Cynful
Page 27
Cyn shrugged. “What about your parents, have they called too?”
Tabby snorted. “Please. They tossed me away like last week’s garbage. Even if they wanted to speak to me, I don’t want to speak to them.” She wrinkled her nose as if smelling the garbage she spoke of. “Besides, my pack and my family are here.”
As long as Tabby was happy, Cyn didn’t give a rat’s ass if her friend never spoke to her biological family again. “In that case the next time he calls, tell him to fuck off.”
“Genteelly, of course.” She picked up the pencil and stared at it cross eyed.
“Uh-huh.” What the hell was Tabby doing?
“Because I’m a lady.” She sniffed along the pencil, starting when she poked her nose with the tip.
“More like a puppy. Don’t eat that, you don’t know where it’s been.”
Cyn ducked as Tabby threw the pencil at her head. She sniffed the air in short staccato bursts, then snorted much like a dog would. “What is that funky smell?”
The sound of a toilet flushing made Cyn giggle.
“Not that!” Tabby’s nose scrunched up. “Although that’s pretty ripe too.”
Glory stepped out from behind the employees’ only curtain and eyed Cyn, who was still giggling like a loon. “What the hell is wrong with her?”
“Do you smell something funky?”
Glory blushed and dug her toe into the worn linoleum. “Um, yeah, I’m sorry about that. See, I had cheese with lunch, and—”
“No! It doesn’t smell…biological.”
Cyn took a deep breath, but all she could smell was the shop itself. It was a combination of ink and paper and dust and glass cleaner, just like always. “I don’t smell anything.”
Tabby’s nose wrinkled. “You can’t smell that? It’s like, kind of, ick.” She was practically gagging. She pulled the edge of her shirt away from her neck and pulled it up to her nose, sniffing cautiously.
“Are you smelling coffee again?” Recently the smell of coffee made Tabby nauseous. Thank God she wasn’t living in the apartment anymore. Glory would’ve had to kill her. Glory without her morning coffee was like the Terminator without John Connor—bat-shit insane and absolutely lethal.
Tabby wrinkled her nose in disgust. “No, it’s not coffee. I don’t think I’ve ever smelled anything quite like it before.”
Cyn looked over at Glory who shook her head. “I can’t smell a thing.”
Cyn bit her lip, but it really wasn’t that hard a decision to make. “I think this qualifies as anything weird. Call Gabe.”
“On it.” Glory pulled out her cell phone. She must have put the sheriff on speed dial, because within two seconds she was talking to him.
“I’m going to find where the hell that’s coming from.” Tabby stalked out from behind the counter and headed toward the back, into the employee–only area. “What is it?” She was muttering to herself as she followed the scent to the back door.
Cyn stuck to her like glue. No way was she letting Tabby go out there by herself. She grabbed hold of Tabby’s arm. “Let’s wait for Gabe.”
Tabby’s eyes had turned golden brown, her Wolf’s eyes. “I have a really bad feeling about this.”
She trusted Tabby’s instincts. They’d sharpened since her friend had gotten pregnant. Cyn pulled Tabby back and away from the door. “Let’s get out of here.”
Glory was already out front, waiting for them. “I was just about to go in to pull you guys out. Gabe wants us to wait out here for him. He also wants to know what it smelled like.”
“It was plastic and metal and…motor oil? Maybe? And something I can’t even describe.”
Gabe pulled up to the curb, lights flashing but sirens silent. He got out of his cruiser and sprinted toward the girls. “All right, Tabby, come with me.” He pulled Tabby off to the side and whispered in her ear. Tabby in turn whispered back.
Gabe paled and pushed Tabby toward the street. “You three, get across the street now.” He then sprinted for the back of the shop at breakneck speed.
Cyn didn’t need to be told twice. She ran across the street and into the dry cleaners. “What the fuck is going on?”
Gabe came running back from around the corner of the building, his expression grim. He leaned into the cruiser, but Cyn couldn’t see what he was doing.
Before too long he was jogging across the street. “Follow me.”
Cyn, Tabby and Glory followed him to the corner. “Listen carefully.” He was talking so softly Cyn could barely hear him. “I think there’s a pipe bomb at your back door.”
“A what?” Cold fury rushed through her. Whoever was after them had gone too far. A pipe bomb wouldn’t just do property damage. The damn things were meant to kill people.
“I’ve already sent for the bomb squad. I want you girls to wait here until I tell you otherwise.”
Cyn clenched her fists. “Tabby, did you scent Cheetah again?”
“No. It was…strange. Not human, I know that.” She rubbed her nose. “It’s really weird. I’d swear I smelled deer.”
Cyn’s brows rose in surprise. “There are deer shifters?”
“No. That’s what’s so strange about it. I could scent deer and charcoal and wool, but nothing else.”
“Was that the scent that you couldn’t describe?” Glory was playing with her hair, twisting the curls around her fingers over and over again. She was scared, and desperately trying not to show it.
“No. Maybe it was the explosive I smelled.” Tabby groaned as a familiar motorcycle pulled up in front of them. “I didn’t do anything.”
The smile in Alex’s face was easy-going, but his dark brown bear’s eyes betrayed his uneasiness. “Tell me my mate wasn’t threatened again.”
Gabe sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “It’s going to be a long day, isn’t it?”
Alex spun on his heel and marched toward the tattoo shop. Tabby raced after him and latched onto his arm. “No, Alex!”
“Come back here so I can explain everything to you.” Gabe grabbed hold of Alex’s other arm. “Look over there. My deputies are starting to clear out the businesses around the tattoo shop. You can’t go over there right now.”
