Page 15 of Buck & Mari

She stood up, holding the cat against her chest as if she expected it to claw her skin off of her bones and he found that he had a lot of questions.

Questions he wanted to ask her, but there wasn’t the time and this, he turned his head to look around the room, this wasn’t the place.

“Thanks for bringing the shrimp.”

Her smile brightened at that. “She likes people. It’s good for her.”

She moved to the cat carrier that she’d set down and when the cat turned its head to look in that direction, Buck felt both the cat and Mari tense up.

This, he guessed, must be a usual battle between them.

“Here,” he reached for the cat, taking a few quick steps forward, “let me help.”

Mari cast a look toward the open doorway. “I thought you were going.”

Buck picked up the cat by the scruff of her neck and the cat relaxed into his sure grip. “My friend’s sitting in air-conditioned comfort. Probably talking on the phone with his wife. Here,” he gestured at the cat carrier, “while she’s relaxed, let’s get her in.”

Mari grabbed the carrier with one hand on each side and held it out.

Buck kept the cat securely in hand, facing him.

She seemed fine until her head sank below the edge of the carrier.

He heard a yowl and a few scratches.

Mari’s hold on the carrier slipped but she caught it quickly.

With her holding it, he was able to close the gate.

Ebi was in fine form by then. She didn’t seem to want to settle, so he took the case from Mari and turned it so he could grab the handle at the top. “I can carry it out to your car.”

He had a feeling that Mari was about to say no.

She had a look on her face that said she did things on her own.

He didn’t doubt it, but he also wanted to spend a few more minutes trying to understand the hold that she had on him.

He was trying to walk away from most people in his life.

His team kept refusing to give him space and he’d given up trying.

But Mari?

He wanted a few more minutes.

She didn’t comment on his offer, but she gave him a look that said she’d heard it.

When she started toward the opening in the wall, he fell in beside her.

When they passed by the reception desk, he gave the people gathered behind the desk a nod and tried to ignore how they looked back at him, wide-eyed.

“Bye, Mari!” “Bye, Ebi.” “See you soon, Mister Derringer.”

The voices reached them and he saw Mari give the ladies a strange, stilted wave as they headed for the door.

He could see a car outside by the curb, but it wasn’t Pallas’ normal car.

A quick look through the windows told him that it was Riptide instead of Pallas.