Panda and the Kitty (Furry United Coalition Book 8)

by Eve Langlais

  “I’m sick.”

  Peach cocked her head. “You don’t look sick.”

  “My illness is inside,” he admitted, putting a hand to his chest.

  “When I hurt inside, I cry. Then mama gets me ice cream.”

  His lips twitched. “I don’t cry, but when I’m feeling blue, I’m an ice cream kind of guy, too.”

  “What flavor?” she asked as if it were the most important thing in the world.

  “There is only one true flavor,” he declared. And then as if choreographed, they both said, “Chocolate.” Then burst into laughter.

  Her daughter giggled with her ex-lover. It was the most amazing thing ever. The most dangerous, too. She couldn’t let herself fall for him again.

  Nor could she let Peach.

  “We should leave Jakob alone. He just woke up.”

  “I’m fine,” he said, casting a quick glance at her before turning back to Peach. “How old are you?”

  Peach held up four fingers.

  “Wow. You’re older than me, then. Your mother says I’m worse than a toddler.”

  That brought a little girl snort of, “You’re old.”

  He grimaced. “I know. And fat.”

  “You need to exercise.” Spoken with all the head-bobbing wisdom a child could manage.

  “I’ll admit, I’ve been a bit lazy lately, but that’s all about to change.”

  “Speaking of change”—Maisy clapped her hands—“Jakob needs a shower, and you need to find a brush so I can do something for your hair.” It spread out in a halo around Peach’s head. Super cute, but impractical when it came to chores.

  “But, Mama, I am not done talking to Jakob.”

  “Room. Brush. Now. When you’re both tidied up, you can chat some more.”

  “Fine,” Peach grumbled, dragging her feet.

  She went into the bedroom cluttered with toys and other things a growing girl needed. The house itself was an okay size for their needs, but Maisy had been thinking of moving. The thought of leaving the only home she’d known for so long was daunting; however, unless she was planning to homeschool, soon Peach would need to enroll. Since she wasn’t close enough to a bus route, either they had to drive a fair distance each day or move.

  Jakob waited until Peach had closed the door before softly asking, “Who’s her father?”

  “No one you know.”

  And not a factor, given Peach was orphaned. Maisy never did find out who her parents were. Never heard of any missing person reports. No story about a couple and their child going missing, as if Peach’s parents never existed. But then where had Peach come from?

  Maisy hadn’t cared when she brought her home. Finding the baby girl seemed a stroke of providence. What were the chances a feline shifter would find a cub? Who knew having a daughter would finally fill most of the hole left inside her when she and Jakob split up? Sleeping with a few different guys hadn’t managed to make her forget Jakob, but having a little person relying on her did help fill in the previously empty times when she would have moped.

  “Your daughter is cute. Like her mother.”

  “She’s also too bright and curious by far.”

  A result of spending too much time with adults instead of kids. Another thing to feel guilty about. The only time Peach saw other kids was when Maisy did the long trek into the city and brought her to play places. Apart from that, she spent time with Maisy’s father, who took to being a grandfather like a croc to water.

  Herbert Williams spent every weekend with the kid, and just this past month, they’d gone on a pilgrimage together into the wild. Two weeks without a cub snuggling up in the middle of the night. Fourteen long days where she cooked for one person and didn’t wipe up sticky spots.

  “Sounds like she takes after her mother.”

  Another compliment that she ignored.

  “Why did you lie about having my picture?” Surely it wasn’t true.

  “What makes you think I did?”

  “Because we broke up a long time ago, Jakob, and we’re not getting back together.”

  He opened his mouth as if to say something, and then his shoulders dropped. “I know. But that doesn’t mean I ever gave up hope that one day you’d forgive me.”

  Forgive him for breaking her heart? Never, because it would probably end up smashed to bits again.

  “I forgive you. Happy?” she snapped.

  “No.” A stark and honest answer. “Do you only have the one kid? I always pictured you with a bushel of babies.”

