Crank the go-ahead to land on the roof. Once he’s down, we’ll have to move fast.”
“Question.” Roadkill cocked his head to one side. “This all works on the assumption that Rael will be able to communicate with Dellan. What if he can’t?” He gave Rael an apologetic glance. “Sorry, but we have to be prepared for all eventualities. And you said it yourself—you couldn’t get through to him.”
“It’s okay,” Rael said resignedly. “I’ve been thinking the same thing myself.”
“Why is no one asking if I can get through to Dellan?” Horvan’s chest tightened. “He’s my mate too, remember?”
There was an uncomfortable silence.
Roadkill cleared his throat. “In all probability, you will. After all, you and Rael have that link, right? So there’s every reason to expect you and Dellan will have it too. But… Dellan has never met you. He’s met Rael. Twice. They’ve communicated. So we’ve got a much better chance of letting Rael try first.” Roadkill peered intently at Horvan. “Okay?”
Roadkill was right, of course. Horvan nodded. He glanced at Hashtag. “You got a plan?”
He nodded. “Though you might not like part of it. Worst-case scenario—we have a wild cat on our hands, and we’re breaking into his cage. We’ll have to sedate him.”
“And how do you propose to do that?” Rael was so still.
Hashtag sighed. “By shooting him with a tranquilizer dart. Then when he’s out, we get him into a sling that we can carry out of there with poles balanced on our shoulders.”
“A sling… up a flight of stairs and onto the roof?” Crank pressed his lips together, his face tightening.
“Like I said, worst-case scenario. And if it comes to that, we just do the best we can. They won’t see us on the top floor. And I’ll disable what alarms I can. I’ll also be able to see what you see via your cameras.”
“How fast are we talking? From landing to taking off?” Rael demanded.
Hashtag’s brow creased. “This is where it gets tricky. If we have to use a tranquilizer dart, that could alter things. For one, we don’t know how long it will take to put Dellan out. That’s why we’d have to wait until he’s out before signaling to Crank.”
“And the longer that takes, the more likely the police will interrupt us,” Horvan added.
Hashtag nodded. “That’s why we need the crowds. The more the merrier. And speaking of the dart… we’re gonna need some help on that one. I sent a message to Doc Tranter. He’s calling me tomorrow night.”
“Why? He’s a doctor, not a vet,” Crank remarked.
“Sure, but he’s also a shifter, remember?”
Crank shook his head. “Yeah, I keep forgetting that part. The doc… whoa.”
“And he’ll be able to tell us what we need to know,” Hashtag announced. “I’ve already given him a heads-up as to why we need him. I figured that way he’d have the information at his fingertips.” Hashtag met Horvan’s gaze. “What’s your estimate on the mission time?”
“We’d better signal Crank when we have Dellan ready to go. If it takes us more than ten minutes, we could be screwed. Because someone will spot the chopper.”
Hashtag nodded in agreement. “That sounds about right.” He looked Rael up and down. “First thing tomorrow morning, you’ll need to go shopping.”
Rael frowned. “For what, exactly?”
Hashtag’s eyes twinkled. “Well, unless you came here prepared with clothing suitable for a military operation….”
Rael blinked, then glanced at Horvan. “Looks like I’m going shopping.”
“I’ll come with you,” Horvan told him. Rael gave him a grateful smile, and Horvan knew all was well between them.
“Yeah, good idea. We don’t want you coming back with something that makes you stand out in a crowd,” Crank said with a grin. “You know, like a little black sequined number?”
“Gee, I didn’t even think about that.” Rael rolled his eyes. “What do you take me for?”
Roadkill guffawed. “Watch out, Crank. The kitty has claws too.”
Crank widened his eyes. “Hey, remember that op we did where Horvan drew the short straw and had to put on that miniskirt?” He cackled.
Hashtag broke out laughing. “Remember his legs?”
“Legs nothing,” Horvan growled. “The head and at least two inches of dick fell out when the tape job went tits-up.”
“Oh my God.” Rael’s jaw dropped. “Tell me there are pictures.”
Hashtag opened his mouth to say something, but Horvan cut him off. “Remember, I’m a meat eater.”
That earned him a tilt of Hashtag’s head. “Yeah, so?”
Horvan speared him with a look. “You’re meat.”
There was a moment of silence before everyone burst into laughter. Hashtag gave a