Blood of Eden

Chapter 9

They sat in the coffee shop and talked until the sun came up and then they went to a different place for breakfast.

Quinn told her about his life, his travels, and about his knowledge of Raphael. In between eating, drinking and strategizing, they flirted and got to know one another's likes and dislikes. Katherine had never been on a more successful date, despite the fact that it was supposed to be a tracking expedition.

They were just finishing up breakfast when Katherine's cell phone began to ring obnoxiously.

Since tracking rarely involved oversized leather purses, Katherine was able to locate and press talk on her phone quickly.

"Hey, Tony. What's the news?"

"Katherine, where are you? You haven't checked in for over sixteen hours. Rachel was supposed to meet up with you three hours ago but you didn't show. She was worried."

"Well you obviously weren't or you would have called sooner. As it happens I've gotten our first break in the rogue situation." She glanced over at Quinn a few was feet away feigning an attempt to give her space. She knew faking when she saw it; he was listening to every word.

"Yeah? Wanna fill me in now or meet up and fill in the team?"

"Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of the rest of the team switching their attention to the hunter and me following this lead I have for a few more hours. I swear Tony, I'll check back in with you this evening, say 7:00 p.m. There some stuff you should know and someone you should meet. Bye Tony."

"Meet? Katherine, what's going on?"

His last words were cut off when she pressed end and slipped the phone back into a small cargo pocket on her pants. Absently feeling the wrinkled material, she realized just how long it had been since her last shower or hell, even her last bathroom break.

"Quinn, wait here a second, will you? I have to use the ladies."

He didn't answer but rather nodded his confirmation that he would stay put. Men were rarely comfortable with the thought of anything private concerning a lady unless that lady was naked. Girl stuff was apparently icky to men of all ages.

The bathroom was small and slightly smelly but clean enough for an establishment that serviced as many people as this one did every day.

She took care of nature, careful to first line the seat with toilet paper as her mother had taught her to do as a young girl. There was no need for a young lady of breeding to share common germs after all. Her mother might run around the forest at night as a wolf but when in human form she was a real stickler for propriety.

The water that gushed from the faucet was cold and refreshing. She splashed some on her face and the back of her neck then used a few rolls of paper towel to scrub her face clean. She took a subtle sniff of her armpit to make sure that was ok and was glad to know that she was holding up well in that area.

When she finished, she reached for the bathroom door handle and was surprised to find it jammed. She tried several times before resigning herself to a more physical act. She might not be the biggest or baddest wolf in the forest but she would definitely win in the fight against a doorknob. She just had to make sure that no one was outside who could see her so casually rip off part of a door.

There was no sound from outside so she braced herself and prepared to yank the metal from the wood. She had just wrapped her hand around the handle when it rotated under her grasp and the wood around it splintered.