Looking down at my wrinkled and torn dress, I grinned. "I'm hungry. I'm not changing."
"Then drive thru it is." He chuckled as he grabbed my hand and we ran out of the front door.
***
"I'm having a hard time dealing with the fact I just ate ten tacos. I'm pretty sure I have a food baby," I muttered as I patted my full stomach.
"That's nothing," Hank bragged. "I ate seventeen. I have food quadruplets."
I giggled as I slurped on my soda and tried to keep my eyes open. It had been a long couple of days and sleep hadn't been a priority. We were parked outside a local taco joint because neither of us could wait to eat until we got home. The fabulous Mustang we'd found the keys for got a few envious glances, but I didn't care. It drove like a dream. I scented only humans and was relieved we were probably safe from danger at least for the evening.
"So do we have a plan for tomorrow?" I asked as I tried to tamp down my gluttonous need for more cheap Mexican food. Thank god Werewolf metabolism was fast.
"We call on the burner phone and we meet up."
"Let's do it in a public place. How about on Clark by Wrigley Field?"
"I was thinking the Lincoln Park Zoo in case we have to shift," he countered.
"Damn, you're good. The Dragon drinks the serum before we get into any logistics." I looked away from the mound of empty taco wrappers so I could pretend I hadn't eaten quite as much as I had.
"Excellent. We'll say we'll meet by the Red Wolf area, but we'll stay in the shadows until we know they're alone," Hank suggested.
"We call and give them eight minutes to get there. That's enough time from the office if they run. Leave a note at the Wolf cage and then tell them to proceed to the monkeys. At the monkey cage, leave a note to send them to the reptiles, and if we think they're clean by then—we talk. If we think they're being followed or they brought anyone else to the party, we disappear."
"God, you're hot when you go all agent," Hank said with a whistle and a quick peck to my lips.
"Wait, one more twist. Have them start at Wrigley and then we call them with the burner and start the maze at the zoo."
"Just when I thought you couldn't get any hotter… "
"I'm good like that," I said with a giggle.
We sat back in our seats and basked in our smart plan and full stomachs.
"If you put a pin in me I'd pop," Hank said with a groan.
"Good thing we had sex before we ate our own weight in tacos," I said as I seriously contemplated going through the drive thru one more time.
"True," Hank agreed and then laughed. "You wanna get a few more?"
"Oh my god, you are so the man for me."
And we went back through the drive thru… two more times.
Chapter 14
"You armed and ready?" Hank asked quietly as we walked into the zoo.
"Yep. Locked and loaded."
The morning had dawned sunny and beautiful—not a cloud in the sky. The breeze floated playfully through the trees in the park. Sadly, I felt anything but playful. It was early and not many people were in the zoo. I was thankful for that. There was the potential for things to go very wrong with a Dragon involved. I still didn't trust my boss for pairing us with a species that had tried to kill me twice in the last month alone. Whatever. I was sure she had her reasons.
We'd placed the notes where they were certain to find them and we found an excellent hiding spot in the bushes outside the reptile house. Our greenish brown fatigues blended right in. My adrenaline was pumping and the Vampyre blood in my system itched for a bloody fight. Not to mention my inner wolf was rattling her cage like a crazy person. Tamping both instincts down took effort, but I succeeded. I was only going Rambo if I had to.
"You wanna make the call?" Hank asked with a grin that belied the tension I could feel coming off of him.
"I most certainly do," I answered as I rolled my neck and popped my sternum.
"Doesn't that hurt?" Hank asked as he winced at the sound of my bones popping.
"Dude, we turn into Wolves. How can my popping my sternum freak you out?"
"Point," he conceded with a chuckle.
I stared at the phone for a long moment. The same one I had talked to Dwayne on only an hour ago. They were in the process of moving Granny to Michigan and so far things were going as expected. Dwayne was cautiously optimistic. However, the Cows were downright ecstatic at the thought of feeding and coddling Granny. The girls had no doubt whatsoever that she would wake up in a week. I wasn't as sure, but I wanted to believe it so badly my heart hurt.
"What are you waiting for?" Hank asked as he watched me closely. "Do you want me to make the call?"
"Nope," I said with a sigh. "It's just when I make the call there's no turning back. The ball will start rolling and there is no way in hell to stop it."
"The ball is already rolling," Hank said logically and without emotion. "We're going to stop it and obliterate it. The call is just a small piece of a puzzle already halfway put together. Lose the feelings you have for everyone but me. Use your training and let instinct guide you."
"My instinct says to let my Wolf and Vamp out and kill shit," I told him with a rueful smile.
"Well, then… listen."
He was correct. The time for introspective thought was over. It was time to trust no one but Hank and myself. I would proceed with caution and with my eyes and ears wide open. I felt for my Glock and the knives and squirt gun filled with the solution Dima would have to drink. It would prohibit her shift and potentially elongate my life and Hank's.