Just Bob (Assassins Inc. #1)(19)

Well, shit.

“Bob, pack a bag,” I ordered. I hated that I had to take my mate out of his home, but it was no longer safe here. I wasn’t sure where it was safe.

“Why?” Bob asked. “Am I going somewhere?”

“We all are.” If Sinclair said go underground, they were going underground. That man knew things that no one else did, not even the council. He was also smarter than any man Shade had ever met.

Not that they had actually met. Sinclair was a voice on the phone. A port in the storm when trouble was brewing, like now. I couldn’t count the number of times Sinclair had provided and escape for me when I called. Sometimes it had been as simple as calling a cab. Other times, he had cut the electricity to a building so I could shift and escape into the shadows.

That was why I was so disturbed by Sinclair’s message. If he was running scared, we should be terrified.

And running.

“Hurry up, baby. We need to go. It’s no longer safe here.”

Bob grimaced as he glared at Stone. “It hasn’t been safe here since he arrived.”

I quickly hid my grin behind my hand, coughing hard to keep from laughing. Bob really had a grudge against Stone. I didn’t think it was the whole assassin thing that bothered him, because he didn’t seem to have the same grudge against Stryker. I was pretty sure it came from Stone being in Bob’s bed with Mustachio.

“It hasn’t been safe since someone took a hit out on you, baby. Stone had nothing to do with it.”

Bob’s snort was not attractive in the least.

Really.

“Stone accepted the contract just like the rest of us.”

“He was in our bed.”

Yep, nailed it.

“I know, baby, but he’ll never do that again.” I shot the man in question a stern look. “Right, Stone?”

“Yeah, fine, I won’t get in Bob’s bed again.” Stone held up his hand. “Scout’s honor.”

I rolled my eyes.

“Shifters can be scouts?” Bob asked.

And that would be why I rolled my eyes.

“Yes, baby, shifters can be anything humans can be.”

“Well.” Bob’s arms crossed. “I wasn’t allowed to be a scout, so I’m not sure that’s an inducement.”

“Well,” Stone said, “I was a scout and let me tell you, you didn’t miss anything.”

“Can we shelve this conversation for another time?” Stryker asked. “We scented a pack of hyenas in the area.” There was a disgusted curl to Stryker’s upper lip. I didn’t blame him. Hyenas were nasty business. “They’d sell their mothers for a buck. With the high price on Bob’s head, I expect the entire damn species to come after him.”

Bob stared for a moment, his mouth hanging open. I winced when he turned toward me with fear-filled eyes. “Yeah, let’s go,” Bob said quickly. “Let’s do that.”

“Grab a bag, Bob. I’ll get Mustachio.” I knew Bob wouldn’t leave without his precious cat. “Does he have a cat carrier or something?”

“No, he’s too big for a cat carrier,” Bob said as he started for his bedroom. “I couldn’t afford a dog carrier so I taught him to walk on a leash. There’s one hanging in the closet. It has a little body harness you’ll have to put on him.”

I felt two sets of eyes on me after Bob disappeared into the bedroom. I turned to look at Stone and Stryker. “What?”

“Your mate is weird,” Stone said.

Bob was kind of weird, but he was human so…I lifted an eyebrow. “Weird or not, I have a mate, and I’ll take him any way that I can get him.”

For a brief moment, I thought I saw longing and sadness in Stone’s eyes, but it was gone before I could be sure.

“Let’s get out of here so we can make sure you continue to have a mate,” Stone said. “If those hyenas get him, they won’t care if he’s the mate of a shifter or not. They’ll just kill him.”

I knew Stryker was right. While most shifters understood what a blessing a mate was, hyenas just didn’t care. I always thought it was because they didn’t seem to have mates of their own so maybe they couldn’t understand. After voicing my opinion, I had been assured by others that they did indeed have mates, but I still wasn’t sure. Maybe they were just naturally assholes.

“He seriously walks his cat on a leash?” Stryker asked.

“You haven’t seen his cat,” Stone replied. “Man-eating moose comes immediately to mind.”

Stryker’s eyebrows lifted. “Is he a shifter?”

I was surprised when Stone chuckled. I wasn’t used to seeing so much emotion out of the guy. “No,” Stone said. “He’s just your regular garden variety house cat.”

I snorted. “There isn’t anything regular about Mustachio.”

Speaking of which, where was the little fur ball? I started looking around. He had to be here somewhere. It wasn’t like he could hide under the couch…or any other piece of furniture.

“Do you see him?” I asked as I peeked under the coffee table.

“Who?” Stone asked.

“The cat.”

Wasn’t that who we were talking about?