Page 5 of Echo and the Homicidal Sea Panda

Echo shrugged. “A lot on my mind, I guess.” He slipped his grandfather’s journal into his backpack, weighing Diego’s offer. “Just so you know—that project I was working on? It’s now over.”

“Oh?”Diego asked, moving closer to his desk. “Is it still a state secret or can you talk about it now?”

“Still top secret, I’m afraid,” Echo answered.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Diego broke eye contact and glanced at the floor. The air seemed heavy with unasked questions. Diego likely felt a bit upset at being shut out, and under any other circumstances, Echo wouldn’t have withheld. They’d been friends since childhood and had few secrets between them. Echo trusted Diego implicitly, but he hadn’t wanted to drag his best friend into the mess he sensed he might make—and after the night before, he was glad for it.

Plausible deniability was the kindest thing he could give Diego.

Diego sighed and slowly lifted his gaze. “If your project’s over, does that mean we get your company tonight?”

Echo sighed, ready to go home and vegetate instead. “How about you and I hanging out instead? Without everyone else?”

Diego’s face fell.

“Wow, tell me how you really feel,” Echo murmured, feelings a bit bruised—but then maybe he deserved that after having bruised Diego’s.

“Noooo… I’ve been buttering Jenny up to get us that new centrifuge. I promised her I’d sing with her a couple of times tonight in hopes she’d finally say yes.”

Echo inwardly sighed with relief. For a few seconds he’d honestly thought Diego didn’t want to hang out.“Sing?Karaoke?”

Diego’s smile widened to evil proportions. “Yep.”

Echo groaned.

“Hey, after ignoring me for weeks, I believe you’re due a little penance. It’s a small price to pay and a means of showing me that you really do still love me.”

“Yeah, I guess so,” Echo murmured. “Just don’t stick me with a shitty song.”

Diego wiggled his shoulders with delight—but his smile slowly faded again. “Are yousureyou’re okay?”

I may have rekindled a war between dolphins and orcas with my stupidity—which almost got me killed by not one but two predators in the process. I’mnotokay.

Looking back, something about the orca made him think he’d not been in any real danger. The great whites, yes, but not the orca.

“I’m fine. Tired from all those weeks of working late is all.” He forced a smile. “I have plans to sleep in all weekend to catch up. I’ll be fine by Monday.”

Diego didn’t appear convinced by Echo’s explanation. “If you’re that tired, maybe you should come next Friday instead. Go home and sleep.”

Echo opened his mouth to thank Diego, fully prepared to go home, but the words died on his lips. He couldn’t stand the disappointment in his friend’s eyes. “I think I can manage one drink.”

Diego’s lips curled up at the corners. He clapped his hands, rubbing them together as his smile grew wider. “Meet you at Skinny McPete’s in ten. You’re buying us our first drink.”

Echo winced.“Skinny McPete’s?”

Skinny McPete’s was owned by an exiled orca shifter who’d pleaded his case to the pod for refuge before Echo left for grad school. While the pod deigned to allow him to live amongst them, most avoided his establishment. They left that for the human residents in town.

The last thing he needed was to spend a night in an orca’s hideout, but he’d already agreed.

At least he wouldn’t make a fool of himself on stage in front of the whole pod.

“Keeley’s choice. Her name was pulled from the hat, so we go wherever the little human wishes this week,” Diego said as he walked backward toward the door. “Maybe if you hadn’t been ignoring us,youcould’ve picked.”

“I wasn’t ignoring anyone!”Echo yelled as Diego slipped out into the hallway.

He shook his head and tossed a few more items into his backpack before heading to the outer door. Sliding behind the wheel of his Mini Cooper, he considered turning toward home instead of the bar. His cat had missed him more than his coworkers likely did. If it wasn’t for Diego, he wouldn’t be going at all.

A few seconds later, he sat at the intersection where the bar was a left and home a right. He wasn’t sure how long he’d sat there when a car beeped behind him and jarred him out of his contemplation.

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