  She arched a brow. “A bushel? That’s a lot of babies.”

  He grinned. “My da always said you could never have too many.” His lips turned down as he added, “My mum didn’t agree.”

  This vulnerable side of him was new. “She must have at one time, given she had you and your brothers.”

  “And I have a half-sister, too. I don’t know who her da is. I’ve never met her or my half-brother. But I saw them on television.”

  “Why not try and find her?”

  He snorted. “I’ve been trying, but Mum didn’t stay missing this long because she was careless.”

  “You’ve been looking for her?”

  “Since we found out she’s alive.”

  “What about your father? How’s he handling it?” she asked.

  His lips pressed into a line. “Da won’t talk about it.”

  “Can’t say as I blame him. Relationships are tricky things at the best of times.” She turned from him.

  “Are you seeing anyone?”

  She stiffened. “That’s none of your business.”

  “It is if I’m going to court you.”

  “Court me?” She snorted as she whirled to gape at him. “I just said we weren’t getting back together.” Tell that to her racing heart.

  “Yet,” he countered. “But that’s because you’re confusing me with old Jakob. New Jakob is not a jerk.”

  “Not interested.”

  “Give it a chance.”

  “No. You and I will never be together,” she huffed.

  Hopefully he couldn’t smell the lie.

  6

  Jakob had thrown Maze off balance. He could see it. Only fair given the loop she’d thrown him.

  She had a kid.

  With someone else.

  It hurt. More than he could have said. Seeing the bright-eyed tyke was a reminder that, had they stayed together, they’d have had a few cubs of their own. Instead, she’d moved on without him.

  The good news was Daddy didn’t appear to be in the picture. Which meant there was room for him to prove himself, but only after he solved his panda dilemma. After his epiphany of the previous night, he was eager to call his family, only he had no phone.

  “Hey, Maze,” he shouted. “You got a phone hiding somewhere?”

  “You can borrow my cell.” Her bedroom door opened, and he caught the flying mobile.

  It took him but a moment to dial.

  The house line answered with a friendly, “Hey, Maisy. How’s it going? Did you get that box of supplies I sent you? Did Peach like her present?”

  “You knew Maisy had a daughter?” Jakob said softly. He didn’t need to announce himself.

  Jaycon immediately knew who was on the other end of the line. “Hey, bro. Er, how’s it going?”

  “You tell me. Apparently, you know more than I do. Why didn’t you tell me Maisy had a kid?”

  “Didn’t know you’d be interested.”

  “You should have told me.”

  “You were broken up. I didn’t think you cared.”

  “You thought wrong,” he growled.

  “Yeah, so, um, good thing you called. The whole family’s been going crazy since the shitshow they’ve been playing on the news.”

  The reminder brought a groan, and Jakob looked at the thatched roof of the hut. “Is there anyone who hasn’t seen that footage?”

  “No. What were you thinking, harboring a bear in the city?” Jaycon chided. “You s
hould have called. If you needed to stash someone, we would have helped you.” His brother assumed the bear was someone else.

  His family didn’t know his shameful secret, and rather than tell, he lied. “I was doing a friend a favor. Kind of backfired. And now I’m a wanted man. How bad is the jail time for smuggling exotic pets?”

  “I’d worry less about that and more about the other pending charges.”

  “What charges?”

  “Anvil is back.”

  The statement threw Jakob for a loop. “What? When?”

  “The day the cops raided your place. Rumor has it, Anvil went into a police station and told them that he went into hiding because he was scared of you. That you torched his bar and threatened to kill him if he said anything.”

  “That’s a load of dingo shit.”

  “Obviously, but the humans believed him. And you didn’t help matters by letting that idiot bear rush out in a panic.”

  “He just wanted to escape,” Jakob muttered. Instead, he’d made his situation worse.

  “I assume, given the phone number you’re calling from, that you’re with Maisy?”

  “As if you didn’t know.” All the Joneses wore trackers now since the kidnappings. The family was determined to not be caught unaware again.

