Cynful

Julian would have to say about all of this.

She pushed thoughts of Julian aside for later. Right now, she had tiramisu to conquer.

Chapter Ten

“I’m glad you didn’t have any trouble while you were out last night.” Gabe Anderson snatched the tapping pencil out of Tabby’s fingers. “I still think it was reckless, though.”

“That’s not what Glory told me you said.” Cyn rolled her eyes and thought about how insane her friend was being. “I hate to say this, I mean I really hate to say this, but I think somebody should just bite her ass.” Maybe then she’d get over the massive cranky fit she was having.

“You’re just saying that because I’ve been singing Weird Al Yankovic all morning.” Glory smirked at them as she worked on the belly button ring display.

Cyn turned and glared at her. “This is revenge for the Super Grover comment.”

Glory’s baby blues went wide with fake innocence. “Can I help it if I love ‘Perform This Way’?”

Gabe cleared his throat, gaining their attention once more. “I’ll be checking in regularly with you ladies, but just in case here’s my cell number. Call me if anything seems to be even remotely off. Until we find out what these guys are after I’m not going to risk your safety.” Gabe tossed the pencil back to Tabby and sauntered out of the shop.

Glory set the display back in the case and dusted off her hands. “Be right back. Feel free to talk about me while I’m gone.”

“What the hell is up with her?” Tabby’s accent had thickened into a deep Georgia drawl, an indication of exactly how upset she was. “She’s acting like a total brat.”

“It’s that whole don’t tie-me-down thing that’s tripping her up.”

“Maybe I should change her.” Rat-a-tat-tat went Tabby’s pencil. “Maybe then she’ll understand why Ryan’s close to losing it.”

“Might not be a bad idea. If she feels that mate pull you guys talk about she’ll stop fighting it so hard.”

“At least you’ve stopped fighting it.”

Cyn shrugged. She couldn’t say she’d completely stopped fighting it, but it was more girl slap now than Gears of War. Julian was proving he was nothing like her father, and she was proving to herself she was nothing like her mother. Now if only she could get over the fear that he’d do a complete one-eighty once he bit her they’d be golden.

“Did I tell you, Micah called me again?” Tabby’s tapping pencil picked up speed.

The new Alpha of Tabby’s old Pack had been relentless in his attempts to try and speak with her. “Did you pick up the phone this time?”

“Hell, no. Alex still wants to go down there and find Dennis Boyd and rip him a new one. You think I’m really going to open up that can of whoop-ass on the Marietta Pack?”

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.”