Gabriel pointed to their retreating backs. "I should go with them. Georgie's on her last budgeted controller, and she can get . . . enthusiastic in two-player mode."
"I'll just finish up some of Jane's paperwork, get things organized for tomorrow," I told him.
"You're the best assistant she's ever had, you know," Gabriel said.
I slid into my impromptu desk chair at the dining table. "Really?"
"Well, the last one was criminally insane, so you were bound to be a step up."
"You're an undercover smartass, aren't you, Gabriel?"
He nodded and walked toward the parlor, calling over his shoulder, "Yes, I am."
I finished all of my filing and reports, with my ears perked to see if I could hear Gabriel's cell phone ring with news from Jane. And I kept staring at Dick's timeline. Something was bugging me, like an itch at the back of my mind. Despite the very detailed, organized timeline, something was missing. And I had this weird sense of foreboding, like somehow missing that thing was going to come back and bite me on the ass.
///
Fitz whined, pawing at the back door. I craned my neck to see him sitting by the door, thumping his tail against the floor. I tucked my KidPhone into my coat pocket. I stuck my head into the parlor.
"I'll let Fitz out to run a little bit," I told Ben. "We haven't had any good bonding time in the last couple of days. I think he's taking it personally. You stay here, continue to let Georgie own your ass at ‘Halo.' "
"All your base are belong to me," Georgie said, without looking up from the enormous flat-screen.
"Just be careful," Ben warned me. "Stay within sight of the UERT guys. They're all around the perimeter. Which, again, is a totally normal thing to say to your girlfriend before she walks her dog."
"Awesome life," I reminded him, kissing him.
"Weird, awesome life."
I stretched my arms over my head as we walked out to the back garden. Fitz bolted into the woods, barking. I waved to the UERT member standing near the kitchen door. "I'm just taking him for a walk. We won't go past the cow pasture."
He nodded. "Stay alert, miss."
I took off after Fitz, whistling for him. Despite the punishing pace I was keeping, I felt my limbs relax. I smiled against the wind, gleeful to finally be out of the house, alone, just for a little bit. I'd been cooped up under the Council's watchful eye for way too long. OK, it was only a couple of nights, but the UERTs made it drag.
My generation had a short attention span.
Fitz came flying out of the tree line, leaping at me. I dodged at the last minute, and he rolled into the grass.
"Ha!" I shouted as Fitz lumbered to his feet. "You missed! You finally missed!" He gamboled toward me and took another running leap. "Sonofabitch."
Fitz's paws landed on my shoulders, knocking me flat on my back. His big, warm, sandpapery tongue slapped across my cheeks. "Aw, Fitz. I love you, but you're murder on my laundry. And my eye makeup."
We rolled around on the grass for a while. My attempts to escape the tongue proved to be futile. But I knew, eventually, that it was time to go back. Ben was probably getting all twitchy with worry.
It had been a good idea to get out of the house. That weird, itchy nagging at the back of my head was all but gone.
But now it was there again, because I was thinking about it again. I lay back in the grass, staring at the stars.
What was wrong? Was it Dr. Hudson? His research? His banana-balls crazy colleague Dr. Fortescue, who seemed to drop off the face of the earth after telling my college's administration to go eff themselves?
Fortescue. The first time I'd heard the name was when that lulu from the nope list called. The guy who'd screamed at me, demanding a meeting with Jane, claiming to have made huge strides in research that would benefit vampires.
"Oh, crap." I jumped to my feet so quickly it startled Fitz into a sharp bark. "Come on, buddy, we need to call Jane."
We'd moved farther into the back property than I'd realized. I couldn't even see the lights of River Oaks. I jogged toward the house, Fitz nipping at my heels, barking happily, completely ignorant of my distress. I hit the Jane button on my phone, but it went to voice mail.
I could just see the porch lights shining in the distance, welcoming me home, when I sensed something off. I could smell something out of place in Jane's garden. Instead of the fragrant night-blooming flowers Iris had planted for her, I could smell something antiseptic. Like bleach. It reminded me of the R&D floor at the Council-