Grinning, Sam dumped the drugs into the toilet. Before she could pull the lever, the room door opened. She froze. Jared had come back early. Heavy steps shuffled on the carpeted floor.
She turned around. She stiffened.
He grimaced. “Sam.”
* * * *
David slammed on the brakes of his black Porsche when they hit an intersection. Adam lurched forward, but the seatbelt prevented him from hitting the windshield. Calvin, on the other hand, wasn’t buckled up in the back seat. The panther’s head hit the headrest. An angry snarl filled the car. Calvin was pissed.
“Which way is it?” David barked back. “Left or right?”
Calvin sniffed the air through the crack of the window. His tail smacked the leather seat repeatedly. Left. She is close…
“That’s what you’ve been saying for the past ten minutes.” David scowled.
If you let me go on foot, I would have found her by now.
“Yeah. And how are you going to manage to conceal yourself in the general population?” David fixed his attention on the road and hit the gas. The Porsche pounced with ease, entering the main street. As much as he wanted to speed and break all rules of the road, he couldn’t. He caught a glimpse of a police patrol vehicle about two cars ahead. Speeding wasn’t going to happen, unless he wanted to get a ticket. The last thing David wanted to do was to attract attention. With Calvin in his beastly form, a simple explanation as to why he had a wild animal in the car wouldn’t do.
He cruised along Carmel Street, passing several shops and restaurants.
She’s close. That way…
“Where?”
That motel. Her scent is strong.
Adam craned his neck and squinted. “Isn’t that Morgan’s car?”
David saw what Adam was pointing at. Their cook’s blue Plymouth sedan was parked in front of Willwood Lodge. Morgan had said that Sam had borrowed his car to go to Walgreens to get something and she’d felt awkward borrowing Adam’s car again.
Want. Want her…
Calvin looked eager to jump out of the car as David slowed and glided into the parking lot.
“Stay here.” David rolled up the tinted windows. Calvin would be safe from prying eyes. “We’ll be back soon.”
He heard bones creaking. Calvin shifted to his human form.
“No fair,” Calvin protested. “I need to go with you.”
“Naked?” Adam reminded him.
“Fuck.” Calvin pounded his fist on the seat. “Let me borrow your jacket.”
“Absolutely fucking not.” David pulled the key from the ignition. “Then what? You go in there bare-assed?”
Calvin swore again.
David got out. “Stay put.” He slammed the door.
Adam followed suit. He nodded at him. “I’ve caught her scent too. Let’s go.”
They broke into a run to the motel. The clerk lifted his head from the magazine he was reading, looking terminally bored as they stormed through the doorway.
“Can I help you, gentlemen?” the clerk asked.
David dismissed the semi-stuporous man immediately. That dumbwit wouldn’t be able to help them. Besides, David had a lock on Sam’s scent. It was getting stronger. “No thanks.”