The Mystic Notch Police Station was quiet when Pandora arrived. She’d sprinted all the way over and had to take a moment to catch her breath. Luckily, one of the deputies left shortly after she got there, allowing her to slip through the open door inside the place.

She’d only been there a few times before, so it took a bit of time to get acclimated and remember where exactly Striker was. Once located, she stalked over and prepared to jump up onto the desk he was using while he finished up a phone call.

“Yes, Ms. Charles. I realize you think the rose bush in your front yard is haunted, but please remember it’s a windy night and some of those noises are natural.” He winced and held the phone away from his ear, turning away. That was when he spotted Pandora. A frown creased his brow.

Striker finished up the conversation with Ms. Charles by assuring her he’d swing by in his squad car later then hung up the phone. Pandora leapt onto his desktop and took a seat in front of him, atop a stack of paperwork, tail swishing and eyes intent on his.

“How’d you get in?” Striker asked before looking around the room. “Is Willa with you?”

No, Willa wasn’t with her. That was the problem. Pandora took a deep breath then focused all her concentration on the human male before her, compelling his attention back to her.

He craned his neck to see around her, clearly expecting Willa to appear in his doorway. “Okay, where is she? And why in the world would she bring you here?”

“Hey, why wouldn’t she?” Pandora bristled.

Oh dear, Striker didn’t seem to be receiving her telepathic thoughts. He kept petting her and looking for Willa. Pandora stared at him and focused harder.

Striker leaned forward slightly, his gray gaze narrowing, his pupils dilating slightly. “What is it, girl? What’s wrong?”

The air between them seemed to sizzle, and Pandora felt the barrier between her mind and his waver then disappear completely. She was in!

Pandora began to send messages of panic and warning. Willa in trouble! Willa need help!

In return, she could feel his concern for her human caretaker, his razor-sharp intelligence, and his kind, brave heart. That was good. They’d need those qualities to save Willa from danger tonight.

“Willa’s in danger,” Striker whispered, speaking in time to Pandora’s thoughts. “Willa needs my help.” He blinked then jumped to his feet. “Willa’s in danger! Willa needs my help.”

Without asking, he scooped Pandora up under one arm and jammed his hat on his head before grabbing his car keys and badge from the desktop. “Where is she, girl? Tell me where to go.”

Normally, Pandora would have hissed, clawed, and squirmed to get away. Being carried under someone’s arm was so undignified. But these were special circumstances, and causing a ruckus would only delay them getting to Willa. Instead, she sent telepathic images of Barney’s antique store and the woods behind it as they headed for the squad car. After he set Pandora in the passenger seat, Striker climbed in behind the wheel and started the engine, giving a bark of disbelieving laughter. “It’s a good thing Gus isn’t around,” he said. “Otherwise, I’d have some explaining to do about why I’m driving around Mystic Notch with her sister’s cat.”

Pandora answered with an urgent meow that had Striker squealing out of the station parking lot in a blaze of rubber and flashing lights.

“Right,” Striker said, frowning. “Doesn’t matter now. All that matters is making sure Willa is safe.”

They pulled up outside the store moments later, and Striker got out let Pandora out the passenger side. “Where to now? Are they inside or out here somewhere?”

Pandora took a moment to get her bearings. Her whiskers twitched, her nose high in the air, seeking the scent of Willa. She wasn’t inside the antique shop. She was beyond it in the woods. This was not good.

Pandora rushed around the side of the building toward the woods. Behind her, she heard Striker’s muttered curse then the pounding of his footsteps as he followed behind her into the darkness.

“Guess it’s the woods, then,” he said, his tone dry.