“I saw her today,” Tina #1 said. “She was hitting on Puck.”
“Clearly we didn’t do a good enough job,” Tina #2 snapped angrily.
Son of a…why couldn’t I catch a break? The Tinas had entered the bathroom and they were talking about me. Should I step out and beat the hell out of them? No. That would be childish and possibly messy. I liked my sundress and, quite honestly, Hank deserved my anger more than they did. After a short internal debate with my inner wolf, who wanted to kill them, I decided to stand on the toilet so my feet weren’t spotted and listen to what the vipers said…They might have some information on the missing girls. Tina #1 was working at the modeling agency.
“Oh, please,” Tina #2 griped. “You’re all just pissed because none of us could bag Hank.”
Wait. What?
“He’s a fool. I literally showed up at his house naked the day after she took off and he kicked me out. No one kicks me out when I’m naked,” Tina #1 ground out with fury.
The other Tinas laughed and Tina #1 growled. I was missing a piece of info and my stomach dropped, making me feel ill.
“I vote we give each other hickeys all over our bodies again, show her and tell her he did it. She bought it last time. She’s so stupid she’ll buy it again.”
“Do you remember how she sobbed when we showed her what her boyfriend did to us? It was so much fun. I haven’t been able to make anyone cry like that in a year,” Tina #3 gushed.
“I actually kind of enjoyed giving you all hickeys,” Tina #3 said.
“Are you gay?” Tina #2 demanded.
“No, we were drunk so it didn’t count,” Tina #3 shot back.
“Look, if she hits on Puck again, I’ll give both of you hickeys on your faces to get rid of her. I don’t see why men are so attracted to her,” Tina #1 spat.
“Because she’s beautiful,” Tina #3 groused. “Let her have Hank. I never really wanted him anyway.”
“Liar,” Tina #2 purred. “Everyone red-blooded female Were wants that man. He’s the alpha and he’s sex on a stick. You’re still completely hung up on him.”
“Speak for yourself. We have to go back to the agency and get back to work. Those fiery boys are major taskmasters.” Tina #1 giggled.
My body felt hot and cold at the same time. I wanted to scream and cry and crawl out of my skin. The need to shift and run until there was no feeling left in me was intense. How had I made a mistake like this? Why had I believed them? The tears rolled unchecked down my cheeks. I could not go back to the table.
I heard them leave and I let the sobs roll through my body. The sounds I made were foreign. I thought my heart had broken a year ago, but I was wrong. It was shattering now and it was no one’s fault but mine.
The Tinas were right. I was stupid. I had destroyed the best thing in my life by jumping to conclusions and I was too embarrassed to come clean at this point. Hank deserved someone far better than me. Oh my god, the thought of him finding love and happiness with someone else was horrifying, but I owed him that after how childish and selfish I’d been. I just needed to get through the next week. I would treat him kinder and try and leave as friends. As much as I hated the reality of him with someone else, I loved him enough to want that to happen.
I’d get through lunch and discuss my meeting with Puck Flame and then I’d shift and go for a long run on the beach. I had a whole day to kill before I could work on the case again and I needed to clear my mind and try to forgive myself for being the worst person in the world. I had a feeling that would take decades…
I splashed my face with cold water and tried to fix my hair. My hands shook and tears kept leaking from my eyes. Pull yourself together. This was your fault. It’s done and you lose. Grow up and move on.
My inner wolf prowled restlessly inside me and I promised her we’d run later. I dabbed my eyes, pinched my cheeks for some color and plastered on a smile that would never reach my eyes again. I could do this.
The lunch crowd had slimmed out and I noticed Dwayne and Granny had left. The hair on the back of my neck stood up. Maybe I should go for a run now… Hank was still in the booth and he looked ready to explode. Crapcrapcrap.
I owed him an explanation. I was a big enough girl to do the right thing. I had no clue where Granny and Dwayne went, but something was way off. Had Granny read him the riot act? God, I hoped not. It was me that deserved the riot act. If she had pissed Hank off, why would she have left me to deal with it alone? I glanced wildly around the diner and noticed all the shifters had left. Only humans remained. I waved at a few people I knew and dragged my feet back to the booth.
“Um…hi. Where did Granny and Dwayne go?” I asked.
Hank said nothing. His hands were clenched and his jaw was tight.
“Did you order yet? I didn’t order before you got here and I’m kind of hungry, but not really. Actually the thought of swallowing food is nauseating right now, but if you want to eat and discuss the case I can sit here. I could drink some water or a soda or I could go and get my…”
“Sit,” Hank instructed tersely.
I did.
“I think that Puck Flame is definitely dirty and I think the Tinas are possibly recruiting for him and his partners. I got his prints on my cup and I’m sure he’s using an alias. And, um, I’m going back in the morning, but I’m sure you know that because you were listening at the station.”
Hank slowly removed the transmitter from his ear and laid it on the table in front of me. My gut burned and my palms began to sweat. Oh my hell, I was still wearing the wire. He heard everything in the bathroom and he hated me. I wasn’t going to get the chance to tell him what a loser I was because he already knew. The need to run was almost overwhelming, but this time I would stay until I was told to go.