Punch Drunk

Uncomfortable Conversations

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Chapter Eight

Uncomfortable Conversations

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'No,' Zhen said stubbornly.

Florian sighed. 'I'm not saying that the killer is a cat. I'm just reporting what we have found so far and so far...'

'No cat would ever do what you have described,' Zhen hissed.

'And no human could jump from a four-story building,' Florian pointed out. The cat's tail was lashing violently back and forth behind him, the man's agitation obvious.

'I'm being sent into the red zone to get more information from Ronan Grosu, the leader of the Humans First group,' Florian said, his mouth twisting down as though the name itself had an acidic taste.

'Then I shall come with you,' Zhen said primly.

Florian scowled. 'Umm, yeah, absolutely not. Were you not listening? He's the leader of the Humans First group? They've been linked to half a dozen violent attacks on cats in the last year. Granted, having claws most of the fights ended up with the cat on top, but that's not the point! You walk in there and you'll be shot on sight,' Florian said.

'That's illegal,' Zhen said indignantly.

Florian snorted. 'So is setting cars on fire and hate speech, but yeah... that still happens a lot in this city. They'll claim self-defence,'

'You'll be with me.'

'No, I won't, on account of you not coming with me,' Florian barked.

Zhen folded his arms across his chest. The damn cat was unfortunately stubborn. The two men stood glaring at each other. Florian's jaw tightened. 'You. Are. Not. Coming.'

'Fine, but you will call me the second you have news!' the cat hissed.

'Yeah, I know. I should have met you years ago. Could have auditioned to be my mother,' Florian said sarcastically. He froze when Zhen reached out a hand and ran his fingers along Florian's jaw. It was like being licked by electricity. His skin tingled and he found himself leaning forward slightly, as though the cat had his own gravity that was stronger than the Earth's.

'It saddens me that you think so little of your own safety,' said Zhen sadly.

'I can take care of myself. I'm a big boy,' Florian grunted, pulling away with some effort. Ignoring the heat in his face, Florian zipped up his jacket. It was bloody cold today. The feline watched him go with a disquieted expression, his tail flicking back and forth behind him.

Florian drove home and got ready. He dressed down and simply. As much as he wanted his gun, being discovered with a weapon in a Humans First building would get him filled with bullets. He climbed back into his truck half an hour later with very little enthusiasm. He had a horrible feeling about this entire evening. As a rule, Florian generally avoided the streets that were publicly known territory of the extremists' groups. For obvious reasons. They generally didn't make for a great night out. Florian wasn't exactly a 'people person' in general, let alone with humans that would seriously beat a cat to death with a hammer if they thought they could get away with it. Even Levi wouldn't walk his high-heeled sassy ass down these streets.

There was a pub that was a notorious Humans First meet up location. Outwardly, it looked no different from any other pub, a bit rundown maybe but no worse than any other building in the street it shared. It looked popular, plenty of people milling about outside and a decent crowd inside. Florian eyed it with open distrust. Preparing himself, he left his vehicle and crossed the street, head bent against the icy wind. Even before he got to the door, he could feel eyes on him. He let himself into the pub.