In a Badger Way (Honey Badger Chronicles #2) - Shelly Laurenston Page 0,27
unbelievable stupidity and someone is always trying to kidnap Stevie . . . plus Berg’s dog has this weird hacking thing going on and I want to get him to the vet before that turns into something, and I think there’s something wrong with the plumbing with our rental house, which, of course, has me again thinking about saving money so that I can actually purchase a house, plus life is a nightmarish gamble of car accidents and falling air conditioners and plane parts so you really need money for those unplanned scenarios that can occur at any time and, not to be too broad, but what about world politics and our risk as a country of getting into more wars and how long before there is a strike on American soil, which may or may not affect my sisters because we do travel a lot so we could be out of the country, but that doesn’t really protect us, now does it . . . but then again—”
“Okay,” Kelly finally cut in when she began to become concerned the woman would keep talking until every bit of air left her body and she would end up slumped over dead on Kelly’s very expensive rug, which she’d had flown in from Israel less than a month ago. “I’m going to stop you here and suggest that we start with something a little simpler than world politics and your dog’s hacking problem.”
“Simpler? Such as?”
Kelly gave a little smile before suggesting, “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe . . . your name?”
* * *
Dr. Deb Ortiz-Paredes was marking corrections on her latest manuscript when her door was kicked open and Becca stomped into her office with a threatening honey badger dangling from her fist.
“I’ve got one for you.” She dropped the badger into a chair and then held the poor woman in place by pressing her hand against the top of her head. It was like she was trying to squash her.
“I have quite a full plate,” Deb replied, trying very hard not to laugh.
“Ohhhh, it doesn’t matter. This is one you make room for. Trust me.”
Deb placed the proofs on her desk aside and studied the growling female under Becca’s hand.
As a forensic psychologist who specialized in sociopaths and criminally violent schizophrenics, Deb knew that Becca had wonderful instincts . . . plus Deb had another book due after the one she was currently working on. So maybe her friend and business partner of the last fifteen years had found Deb her next study subject.
“Okay,” Deb told Kelly. “I can take it from here.”
“Great.” Kelly walked out, closing the door behind her.
The badger still sat in the chair, her gaze searching the room.
“So,” Deb began, “Ms.—”
“MacKilligan.”
“—Ms. MacKilligan.”
“Just call me Max.”
“Fine. Max. So what brings you here, Max?”
Deb expected a lot of “I don’t belong here” type stuff, but that didn’t happen. Instead, the woman’s gaze slid across the room and over Deb’s desk, until those dark, dark eyes locked on her, and the badger said nothing. Just stared at her.
Grinning, the jaguar leaned back in her chair and said, “Let’s begin . . . shall we?”
* * *
Dr. Morgan returned to her office, closed her door, and came over to her desk. She sat down and let out a sigh before grabbing a fresh legal pad from a stack on the table behind her desk. She spun her chair around, took out a pen, and looked at Stevie.
“Okay, Dr. MacKilligan,” she said, smiling at her. But, for once, Stevie didn’t feel threatened by that grizzly smile. It just seemed . . . friendly. Nice. Just a nice smile . . . from a man-eating grizzly bear. “First, let’s talk about what you need from me.”
chapter SIX
When Shen found the little rip in the wallpaper behind his head and began to pull at it—he thought maybe something was behind it and he wanted to see!—the pretty receptionist who had become a lot less nice the longer Shen sat in her waiting room came over and slapped his hand away.
“Can you not sit still for three minutes?”
“It’s been like ten hours.”
“Less than an hour. Just sit. And stop playing with everything. You’re worse than the grizzlies!”
Still bored, Shen took out his phone again and went to his favorite news sites, then checked his texts. A full-human woman he had been trying to set up a date with had finally gotten back to him but—to his horror—she was suggesting dinner with her parents. Shen couldn’t