But Harry wasn’t having it. “I’ve been helped a lot today, thanks. I admit I panicked at first, and that’s why I called OOPS. But now that you’ve all explained what this means,” he swept his hand along the length of his body, “I get it. So I’m good for now. You all go back to doing what you do. I’ll go off and do me. Alone. That means without aid.” He gave Nina the warning eyeball before pushing his way past the women, hopping over a clump of drywall, and striding out the door, his sheet trailing behind him, leaving them all stunned.
Then there was a loud crash and the slap of Harry’s feet on the floor. Everyone sprang into action only to stop the moment he swore and yelled, “I got this!” in a tone that said even if he didn’t have it, he didn’t want them to help him get it either.
After the ding of the elevator, Mara looked to the three women for guidance, her anxiety mounting. What next? In all the OOPS adventures Marty regaled, they’d never mentioned what they did if the client was unwilling to accept their help. In fact, she couldn’t remember a single one of their clients not wanting their help.
Surely they weren’t just going to let Harry go off on his own to deal with the changes in his body? “You’re not just going to let him go home, are you? Why aren’t you stopping him?”
Nina’s sigh, annoyed and impatient, grated in Mara’s ears. “Don’t be a dumb ass. Of course we’re not gonna let him do this shit alone. We’re gonna let him do it with you, Miss Hot-For-Harry. Now, let’s go, baby-maker. Marty, Wanda? You two follow me, okay?”
Wanda began digging in her purse for her keys and then her head popped up. “What if . . .”
“What if what?” Marty’s head popped up, too, the vanilla tipped ends of her hair bouncing under the harsh glare of the lab’s lights.
Wanda’s eyes were wide with horror. She put a hand over her mouth, speaking between her fingers. “What if he shifts in front of the children? He’s newly turned. Probably unable to control his change. Oh, sweet Jesus.”
Marty and Wanda made a break for the elevator with Nina and Mara hot on their heels.
Mara’s stomach churned, growling its turmoil. Her chest grew tight. “I’m sorry,” she murmured again. As if apologizing was enough for the damage she’d caused.
Nina flicked Mara’s hair. “Shut up. It’s done. But damn all, leave it to a geek to find the lone geek in the world who’s just like her, who thinks he knows it all. So not only doesn’t Harry want our fucking help, but he thinks he can fix this. Like he can turn himself back into a human with all that crazy scientific shit he has running around in his big ol’ brain. And trust me when I tell you, he’s got all sorts of nutty-ass theories flying around in that overstuffed head of his.”
“He really thinks that?” Mara asked with a squeak. Sometimes, the most logical, rational people were the hardest to convince that improbability existed. Mara began to panic. She had to fix this.
Nina nodded her head. “He really thinks that. Among other things. Goin’ in with that attitude screws the whole damn process up. It’s a big kink, kiddo. Acceptance, and all that jazz. I might not be so freaked out if it was just Harry to think about. But kids? We can’t let anything happen to the kids. What if, like Wanda said, he frickin’ changes and can’t control it? Christ and a peacock—he’ll freak them out. Scar them for life. You heard him. They’re having trouble bonding as a unit since their folks died, or whatever fancy, hippy-schmippy therapist-like crap he spouted. I don’t give a shit what Harry says. It’s not just about him. If kids are involved, we gotta look out for them.”
When the elevator popped open, no one spoke. Instead, in almost eerie silence, they made a break for the parking lot, following the trail of dusty drywall and bits of glass Harry had left in his wake.
CHAPTER
4
“Ding-dong. Vampire calling,” Nina chirped at Harry’s eyeball, peeking out at her through the small peephole in his door.
Mara almost cowered behind her when Harry whipped open the heavy door, stepping just outside it, his eyes blazing, the arctic wind blowing the tails of his mussed shirt. He narrowed his gaze at Mara. “Didn’t I tell you I could handle this myself?”
Nina geared up to bluster, but Mara stepped in front of her. This was her fault. She’d own it.
Mara nodded, appeasing him the way she did everyone she’d managed to avoid confronting in her life. “You did. And I’m sure that’s probably true. Because you’re smart and resourceful.” So smart. So cutely resourceful. “But you’ve also been traumatized. It’s my duty to check on you during that trauma. I did this to you. If I don’t check on you, make sure that you’re really, really okay, I wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight.”