Page 30 of Fangs and Fudge

Me: I can’t call if Doc’s still on the couch. He’ll hear. Did you find anything?

Cross: Yes. It seems your friends have started a war. I prefer to discuss the details in person.

Me: Where should we meet and when?

Cross: I found a bakery outside of downtown D.C. that I think you’ll like.

He sent me the address and asked if an hour would work. Since I wasn’t sure if Vena was up yet, I asked for two then got out of bed.

Vena’s door was still closed when I left my room. Rather than knock, I shuffled to the kitchen to make coffee for both of us. It was already made and waiting in the pot.

I backed up enough to look at the couch.

“Doc?” I called softly.

He sat up abruptly, and I jumped a little.

“I wasn’t sure if you were still here or not. Anchor usually knocks on my bedroom door and leaves at dawn.”

“Oh. Sorry about that.”

“It’s not a problem. Did you sleep well?”

“I didn’t sleep.”

“Oh. Was the couch too–”

He shook his head. “Everything was fine. Just staying alert and paying attention.”

“Okay. Thanks for the coffee, then.”

Someone knocked on the front door. Doc was off the couch and answering before I could say anything.

MC’s gaze swept the room, spotted me, and kept searching until he finally looked at Doc.

“I brought donuts to go with the coffee. Figured you’d be hungry.”

Doc looked at me, and I shrugged. He’d stayed awake the whole night on the couch. Why would I object to MC bringing donuts for him?

Doc let MC in, and I drifted to the dining room to inspect the donut selection. Standard gas station cake donuts weren't anything special and didn’t call to me. Probably because I knew I’d be meeting Cross at a bakery.

“Thanks,” Doc said, taking one and devouring a third of it in one bite.

“Any chance I could get a cup?” MC said, nodding at the cup of coffee I held.

“You can have this one.”

I handed it off and went back to the kitchen to pour Vena another cup. Ignoring the two men wolfing down donuts, I slipped into Vena’s dark room and shut the door behind me.

“Time to wake up,” I said. “I have coffee.”

A slight rustle came from the bed.

“Gimme,” Vena mumbled.

“I’m going to open a curtain.”

She moaned, and I heard another rustle. Likely, she’d burrowed under the covers. Pulling the blackout curtain aside confirmed it.

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