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Martini and I looked at each other. “What, are pineapples the universal fruit of badness or something? I think they’re tasty.”
He shrugged. “Easier to find.”
“Not at the Mandalay Bay.”
“Good point.”
The A-C agents were back with the rest of Animal Planet. “Long story short—Kyrellis is about to blow up what she thinks is Jeff’s palace. It’s not, but we have a lot of i
Willem nodded. “How many?”
“No freaking idea. Figure a ton.”
He looked to his Major Doggie companions. They nodded. “Wahoa, Wrolph, and I will help. We should be able to hear and smell them.”
“Loud and smelly in a casino, guys.”
“I am a girl,” Wahoa said.
“Sorry, didn’t count the teats, okay?”
She looked at Queen Renata. “This is the ruling class of this planet?”
Martini and I exchanged another look. “Not so much, no.”
Neeraj spoke. “They are the protectors, not the rulers. It is why he,” he indicated Martini, “is so upset by the insinuations he is king.” He looked at me. “The Iguanodons will assist.”
“You have a sense of humor in there after all?”
“The one you call Chuckie explained yours to me. Where is he?”
“Bringing stuff to help out,” Christopher said. He and Chuckie were dragging bags of devices.
“Good choice on the Reptilians, Canus Majorians, and Feliniads,” Chuckie said quietly to Martini. He pointedly looked at Gregory.
“I have the science team making more,” Christopher told Martini before he could respond to Chuckie. “We’ll have enough for every agent within fifteen minutes.”
Felicia came closer to me. She walked just the way I expected a cat on its hind legs to walk, only a little smoother. “Arup and I will help. We understand how the assassin thinks.”
“Because you think like her?”
She gave me a fangy smile. “Because we have dissidents on our world, too. Arup and I are the Chief Inquisitors. And I chose that word purposely.”
“Nice. So, you and Torquemada going to hurt my people along the way?”
“Not if we can help it.”
We were at the gates. I grabbed Gregory. “What’s your plan?” Chuckie dropped his bag and started to walk rapidly toward us.
Gregory didn’t answer. Alexander spoke. “Their families are in what the assassin thinks is a palace. You’ve been given a chance to regain some honor, Brother. Answer the question. What do you plan?”
Gregory pulled away from me as Martini shouted, “Stop him!”
Chuckie lunged, but it was too late. Gregory was through the gate.
CHAPTER 35
MARTINI CURSED. “YOU SAID to bring him along why?” he snarled at Alexander.
“I tried to warn you,” Chuckie said.
“Nice if you’d been clearer about it,” Martini snapped. “Or faster.”
“No time for the alpha male fight right now, guys, please. We need to focus.” I grabbed Martini’s hand and pulled him through the gate. It sucked, but I was too frightened to care. We landed in a bathroom, but not at McCarran. I could tell—it was too nice. The hell with subterfuge. I walked out behind the rest of the A-Cs.
Of course, women and men coming out of a bathroom might not cause a lot of stir, but walking dogs, cats, and lizards would. Martini had the same thought as me. “How can they help us if they get arrested for being aliens?” he asked as Willem exited the stall.
“On it, Martini,” Chuckie said, as he came out. He tossed Willem a ring; Willem put it on, suddenly looked human.
He nodded to us. “I will contact you if I find any I ca
“How?”
He gri
Chuckie handed the rings to the other two Major Doggies, the bracelets to the Cat People, and the necklaces to the Giant Lizards. They all said they’d contact us and all disappeared. The Giant Lizards stayed together, the Cats and Dogs did not. Queen Renata shapeshifted and raced off as well, several A-Cs with her.
“Okay,” Martini said. “I want everyone fa
“Jeff, this is Vegas—they won’t believe him until it’s too late. Besides, I have an easier way. Fire alarms.”
“What?”
Chuckie nodded. “She’s right. It won’t clear out everyone, but it’ll clear out a lot of them.”
“Fine.” Martini grabbed the next several A-Cs who were coming through and told them to find every fire alarm and make it go off. The sounds started immediately.
“We need to go through the hotel, especially THEhotel, where we’re all staying. It’s a good bet some of our team are still up there, and they might not leave.”
“Who?” Christopher asked Martini.
I wanted to say me, but I was the one who’d talked to Moira. “Alexander, can you take Chuckie and do that?”
“Yes.”
Chuckie nodded. “That’s fine. Has to be me, Martini, or White, or they won’t listen anyway.” He gave me a long look. “Hope they’re listening to me now, by the way.”
“They will. Chuckie . . . my mom’s here, and both my grandmothers, and . . .” I couldn’t talk.
He took my hand. “And Martini’s parents, and Gower’s. I know. We’ll get them out, Kitty. I promise.” He nodded to Alexander, let go of my hand, and they disappeared.
“Tito, take Paul to the mall. Check it, all of it, but especially around the store I was in, the one where the alarms were going off. They’ll have put at least one bomb there.”
“Yeah. I have some ideas where they might have stashed others, too,” Tito said.
“How so?”
“There was this guy . . . he was odd and nasty. Sort of threatened me when I got near him, then said I wasn’t important enough to worry about. I’m thinking it might have been the other shapeshifter. And I know where he, or she, went, ’cause I watched.”
Gower managed a chuckle. “Kitty, good job on the hiring.” He grabbed Tito and they were gone.
“What are we doing?” Christopher asked.
“We’re looking for Kyrellis and Gregory.”
“What?” Martini and Christopher were in unison again.
“We have at least a thousand agents here, plus Chuckie and Tito, plus all our new Animal Planet friends. Kyrellis is a lunatic of the highest order, but I promise you this—she wants to watch this place go up in smoke, see all the people die, feel the pride in a job well done.”
“What about Gregory?” Christopher asked.
“He’s either ru
“Is now really the time?” Martini asked through clenched teeth.
“Yes. Poofies, you have to be very careful. Harlie? Do you remember the man who gave you to Jeff?” Harlie mewled at me. I took it for a yes. “Good Poof! I want you and the other Poofies to find him, find Gregory. If he’s being bad, you stop him. If he’s being good, some of you watch him and some find me or Jeff or Christopher. Okay?”
Much Poof purring came back at me. Then they were gone, just like everyone else.
“They have hyperspeed?” Martini asked as we started out of the bathroom finally.
“No idea. Maybe they turn invisible. Don’t care. They’re smart, and I think they’ll find him.”
“Why’d you give him the benefit of the doubt?” Christopher asked as I sca
“Because Jeff said he was hiding something. Could be bad, possible that it’s good.”
“What are the odds?” Christopher asked dryly.
“Don’t know. I just know he’s your blood, so I’m hoping there’s more of you in him than not.” I closed my eyes. “Have to think. If I were a psycho Amazonian assassin, where would I go to watch the show?”