Then there was roar of a tiger.
Annalise opened her eyes and saw a huge tiger baring his fangs at Cécile. Cécile stumbled backward and brandished the letter opener at the beast. Annalise almost called Sven’s name but she halted at the very last moment.
“What is this? Why is a tiger in here?” Cécile looked panicked.
Sven roared.
Cécile squealed and tried to run. Her heel caught on a book that had fallen during the struggle. She lost her balance and smashed her head on the credenza. Her body hit the floor, not moving.
“Cécile!” Annalise crawled to help her.
The tiger slowly changed into Sven.
“Cécile. Cécile.” Annalise tried to wake her up. “Sven, help her. Please.”
The human Sven looked furious. “Even after she tried to kill you?” He pulled Annalise closer and did a brief examination. His face was painted with anguish. “You’re bleeding.”
“I’m fine. Check on Cécile, make sure she’s fine.”
“That bitch tried to kill you.”
“I’m sure she didn’t mean it. She was under a lot stress lately and she snapped. Please, Sven.”
“Anna, if there’s one human being in this planet that deserves to be hated, it should be her.” He scooted over to examine Cécile’s head. “She’ll be fine. We should call security and the paramedics.”
Annalise gave Sven a once-over. “How do we explain to them that you’re naked?”
“Shit.” He rose and gathered his tattered clothes. “Seymour kept extra clothing and a lab jacket, so I’ll be fine. I’ll ask Sebastian to bring my own clothes here.”
“What about Cécile? She saw you.”
“No, she saw a tiger.”
“She’s going to talk.”
“She can, but who’s going to take her seriously? Her next stop is the loony bin.”
“Oh.”
Sven helped Annalise to stand. “Are you sure you’re all right? That gash needs stitches.”
“I’m fine, I’m fine. We should deal with security and the police now.”
Sven grumbled.
“Sven, would you do me a favor?” Annalise asked.
“What is it?”
“I want you to fire me as chairman once this is over. This job sucks donkey balls.”
Sven pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head. “Deal.”
The End