Protector Panther (Protection, Inc 3)

“I like cats,” Shane said. “I don’t know how they’ll feel about me, though. I don’t think I’ve met any since I became one myself.”

“Then this should be interesting.” Catalina unlocked the door.

Her apartment was small but cozy, lived-in but not cluttered. There was a comfy-looking sofa, photos of her family, a TV and video game console, and a bookcase mostly filled with video games and DVDs. An elaborate, multi-story cat house was in one corner.

Catalina crouched down, and Shane followed her. Catalina’s family appeared to be lurking under the sofa.

He patted the floor. “Here, kitty, kitty.”

Three sets of glowing eyes stared back at him. One cat spat loudly, one hissed, and a third darted out from under the couch and leaped into Catalina’s arms.

“Poor baby,” said Catalina, but she was laughing, too. She rubbed the black and white cat behind its ears. It purred, banging its head hard into her arm, then turned to Shane and let out an angry yowl. “Maybe give them time to get used to you?”

They’re jealous, said Shane’s panther with satisfaction. Now they have to share.

“Good idea,” Shane said aloud. “Maybe they’ll like me better if I stay in the bedroom for a while.”

“By yourself,” Catalina said, nodding. “Give me some quality alone time with them.”

Shane put his hand on the small of her back and gave her a gentle shove. “Into the bedroom with you, woman.”

Clutching the cat tight to her chest, she did a backflip across the room, out of his reach. The cat yowled again, but it sounded more excited than scared. Shane bet it was saying, One of us!

“You stay in the bedroom,” Catalina retorted. “I wasn’t kidding about the alone time. My kitties and I haven’t seen each other in months! Don’t forget, there was all that time I spent in Loredana.”

Shane had forgotten about that. “Okay. Have your reunion. I’ll entertain myself. I got lots of practice with that at Apex.”

“It’s on the left,” Catalina called, over a chorus of happy meows.

Her bedroom was also small and cozy, but the bed was big enough for two. A backpack of emergency supplies was stashed under the bed, alongside a full duffel bag that Shane had no doubt was her go-bag, already packed with everything she’d need if she was called up to go abroad into a disaster zone on an hour’s notice and with no idea how long she’d stay. He’d had one too when he’d been a PJ. He had one still, out of habit, even though his bodyguard assignments were never that rushed.

Just how similar are we? Shane wondered.

He felt along the bed until he found the dent where Catalina usually slept, then lay in it and reached out into the bed frame. His first try found nothing, but then he remembered that his arms were much longer than hers. When he felt in the place that would be within her arm’s reach, he found a heavy flashlight, perfect for knocking out an intruder.

Catalina opened the door. Three cats skulked warily behind her, then drew back and hissed at the sight of Shane.

Shane held up the flashlight. “I found your weapon.”

“It’s actually in case there’s an earthquake,” she said, looking embarrassed.

“Catalina. It’s exactly where I keep my gun.”

“Okay, yeah, it’s my weapon,” she confessed. “I’ve never had to use it, but I like having it, just in case. I don’t need it any more now, I guess. Still... If there was an earthquake...”

“Of course you should keep it.” Shane replaced the heavy flashlight. “Who gave you a hard time about it?”

“A jerk who never got invited back again,” she said. “He called me paranoid and said I’d never be able to fight off a man anyway. He’d have had a nice night with me if he’d just kept his mouth shut. We were already undressed. I picked up his clothes and threw them and him out the front door.”

“I hope it was a cold night,” Shane said.

Catalina smiled. “The next morning, I found footprints in the frost. Barefoot. I accidentally dropped his shoes on our way out.”

She came into the room and beckoned to the cats. They hung back, staring balefully at Shane. He crouched down, trying to make himself seem less threatening. It didn’t work. They backed away, their fur puffed up and their tails lashing.

“They hate me,” Shane said.

“They’ll get over it,” replied Catalina.