  “Your device is malfunctioning, again. We couldn’t get a proper bead on your signal.” Because he’d dug it out and dropped it down a sewer.

  “Yeah, I’m at Maze’s for the moment.” He paced. “But if the cops are looking for me, I probably shouldn’t stay.”

  “You’re probably okay sitting tight there for a little while. I doubt they’ll make the connection. It’s been ages since you dated.”

  It had been, yet at times, the memory of their time together proved so vivid it felt like yesterday. Especially now that she was within reach and yet even further away than ever.

  He rubbed his temple. “Is Da around?”

  “He’s out with Uncle Kyle making some final preparations.”

  “Tell him I’m okay. No need to send out the troops.”

  “I told him you were okay the second you called. They’re now prepping for Plan B.”

  “What’s Plan B?” Jakob asked.

  “Taking down the mothership. We got a clue on Mum’s whereabouts, but Da was holding off until we knew for sure where you were. Now that you’re out of the way, the plan is to roll out, infiltrate her hideaway, and take her into custody.”

  “You have an address for Mum?” Jakob brightened. Perhaps she had a way to reverse what she’d done. “Where is she? When do we leave?” To think he’d planned to do this alone. He should have trusted his family.

  “Um. Er. Ah,” Jaycon stammered, and Jakob frowned as he shifted the phone to his other ear.

  “Why are you stammering? Spit it out.”

  “You can’t come.”

  “Says who?”

  “Says me. Think about it. You’re a known and wanted man. We just need one person getting a peek at you and any covert operation we undertake will be in the toilet.”

  The logic snapped his mouth shut for a second. “I could wear a disguise.”

  “You need to sit this one out, brother. Work on clearing your name. Uncle Klaus is working on a plan of defense, so the sooner you get home, the sooner you can fight the charges and prove Anvil is lying.”

  “I’m not going home and playing nice with the courts.” He couldn’t afford to waste time with bureaucracy.

  “You can’t stay with Maisy forever. If the cops find out…”

  No need to finish that sentence. Jakob glanced at her closed door. “I’ll leave today.”

  “Good.”

  “Not going to ask me where I’m going?”

  Jaycon snorted. “As if you’d tell me the truth. Just be sure to check in so Da doesn’t lose his shit again.”

  “Will do.” He hung up, suddenly tired. He wanted to nap again, sleep until his world went back to normal. Only he couldn’t sleep, mostly because he had an itch.

  Lumbering to his feet, he raised his arms into a deep stretch. For a moment, with his head back and eyes closed, he was vulnerable.

  She attacked. The pounce allowed her to attach herself to him with her sharp little claws like Velcro, but even more secure. He knew better than to panic, but he was a little anxious. In his family, the babies were only just starting, and he usually stayed clear. Add to that he only had experience with boys. No young girls.

  He shouldn’t yell. He might scare her.

  He shouldn’t make a sudden movement for the same reason.

  He stood still, and she took that as an invitation to dig deeper and climb his leg.

  He might have let out an unmanly, “Eep.”

  Maisy stuck her head out the door and barked, “Get down right this instant and put some clothes on, Peach Daisy Williams, or so help me…”

  The threat hung in the air, but it worked. The cub dropped to the floor and, shooting a reproachful look at her mother, headed back to her room.

  “Thanks,” he said.

  “I don’t know what got into her,” Maisy muttered as she entered the living room fully dressed. “She doesn’t usually attack people.”

  “I wasn’t attacking him,” huffed the little girl as she emerged from her room, having donned a romper. “I was saying good morning.”

  “Most people say good morning with words,” Maisy declared, shaking a finger at her daughter.

  “I was going to once I climbed him.” The tyke grinned, and Maisy sighed.

  “What have I said about showing strangers your tiger?”

  “But he’s not a stranger.”

  The banter between child and mother proved fascinating. Jakob soaked it in, amazed it hadn’t devolved into a wrestling match yet.

  “No climbing guests!”

  “Fine,” Peach huffed. She approached, stopping before him, head tilted before extending her arms.

