Page 44 of The Goblin in the Sink Drain
Hand rising to my chest, I tested the area where the arrow had gone in, igniting a terrible itch. “There’s a lot I don’t know, but I do know this wasn’t your fault.”
“There is a lot you don’t know,” he allowed, “and there hasn’t been much downtime to fill you in.”
Footsteps clattered down the hall, and a bright head of red hair popped around the doorframe.
“Oh, good. You’re awake.” Goldie took a running jump and landed at the foot of the bed. “Liam said not to bother you, but I have a proposition for you.”
“A proposition, huh?” I couldn’t help my smile. “What did you have in mind?”
“I would like to buy the kittens from you for five dollars each. I can get them spayed at the animal shelter for free. Jess will give me a discount on their shots and vet care, so that won’t cost me much. Then I can resell?—”
“Kittens?” I must have missed something somewhere. “What kittens?”
“The ones from under the sink.” She frowned at me. “Liam didn’t tell you?”
“The plumber only left an hour ago, brat.” Liam strolled in and scooped her off the bed and onto his hip like she was a much smaller child. “But yes, Ana, you’re the proud owner of four kittens who vaguely resemble drowned mice.”
This was karma, wasn’t it? For turning the salon employees into mice and then drenching them in drool. The universe must have felt the best way for me to atone for thinking snacky thoughts while I was a dog was to gift me with cats.
“Where did they come from?” I had to stop and think back to the morning we met at GSG before driving the pets to Pampered Pooches when it felt like a million years ago. “The sound came up the drain, right?” I heard the noise but not up close. “There’s no way they got flushed down on our end.” Even if the mother cat broke in and left them in the sink, thinking it was safe, the drain mesh would have protected them from falling in. “They couldn’t have accessed the exterior sewer pipe to climb inside either, so how did they get in there?”
“They were under the tub. That’s why Rían didn’t see them. They were stuck beneath the cabinet where the exposed plumbing is, between the underside of the supply shelf Rían waslaying on and the thin trim piece around the bottom of the unit that touches the floor.” Liam didn’t blink when Goldie crawled over his side until she hung from his back. “There was a gap between the wall and the back of the tub, maybe six inches, and the momma cat birthed them in there. Newborn kittens make an unholy racket when the momma cat leaves them, and two of them have upper respiratory infections from the damp conditions.”
Now I had a leak too? No. I wasn’t going to ask. Just in case Rían’s handyman skills were somehow to blame.
“Metal is a great sound conductor,” I mused, already writing a mental to-do list to guarantee nothing like this ever happened again. “Guess that solves the mystery of the goblin in the sink drain.”
“What do you think, Ana?” Goldie popped her head over Liam’s shoulder. “Can I buy your kittens?”
“Let me talk to your brother first, and I’ll get back to you.”
“This offer is only good for twenty-four hours,” she cautioned me like a salesman on a used car lot. “You better act fast.”
“I understand,” I said solemnly. “I’ll give you an answer as soon as possible.”
“Ana.”
All I could do was brace for impact as Sloane skidded around the door and launched onto my hospital bed. She landed half on me and half on Rían, who she obviously hadn’t expected, because she jumped again, this time landing in the floor on her haunches.
“Are we sure she’s not a wererabbit?” Liam cocked an eyebrow at her. “She’s so bouncy.”
“Are you supposed to be out of bed?” I leaned forward with a twinge and scratched the annoying spot on my chest. “Or are the guards about to bust down the door and haul you back to your cell?”
“I’m a free woman,” she huffed, standing. “The clan bond got me fixed up good as new in record time, but they wouldn’t let me visit until you were conscious.” She glanced around the room. “Looks like I was the last one to arrive at the party.”
“Your invitation must have gotten lost in the burrow.” Liam winced after Goldie pinched him. “What was that for?”
“Be nice.” She growled at him. Actually growled. “Remember when that boy pulled my hair and his mom said it meant he liked me, but you said it meant he was an ass?—”
“Okay.” Liam slapped a hand over her mouth. “You’ve made your point.”
“Will you be nicer to Sloane?” Goldie mumbled against his palm. “Ana won’t stay if you don’t because they’re best friends, and best friends are more important than boys.”
Oh yeah. I had been right about this kid all along. She had everything figured out.
“I’ll be nicer to Sloane.” He lowered his arm. “Happy?”
Her answering smile lit up the room, and he softened in the face of her joy. He might annoy Sloane and me, but it was clear that Goldie thought her cousin hung the moon, and Liam believed she outshone the sun. “Yes.”
