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Mickey pointed to the sign above the bungalow. “It’s an Airbnb place. I made a reservation. We got the access code and the information to stay there for a night. It’s all paid for. We don’t have to break in or sleep on the floor.”
“What is an Airbnb?” Strap asked while examining the sign.
Mickey poked Strap again. “Have you been under a rock the last five years, catbirdbrain? It’s a huge deal.” She didn’t think the question needed a real answer and got out of the car. She grabbed her gear and flung the bags over her shoulder.
Strap hadn’t even made it out of the car when she punched in the key number. The door swung open, and Mickey flipped the light on.
The inside of the cottage was quaint. Like a grandmother had decorated it. The couches were overstuffed and purple. They had a ton of flowery throw pillows. And if Mickey didn’t know they would probably end up in bed together, she would have made Strap sleep out there without feeling guilty.
But that thought was a different one for tonight. Today, she was hungry and needed to plan the events coming soon.
Strap came in, dropped his bag, and looked around. “It’s better than I thought it would be,” he muttered and fell to the couch. “If you want to do surveillance of the property, it is possible, but the guy has a ton of firepower. They will see us coming if we aren’t careful.”
Mickey sat near him and listened as Strap continued. “We are going to need as few cameras as possible too. We’re not going to be able to launch into a full-on scouting mission.”
“Why? I’ll have the schedules, the number of guards, and everything we need. It can’t be that dangerous if they don’t even know we are coming.” Mickey stood and unpacked all her electronics.
“We are going up against one of the most dangerous men in Spain. Of course, it’s dangerous. Of course, you can get caught. You’re not invincible.” That was funny coming out of a shifter’s mouth.
“Why are you being so stubborn about this?” Mickey swept her hand over the table. “I came prepared. I’m not going to fuck this up.”
“This isn’t about fucking up, Mickey. This is about being protected. Less equipment means less danger of getting caught. And don’t think you can’t get caught.” Strap finished his speech and towered over Mickey. The adamance in his eyes forced a sign of surrender out of Mickey’s mouth.
Then, a spark of an idea gleaned to life. “Fine. I’ll listen to you. But you have to do something for me then.”
Strap raised his eyebrows. “What do you have in mind?”
EIGHTEEN
STRAP
Even in panther form, Strap made his opinion known to Mickey as she patted his head and swiped his butt. “Time to go, kitty.” Mickey laughed.
Strap swiped at Mickey’s leg, releasing a little of his claw so she knew he was irritated. She jumped back and hissed in pain, although he hadn’t even broken the skin. But Strap purred in appreciation of Mickey’s reaction.
“You’d better behave, catbirdbrain. Otherwise, I might just do something you’ll regret.” Mickey stuffed some remote cameras in a bag and tied it around the panther’s neck. “I’ll grab the drone. You get going.” Mickey patted Strap’s hind end. He kicked her, and a wicked smile bloomed over her face.
Strap chirped at her with noises but turned and walked out of the bungalow before Mickey could do another thing to humiliate him.
The mic attached to the pouch let Mickey talk to him while he wandered through the woods. Strap crossed the street and headed into Biagini’s territory. After a few moments of weaving in, out, and around trees, he stopped at a tree with a large trunk and low-hanging branches. Strap sat back on his hind legs and sprang upward.
He leapt through the air and landed on the branch as if it were a highwire.
“Let’s go. What are you waiting for?” Mickey’s static voice cracked over the microphone. Strap rolled his eyes and shifted.
“I don’t know what you think you are doing but stop.” The tree bark dug into Strap’s bare feet and bit the soles. “You think it’s so easy to do this. You come and do it. Or just zip your lip while I setup up this crap,” he whispered.
“Move it a little to the left,” Mickey responded.
“Cut it out,” Strap said but obeyed. He tilted the lens toward the house and ensured the fasteners were secure.
“Great,” Mickey said. “Image coming through clearly, now get your cute kitty butt back down and get the rest of those cameras up.”
Strap wrapped the bag around his hand and jumped to the ground. There, he transformed back into his panther shape and slinked to another tree.
There were fifteen in all.
By the end of jumping up and down in his panther form, Strap got a good workout, and even though his legs hurt, he didn’t want to get caught at the start of their surveillance, so he stayed in panther form at least until he was further from Biagini’s property.
