Reese (Pack of Misfits #2) - Raven Kennedy Page 0,10

to Addie’s room. She sulks for a bit and gorges on the watermelon that Addie left for us this morning. She eats the entire slice until our teeth are chomping on the rind, red sticky juice all over our whiskers.

With a full belly, I take stock of my glorious nest, my eyes running over each item. Mr. Lug Nut gave me all of my favorite pieces. Which is weird, because I stole from him. My old packmates would’ve either been pissed or challenged me if they’d caught me doing such a thing. We were all very serious about our nests.

But this male...he didn’t just let me steal his pretty lug nut, he brought me more stuff. Strange. Very strange.

My rat is...curious about him, and I have to admit, so am I. I’d love to see him again. Maybe get another whiff or two. Maybe see if he has any more of those gold chocolates...

My rat perks up. Whiskers wiggle. Tail twitches.

Oh no.

Idea forming in her head, she climbs out of the cage, determination sticking to her whiskers right alongside the watermelon juice.

Rat, this is a terrible idea.

Does she listen to me? Heck no.

Rat...don’t you friggen do it!

She does it.

My rat shoves me aside and takes the reins, and then she’s going out of Addie’s room and racing down the ramp even faster than she’s sprinted through the tunnel in my cage.

Like fate decided to take my rat’s side and give me a big fuck you, as soon as I hit the ground floor, the front door magically opens as someone walks in. My rat sprints ahead, dodging between the person’s legs, and then we’re free!

If it were up to me, I’d enjoy this moment.

I haven’t been outdoors and free like this in years. If it were up to me, I’d take a moment to smell the damn roses that just so happen to be planted along the outside of the warehouse. But it’s not up to me, because my rat is being a controlling bitch right now.

She darts down the path, racing under cars and around the building. Following a particular male’s scent, she scrambles towards more warehouses in the distance. Past scruffy grass and dirt trails, I’m driven toward the warehouse at the end—noting that someone has graffitied a giant flamingo on the side of it, with the words, “Update: Single and ready to flamingo!”

There’s a female in front of it, scowling, her hands on her hips as she looks up at the neon pink monstrosity. “Big mouthed asshat puma,” she grumbles at absolutely no one before stomping towards the front door.

I tail her, slipping past her when she opens the door and lets it slam behind her. “That’s it! Whoever it is doing the damn secret graffiti all over the place, I’m gonna kick your ass!” she yells, her voice echoing throughout the wide-open space.

She veers toward the kitchen, looking like she’s ready to clock someone, and I follow her, nose twitching, before turning and racing up the ramp.

This warehouse is the same as Addie’s, but the inside of it is slightly different. Instead of blue paint, this one has green and yellow on opposing walls, the bright colors popping out against the chrome, and it’s furnished with black, modern pieces.

Upstairs is the same layout, but to my delight, most of the bedroom doors are open. My rat leads me to one in particular.

Lug Nut’s scent hits me as I slink past one of the doors, and I slip inside. Looking around, I know it’s his room. Aside from his scent being all over it, this room...feels like him. Which is a strange thought, considering I’ve only actually been around him once, but there it is.

The wall on the opposite side has a single window, and the entire wall is the same shiny metal chrome as the outside, while the other walls are finished and painted a deep blue color. Sunlight is bleeding through gray curtains, revealing a bed, a door to a closet, a mounted TV, and... Is that a tower of tires?

Curious, I scamper over and climb up the bed and find that it is indeed a tower of tires. There’s even a tire rim that’s used as the table top, with a regular old lamp placed on it.

First, he has a lug nut necklace, and now, a nightstand made of tires? Weird dude.

I eye the rim longingly for a second because that thing is shiny. Like, see-my-reflection shiny. I wish I could carry it back