Tabby snorted. “Please. They tossed me away like last week’s garbage. Even if they wanted to speak to me, I don’t want to speak to them.” She wrinkled her nose as if smelling the garbage she spoke of. “Besides, my pack and my family are here.”
As long as Tabby was happy, Cyn didn’t give a rat’s ass if her friend never spoke to her biological family again. “In that case the next time he calls, tell him to fuck off.”
“Genteelly, of course.” She picked up the pencil and stared at it cross eyed.
“Uh-huh.” What the hell was Tabby doing?
“Because I’m a lady.” She sniffed along the pencil, starting when she poked her nose with the tip.
“More like a puppy. Don’t eat that, you don’t know where it’s been.”
Cyn ducked as Tabby threw the pencil at her head. She sniffed the air in short staccato bursts, then snorted much like a dog would. “What is that funky smell?”
The sound of a toilet flushing made Cyn giggle.
“Not that!” Tabby’s nose scrunched up. “Although that’s pretty ripe too.”
Glory stepped out from behind the employees’ only curtain and eyed Cyn, who was still giggling like a loon. “What the hell is wrong with her?”
“Do you smell something funky?”
Glory blushed and dug her toe into the worn linoleum. “Um, yeah, I’m sorry about that. See, I had cheese with lunch, and—”
“No! It doesn’t smell…biological.”
Cyn took a deep breath, but all she could smell was the shop itself. It was a combination of ink and paper and dust and glass cleaner, just like always. “I don’t smell anything.”
Tabby’s nose wrinkled. “You can’t smell that? It’s like, kind of, ick.” She was practically gagging. She pulled the edge of her shirt away from her neck and pulled it up to her nose, sniffing cautiously.
“Are you smelling coffee again?” Recently the smell of coffee made Tabby nauseous. Thank God she wasn’t living in the apartment anymore. Glory would’ve had to kill her. Glory without her morning coffee was like the Terminator without John Connor—bat-shit insane and absolutely lethal.
Tabby wrinkled her nose in disgust. “No, it’s not coffee. I don’t think I’ve ever smelled anything quite like it before.”
Cyn looked over at Glory who shook her head. “I can’t smell a thing.”
Cyn bit her lip, but it really wasn’t that hard a decision to make. “I think this qualifies as anything weird. Call Gabe.”
“On it.” Glory pulled out her cell phone. She must have put the sheriff on speed dial, because within two seconds she was talking to him.
“I’m going to find where the hell that’s coming from.” Tabby stalked out from behind the counter and headed toward the back, into the employee–only area. “What is it?” She was muttering to herself as she followed the scent to the back door.
Cyn stuck to her like glue. No way was she letting Tabby go out there by herself. She grabbed hold of Tabby’s arm. “Let’s wait for Gabe.”
Tabby’s eyes had turned golden brown, her Wolf’s eyes. “I have a really bad feeling about this.”
She trusted Tabby’s instincts. They’d sharpened since her friend had gotten pregnant. Cyn pulled Tabby back and away from the door. “Let’s get out of here.”
Glory was already out front, waiting for them. “I was just about to go in to pull you guys out. Gabe wants us to wait out here for him. He also wants to know what it smelled like.”
“It was plastic and metal and…motor oil? Maybe? And something I can’t even describe.”
Gabe pulled up to the curb, lights flashing but sirens silent. He got out of his cruiser and sprinted toward the girls. “All right, Tabby, come with me.” He pulled Tabby off to the side and whispered in her ear. Tabby in turn whispered back.
Gabe paled and pushed Tabby toward the street. “You three, get across the street now.” He then sprinted for the back of the shop at breakneck speed.
Cyn didn’t need to be told twice. She ran across the street and into the dry cleaners. “What the fuck is going on?”
Gabe came running back from around the corner of the building, his expression grim. He leaned into the cruiser, but Cyn couldn’t see what he was doing.
Before too long he was jogging across the street. “Follow me.”
Cyn, Tabby and Glory followed him to the corner. “Listen carefully.” He was talking so softly Cyn could barely hear him. “I think there’s a pipe bomb at your back door.”
“A what?” Cold fury rushed through her. Whoever was after them had gone too far. A pipe bomb wouldn’t just do property damage. The damn things were meant to kill people.
“I’ve already sent for the bomb squad. I want you girls to wait here until I tell you otherwise.”
Cyn clenched her fists. “Tabby, did you scent Cheetah again?”
“No. It was…strange. Not human, I know that.” She rubbed her nose. “It’s really weird. I’d swear I smelled deer.”
Cyn’s brows rose in surprise. “There are deer shifters?”
“No. That’s what’s so strange about it. I could scent deer and charcoal and wool, but nothing else.”
“Was that the scent that you couldn’t describe?” Glory was playing with her hair, twisting the curls around her fingers over and over again. She was scared, and desperately trying not to show it.
“No. Maybe it was the explosive I smelled.” Tabby groaned as a familiar motorcycle pulled up in front of them. “I didn’t do anything.”
The smile in Alex’s face was easy-going, but his dark brown bear’s eyes betrayed his uneasiness. “Tell me my mate wasn’t threatened again.”
Gabe sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “It’s going to be a long day, isn’t it?”
Alex spun on his heel and marched toward the tattoo shop. Tabby raced after him and latched onto his arm. “No, Alex!”
“Come back here so I can explain everything to you.” Gabe grabbed hold of Alex’s other arm. “Look over there. My deputies are starting to clear out the businesses around the tattoo shop. You can’t go over there right now.”
