Page 8 of A Cougar's Kiss
“Which is probably a good thing because Decan can be a handful at times. Listen, just go slow you never know how things will turn out.”
“Well, I’m not looking for a joining anyway. I just needed to for once go for what I wanted and to actually get it.”
“And now that you have?”
“I can get on with my life.” Whatever that was. She didn’t tell Nisa that part. There was a limit to how pathetic Shya was willing to seem to Nisa who even though they were close, had always been the strong and smart one of their duo. Shya was the sensitive and compassionate one. The one everybody liked to pet on the head like she was some type of cherished toy. Nisa was the fighter and the inventor, she was taught to be everything her parents were and more. While Shya had been coddled and spoiled, protected and made into the weakest link.
“You know I never thought a joining should be the only goal for anybody,” Nisa said.
Shya nodded as if her friend could actually see her. “I know. It’s silly. I can have so much more than just a joining out of life. I mean, if or when that time comes, it’ll be cool. But for right now, I’m not pressed about it. Actually, I’m working on something else.”
“Oh really, are you writing something?”
Nisa knew how much Shya loved to write. She could blame that on all the reading she’d done. At some point she’d decided to try her hand at writing stories herself instead of waiting for the shipment of books to arrive from above ground every month.
“Yeah but I’m not ready to talk about it yet and certainly not at this time of night. I shouldn’t have called, this could have waited until morning.”
“Nonsense, I told you whenever you wanted to talk you could call and I meant it. And I’m ready to read whatever you’ve written as soon as you’re finished. Just because I’m in another zone doesn’t mean our relationship changes.”
Nisa had told Shya that often in the three months that she’d been gone. So much so that Shya had begun to feel like an insolent child.
“I’m good, really. I didn’t mean to disturb you and Decan.”
“Oh, don’t worry, he’s meeting with the STT teams.”
“At this time of night? And you’re not in those meetings with him?”
“No. I saw his notes on what he planned to discuss this morning, plus I had a meeting with a few of my top guards tonight.”
“Really? What’s going on? Another mission?”
Nisa paused and Shya frowned. Their friendship might not have changed since Nisa had moved away, but what the new Lead Enforcer was willing to tell her about missions and next moves for the Shadows had certainly diminished. Shya frowned but she didn’t push. If she wanted information she could find it herself. She’d been doing just that for the last few weeks, under the pretense of working on her book, she’d been able to pump a few guards and even her Uncle X for some information. That’s how she’d come across the file with all the security codes for the rooms at Headquarters, which had proved very valuable.
Ending the call with Nisa, Shya lay back on the bed. She really couldn’t be irritated with Nisa for not telling her what her and Decan might be planning. She hadn’t told her best friend that Cole Linden had been talking just an hour ago. But she was thinking about that as she fell asleep—Cole and the Desert Cat.
* * *
“What took you so long? You said twenty minutes? I came by and left when you didn’t answer.”
“Got distracted.” That was an understatement. He’d gotten way more than distracted and was certain that was going to come back to bite him in the ass at the first opportunity.
“You secure in there?” Gold asked.
Keller had already locked the door to his room and completed a quick sweep of the area before stepping into the closet to take the call on the secure comlink he carried in his front pants pocket.
“Yeah. I’m sure.”
“The room’s ready. Cars are parked down at the river, keys buried by the tree to the driver’s right. Money is in the glove compartment along with new phones and identification. There’s a rally scheduled for Thursday morning in the downtown area. Tavarus Mancombe’s expected to take the helm as the new director of the Ruling Cabinet. He’s got the police and military backing him so he’ll be guarded like he’s a fucking money pit.”
“By human guards. They’re no match for us.” Keller didn’t mind admitting that fact.
“Right. But we’re down in numbers. I know that doesn’t mean they’re any match for our strength, but we still need to keep that in mind. Did you find out what the Assembly’s been up to?”
“No.” Keller shook his head in the dark space. He hadn’t had time to do his nightly walk by Rome’s conference room where late night meetings were known to be held.
The Assembly Leader was extremely smart, by holding meetings after everyone was in bed, it cut down on the risk of anyone overhearing what was being said. Unless a shifter was assigned to a ridiculous babysitting gig that released him in the wee morning hours, at which time he could easily wander toward that private meeting space and use a specially designed transmitter to eavesdrop on the Assembly Leader and the top members of his crew—the ones that stuck closer together and were definitely keeping things from the Shadow Shifters that trusted and believed in them.
“Got distracted,” was his excuse for not doing that part of his job as well.