  “Um.” He stood, unsure of his next move.

  “Pick me up,” demanded the imperious cub.

  “Manners!” barked Maisy.

  “Please.” The girl batted her lashes, and he found himself scooping the child, holding her at arm’s length.

  Maisy snorted. “Good grief, she’s not contagious. Stick her on your hip.”

  A good thing Peach understood what that meant because it wouldn’t have occurred to him. But the child knew how to hold on and then peeked at him with the biggest brown eyes ever.

  “Hi,” she said.

  “Hey.”

  “You’re tall.”

  “Um, thanks?”

  She patted his cheeks. “Teddy bear.”

  How did she know? “Can you smell me?”

  “I seen it.”

  She must mean the television broadcast. “I’m supposed to be a roo,” he confided.

  “Not anymore.” Said with the bluntness of youth.

  Maisy heard. “Peach. That’s not nice. Jakob is very sad.”

  “Not anymore.” Again, Peach patted his cheeks.

  Perceptive child. He actually didn’t feel all that bummed at the moment.

  Peach stiffened in his grip and cocked her head, her eyes taking on a dreamy cast before she murmured, “The weird smelly, bad men are coming.”

  “What?” He blinked at her strange choice of words. “You mean the garbage guys?” He would have thought Maze was too far from the city for those kinds of services.

  “Bad. Men. With guns.” The little girl looked past him to the front door.

  “Um, Maze,” he called out. “Is your child some kind of fortune teller?”

  Turning from the kitchen counter, Maize took in her daughter, then his face, then the pointed finger, and cursed. “How many and how long?”

  Peach shrugged. “Soon.”

  “Meaning we don’t have time to take my Range Rover.” Maisy cursed in a way that sounded delightfully dirty coming from her luscious lips.

  But it was the reason that had him turning to stone.
“Wait, are we about to be attacked?”

  “You idiot. You were followed,” she snapped as she dragged out a pair of backpacks from under the sink.

  “Are those bug-out bags?” he asked.

  “Ever since your mother ratted our kind out, I’ve been worried about someone coming after me and Peach.”

  His mother and her diabolical schemes. He eyed Maze and hardened his jaw. “Take the girl and go. I’ll distract them.”

  Maze snorted. “You idiot. No one is staying behind.” She thrust a pack at him before throwing on her own. Peach had a smaller version already on her back.

  Peach grinned at them. “Are we playing hide and seek?”

  “Yes,” Maze said. “To win, the only person who is allowed to find you is me, Jakob, or Pappy. Don’t talk to strangers. Don’t be followed. And most of all, don’t get caught, or you won’t get any ice cream.”

  “Two scoops?” Peach bargained.

  “Three with a cherry if you make it to Pappy before I do.”

  In a wink, the child had dropped through a hatch in the floor.

  “Aren’t we following?” he asked as Maze hinged the trapdoor shut and then slid the rug back over it.

  “In a minute. First, we should see who’s coming after us. Could be we’re panicking for nothing.”

  To think he was supposed to be the professional mercenary. “Um, yeah. I don’t suppose you have a gun?” Judging by the cool look on her face, he was going to say that was a no.

  “You know how I feel about firearms.”

  He did. Yet another reason he couldn’t tell her of his choice all those years ago. “Exactly how do you expect us to greet them then?”

  “With a smile.” She dropped her bag onto the floor and headed for the door. Before he could stop her, she’d stepped outside and said, “Hello. Can I help you?”

  7

  Maisy figured she probably seemed really brave stepping out of her hut instead of racing down into the crawlspace and using it to conceal her escape. However, it was more important she give Peach a head start. A decision reinforced when she saw who—or should she say what—they faced.

  Four people in suits and shades emerged from a large SUV with tinted windows. Not worrisome in and of itself, except for the guns in the hands of three of them. They could have stepped off the stage of a Men in Black movie, their ensembles identical except for the one female in the group. She wore a skirt instead of slacks.