Lion And The Falcon (Furry United Coalition) by Eve Langlais Read Free Book Online Page A

sense remained quiet. Danger didn’t lurk. Or so his inner feline assured.
    Pulling his fob from his pocket, he clicked it once an d the lights on his car flashed just as he heard the scuff of feet behind him.
    Not again. Nolan whirled around to chastise the otter pup who’d obviously not given up when something dropped on him from above, bashing him in the skull and giving him the nap he’d so ardently desired.

Chapter Four
    Driving a motorcycle gave Clarice a great feeling of exhilaration. It didn’t compare to flying, but when the wind streamed through her hair as she poured on the speed, it came close. However, driving a sports bike came with drawbacks. A prime example was exiting the restauran t— chosen because it looked like a greasy spoon that knew how to serve a proper home cooked fr y— to find it gone.
    “Are you freaking kidding me?” She planted her hands on her hips and surveyed the parking lot. Full of motorcycles, hogs for the most part, her crotch rocket should have proven safe amongst the bigger bikes. Or stood out because of its differen ce. Whatever the case, she currently found herself minus a means of transportation, which was of course when she got the call that they required her presence at a crime scene. To make her evening complete, she dug a hand in her pocket only to realize she didn’t have enough cash to taxi over.
    “I hate the city!” She shook a fist at the blinking neon lights, but it didn’t bring back her precious. Nor did she have time to hunt the perpetrator down. But she’d be back, and when she did…
    Grumbling about the scum of humanity, s he hiked the mile or so back to the brownstone only to discover the place practically deserted as a FUC cleaning crew cleared it out. Her fault because she’d argued with Kloe it was compromised. Apparently, she’d argued too late given one of the staff already ended up a victim.
    Walking up to a woman with a clipboard, Clarice flashed her credentials. “ ASS Agent Tertius on loan to FUC. Have you evacuated all the daytime staff?”
    “Yes, ma’am. And the nighttime staff were given the evening off with strict instructions to safeguard themselves and call if they spot anything suspicious.”
    “You haven’t noticed any lurkers?”
    “No. Nor is this van going anywhere where more shifters will be compromised. We’re just ensuring the records are cleared out, then boxing them into a storage unit until we deem it safe to move them to a secured FUC location.”
    “What about the moving staff themselves?”
    A smile with too many teeth met her inquiry. “We know how to lose a tail. Don’t worry about us.”
    “I guess you’ve got things under control then.”
    “Yup.” The broad in charge didn’t even lift her head as she kept checking off her list. Snob. Clarice slinked off, not about to ask her for bus money because then she might have to admit she’d gotten her bike stolen. Spotting a bus stop with one of the nurses she’d interviewed earlier standing around waiting, she sauntered over.
    “Shouldn’t you have gotten a ride with one of the agents?” she asked.
    “I’m not going home. I’m taking this to the airport, then I’m going to visit my sister.”
    Good plan since the patients wouldn’t have the ID required to make it past airport security.
    “Do you know if this bus will take me into the east end of the city?”
    “What happened to your motorcycle? ”
    Refraining herself from scuffing her foot and ducking her head in shame, she instead replied , “I’d rather not say.”
    “ Let me guess, you stopped in at the Hungry Heifer.”
    “Maybe.”
    The nurse laughed, but not in derision. “Someone borrowed your bike, I take it?”
    “Maybe.” Clarice shifted from foot to foot.
    “Happens all the time. Those biker guys don’t like to share their space with crotch rockets.”
    “So I’ve learned. I don’t suppose you have a spare bus token I can borrow.”
    “I do, but why would you take transit