barrel chests and thick arms as they pulled a body bag out of the back. Behind them came a uniformed police officer who looked more like a California surfer dude than a cop, especially with his too bright smile.
Cecilia recognized that smile. It was the one she wore when she was so exhausted she could barely see, but still had to appear fresh in front of patients. She guessed this cop was on his very last legs.
Meanwhile, the three knocked politely on the door, though they could see straight in through the busted window. Hank opened the door and two headed straight for the hybrid’s body while the cop crossed to Simon’s side.
“Report,” Simon said, his voice almost casual as he looked up at the men.
The cop answered, his tone frequently betraying his exhaustion for all that he kept his words light. “Looting is contained but that’s because more people are home puking. We got reports of monsters everywhere, most hallucinations. A few not. And regular shifters—the ones who ought to be helping—are just mean.”
Simon nodded as if it were exactly what he expected, then he gestured at the cop’s uniform. “Since when do gang cops dress up?”
The man snorted. “Since we’re supposed to show that the police are everywhere.” He rolled his eyes. “Which we aren’t. We’re down to less than half now.” Then he turned and abruptly extended a hand to her. “Detective Ryan Kennedy, here to serve and protect,” he said. “And you are…”
Cecilia smiled. It was hard not to respond to his easy charm. “Dr. Cecilia Lu. CDC.” That was all she got out before Hank released a low grumble from her opposite side. Detective Kennedy quickly lifted his hands in a backing-off gesture.
Meanwhile, Simon started talking to the other two. “How are you two? And your families?”
The younger man flashed a quick smile. “We’re all bottled water, nothing else.”
“And beer,” the older one said with a grin. “You said we can drink the beer.”
“Anything that was made outside of Detroit.”
There was more byplay. Simon had gotten all the information he wanted. It was Alyssa who asked for more details about grandchildren and jobs. And then the younger one looked sadly at the hybrid before nodding at Detective Kennedy.
Ryan explained the exchange a moment later by holding up his phone to show to Simon. “We think we know who this is. Pretty sure this is the same kid.”
