case, no elderly white-haired man carrying a black bag entered the room for a house call.
Ducky softly inquired about what transpired while I worked, but I tuned out everything. I didn't really want to know the gory details, anyway.
A couple minutes later, I sat back. Tired and worn out, I glanced up at the liger. "Hopefully that will help until your body can do the rest."
He rotated his shoulder, checked over his arm, and then stood, testing out the left foot before shooting me a grin. "Thanks."
I nodded back. Looking around, I sought out the women. "Where are the others?"
"Outside with the police and authorities of El Salvador."
Ducky and I stared at Meat. He shrugged. "Anonymous tip, I guess."
"What about…"
"Taken care of," Meat interrupted. Alpha kitty flexing his control muscle again. I barely resisted rolling my eyes. Who could forget this was all his harebrained plan, however screwy and ill conceived?
"Any suggestions on getting home in the next hour before I turn into a crispy fried vampire?"
Meat pointed to me. "She can teleport us."
Ducky's mouth dropped open as he stared at Meat like he had lost what few marbles he'd ever possessed. "Oh, hell no." He looked down at me, then back to the liger. "Why can't you teleport us?"
Meat slumped. "I'm too weak. Getting shot does that to a guy, you know."
I certainly didn't know much of anything, but I did know this. If Meat wanted to do anything, from teleporting to participating in a pole dance marathon, to taking on the entire Foreign Legion, he could do it at this moment. And good luck to anyone that would try to stop him. Alpha to the core.
Ducky glanced from Meat to me and back again. "What if we end up in the middle of the ocean?"
"You pray she can actually speak shark."
Oh, jeez. What a vote of confidence. Nice to know that I'm the very last option. "I can get us back." So, I sounded a bit defensive. I've had a couple of bad days. Top it all with PMS and I was due for a bit of angst.
Ducky sighed. "You're positive?"
With a nod, I grabbed his hand and yanked him toward Meat. "Yep." Holding them both, I smiled. "I am woman, hear me roar."
I'm sure Meat gave an eye roll. Ducky just groaned. Like I cared. I was in true hero form.
Closing my eyes, I focused. Clicking my pink tennis shoe heels together three times, I spoke. "There's no place like home. There's no place like home."
"What the hell…?"
CHAPTER 6
"Where the hell are we?" Meat asked, glancing around. Empty grassland surrounded us.
I spotted a sign and pointed.
Ducky read the billboard. "Welcome to effing Kansas." He sneered in disgust.
I blinked. "That's not what it says!" Hands on hips, I commented on the obvious. One flash of those fangs combined with a growl and my mouth slapped shut.
Meat shook his head. "Let me guess. It was the 'There's no place like home'?"
Shrugging, I opted to hold my defense.
Ducky sighed. "Just great. I have forty-seven minutes until I fry and I've landed in bum effing Kansas."
He jumped on the fast track to cranky. Oddly enough, I figured that once he fed, he would mellow. Wrong. Picky, picky, picky. I get them back to the US before dawn and they still aren't satisfied. A hero's work is never done.
Without a blink, I grabbed them both, and flashed once more.
Opening my eyes, my mouth dropped open. An ancient man stood before us, hands at his groin, obviously busily relieving himself into the urinal.
"Not this place again."
I didn't realize I muttered that aloud until Meat looked down at me with an arched eyebrow. "You come here often?"
Ducky stared, blinked, and cussed under his breath. "I so didn't need to see this. Damn. Now this image will be burned into my head."
Nodding, I agreed. "Yeah, I know. The good news is I know an exceptional therapist, if you would like her number." His frown deepened.
The old man must have finished because his cracking voice broke across the room. "Wanna see what I have, dearie?" His grin widened as he inched
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