“What the hell is going on here?!” an indignant voice sputters, and I grimace.
So much for my plan to smuggle his hostage out without him being any the wiser.
Face turning red as he takes in his wrecked office, he looks far more upset about the mess than anything, not so much as sparing his ‘pet’ a second thought as he bellows, “Security!”
Narrowing his glare on me, he seethes, “Clearly,you aren’t up to the standards of Mercy Credit Union. Get out.Now.”
I sling on my coat with a closed fist, but when I slide it into my pocket and open it… nothing wiggles free. Panicked now, I frantically scan the debris for a flash of teal, dropping to my knees to hastily check under the desk, but he’s nowhere to be found.
He must have slipped through my fingers when I fell.
A firm hand grips my bicep, hauling me to my feet and marching me out of the bank before the security guard shoves me out the door and slams it in my face. The cold hits me hard and fast as I blink back tears. Soaking wet and rapidly turning into a living ice sculpture, I reluctantly shuffle down the steps, feeling like a total failure.
“Octopuses are wicked smart. Now that he’s free from the tank, he’ll make it down a pipe or outside into the cold,” I lie to myself, a shiver racing down my spine as I start the long walk home. “The lake isn’tthatfar; he’ll find his way before it’s too late.”
It’ll be fine. He’ll be fine.
Me, on the other hand? My stomach growls and I grimace. Not quite as optimistic.
“You sneaky bastard. Second base on the first date? If I wasn’t into tentacles, I’d be seriously offended.” I tug the collar of my shirt away from my chest so I can get a better look at the world’s cutest little octopus nestled in the space between myboobs where water has pooled in my bra. “Just kidding, it’s the most action I’ve gotten in years. But how about we move you somewhere more comfortable so I don’t have to freeze my tits off to keep you cool?”
Skin burning, I stuff a few handfuls of snow into my coat pocket and squish it around until it’s mostly melted slush, then transfer him into his temporary pool. My shirt is frozen now thanks to the chilly mountain air, and it’s a long walk to the lake, but this guy has suffered enough without spending the night in another tank if I can avoid it.
“I can’t afford to ship you home, or even trust anyone I’d hire not to sell you on the black market, unfortunately. So it looks like it’s you and me against the world for now, little guy. Just two fish out of water doing the best we can to survive. Spring is at least three months out, so we have time to make a game plan. We’ve got this.”
I don’t got this.
Not about to tell Tiny Tim that though. All I’ve done is delay the inevitable, but freedom is a gift most people take for granted… even if it has a countdown clock attached.
So I have three to four months to build a mini arctic habitat at the clinic. Totally doable. I just need to spend a few nights scouring the internet, and to become the sugar baby of an ice mogul. Invest in a huge freezer and a shit ton of ice cube trays. A good AC unit.
My stomach growls as it starts eating itself and I close my eyes in defeat with the stark reminder that I can’t even afford groceries right now. I don’t have any business going on a crusade to save someone else.
But I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I let him die, either.
Sighing, I start brainstorming ideas of how to drum up more business at the vet clinic when a sudden, “Motherfucker!”hasme whipping my head to the side a split second before someone slams into my legs and sends us both crashing to the ground.
Chapter 3
Devlin
Watering the flowerbed next to the house with lighter fluid, I singLight ‘em Upunder my breath and dance my way around the perimeter back to the garage where I started.
Thank goodness I sprung for the third bottle.
Picking up the bag of groceries I raided from the dude’s fridge where it’s waiting on the sidewalk, I go to put them in his car when my foot slips on a patch of ice and I go down like a sack of bricks. “Motherfucker!”The world's worst slip and slide ends in another crash and something knocking the wind out of me.
No good deed goes unpunished. But damn, they could have at least waited until I threw the match.
Dazed and cursing, I rub the growing knot on the back of my head and try to get my bearings. The weight on top of me moves and I tense, reaching for the hunting knife strapped to my thigh. I’ve barely wrapped my fingers around the hilt before icy, purple hair teases my chest like razor blades, and the brightest blue-green eyes I’ve ever seen steal the remaining breath from my lungs.
Pushing herself into a seated position, she lifts the nearly empty lighter fluid container and a cucumber that fell out of the ripped grocery bag. Raising an eyebrow, the corner of her lip twitches. “You know they sell lube around the corner, right?”
I frown, not understanding the sudden topic change.“Did… you want me to go get you some?”
She snorts. “Just saying, that’s how you wind up with awkward ER visits. It’s worth splurging on safe stuff.”
As her meaning dawns on me, I gape at her. “I’m not sure what you do toyourgroceries, but I wasn’t planning on fucking it.”
