At the Cabin

1

KATE

The humans had once called her kind changelings or dopplegangers. They had feared that her people could replace anyone and did so for nefarious purposes.

Humans could be so stupid.

She required a personal object to maintain the person’s appearance. Unless the subject was close enough to her human form. Then she only had to remember to keep her eyes blue or her hair long. Even with the object, strong emotion could cause her form to flicker.

The humans were right about why she did it. She was done living on scraps. The only way to survive in this world was to plan a big enough score that it set her for life.

The score she and Mike had planned was a brilliant long con. The first phase had been stealing the heiress’s ring from the mob boss, Turner. He was a hunter who sided mostly with humans. He seemed to find them interesting and had developed certain hobbies that she’d taken advantage of.

The next phase was making the mob boss think the person who’d robbed him was dead. She just had to switch identities to move to that phase.

Switching between identities was when most got caught. She'd found if she created an identity just for that transition, it made her plans run much smoother. She held the bracelet she had stolen earlier and locked in her current form which was different from the one she’d used on Turner.

She was now Pauline Craft. Single, middle-class, and liked art. Just the type to be shopping in this part of town on a warm spring afternoon. She paused at a window and let her gaze skim over handcrafted pottery and a ridiculously expensive painting of roosters.

Her focus landed on her own reflection, then shifted over her shoulder. No sign she was being pursued. It was not the humans that worried her, but others who sided with the humans. The hunters in all forms.

She pulled out the burner phone she'd been saving for this eventuality and scrolled to the first of two numbers in the contacts. It wasn't time for the second number, not yet.

She dialed the number to end the set-up phase of the heist of the century. The set-up phase had successfully completed. She moved to the next store window filled with shabby chic furniture.

Yes? Mike's voice was gruff. Her heart leapt; she'd missed him these months apart. Mike might be human, but they had a bond that went beyond species.

The eagle has landed. She did her best to sound serious as she spoke the code words that gave the all clear. In their line of work, such precautions were required.

Quoting astronauts, are we? Mike's bantering tone brought a flash of relief. Her eyes burned with almost-tears. He had not been compromised. The hunters hadn’t found him.

I got it. Turner's going to be pissed. It was the only thing in his safe. She kept her voice low and conversational, despite the bad news. As soon as Turner went into the safe, he would know he'd been robbed. He would come looking for her sooner than she'd hoped. She and Mike would be crunched to put their getaway plan in action. That meant shortening the timelines and adding risk.

Then it won't take him long to notice that it's missing, Mike said. He'd always been able to extrapolate what she meant. Damn, she needed to start thinking of him by his new name or she would slip when she met him in his new role. A slip could be dangerous; it was a clue that could ruin the set-up.

We were supposed to hook-up tomorrow morning. It was a vulgar term that the kids used but it was true. Turner had thought he was going to get lucky with his shy, human, college girl. Her stomach twisted. She would have slept with him if she'd had to. Mike would've understood. But sleeping with him might have given him a chance to see she was not human. If she’d lost the pendent she'd stolen so she could keep the human form Turner found attractive, then he would've made her suffer and then killed her. Even if he hadn’t discovered she wasn’t human, she wouldn’t have survived. There was his hobby with human females to factor in.

You've gotten away clean? Even though his voice was all business, the rapid-fire clicks punctuated the background like machine gun fire and gave away how he was feeling. Her heart warmed. He clicked the pen like that when he was worried.

Yes.

Good. I'm already in position. The plan had him wooing the woman that they'd stolen the pendent from. The woman's appearance had been perfect and would be even better once she died to cover their trail.

I sent the package. Just in case. Just in case she got caught. Mike couldn’t use the ring without her, but not having what she’d stolen on her person might save her if she got caught while transitioning.

So you could play freaked-out innocent? Smart. The compliment warmed her further. Six more months was not that long to wait to be together. They would at least be able to see each other during this part of the plan. Even if Mike just had to sleep with someone else.

How long before you get here? Mike asked.

Two weeks. And that would be tight. She needed to get some of the money they had shipped, get her new identity established, purchase the cabin, and make sure she was welcome in the mark's life. If they did their job right, the true owner of the necklace wouldn’t know until it was too late that it was a set-up.

Good. She may even be living with me by then.

That will make what we have to do easier. Maybe they'd get lucky and everything would be in place in five months. Unless they couldn’t pull everything together in six months, then she would lose her one shot to pull the heist off. This one was big and would set her and Mike up for life.

Come back to me when you’re done. Her chest lightened at his code word for saying he loved her when in an identity.

I'll always come back to you. This time pretending not to be together would be worth it. They would pull off the biggest score ever and retire together with notoriety in the right circles. And they’d have the money to stay out of the gutter and out of the hunters' reach.

2

LAURA

W e have an escapee. Laura Cassidy sprinted after the soap-covered dog. The black dog raced out the door and only the clickety clack of his claws and a trail of water indicated where he'd gone. She slipped and grabbed the door frame. No black dog. She skidded into the long hallway. Duke?

I got him. Kate McMillan's gravelly voice came from the first door on the left.

Laura peeked in. Kate knelt on the floor, her arms around the wet dog. When Duke kissed Kate in the face, she ducked her head and laughed. I already have a man.

Duke, don't you want to be nice and clean for your forever home pickup? Laura grabbed his collar and pulled the Lab mix off Kate. But the dog had other ideas. He shook out his fur, sending a spray of froth and water all over the tiny office.

No, Duke! Kate closed her eyes and turned her head, but it was too late.

Kate and Laura stood to survey the damage. Suds speckled the faded wallpaper and worn carpet. The desk was mostly spared, with the ledger blocked by the raised front of the desk.

Good thing we don't have computers. They would have been wrecked in this deluge. Laura pulled Duke closer to the door.

Don't worry, my hair is fine. Kate patted the bubbles on the top of her head and laughed.

Laura shook her head. Goofball.

Fred, the UPS guy walked in. Laura, can you sign this shipping acceptance? He handed the iPad to Kate who smiled and took it.

I'm Laura. Laura tried to grab the pad, but the dog wiggled and pulled her farther out the door.

I've got it. You get Duke dry. The Andersons will be here in less than an hour.

Are you guys sure you're not twins? Or sisters at least? Fred grinned like he had fantasies about twins. It was uncanny how alike they looked. They had the same brown hair, but Kate's was up in an elegant knot. Their brown eyes and same pale skin matched as well.

Nope. Not related. Kate signed the pad and handed it back.

What are we getting now? I thought all the dog food came yesterday?

Kate hesitated. They missed some bags. I'll just show Fred where to put the shipment. Kate stood and waved Fred out the door. Besides, the sooner Duke is done, the sooner you can leave to get ready for your date.

It's not a date. She kept her voice even. This weekend was so much more than a date. Her and Peter's six-month anniversary was this weekend. She'd never lasted so long with a relationship before, but being with Peter was easy. Almost too easy. It had been like one of those old romance movies where he'd seen her from across the room. Everything had happened so fast and they'd clicked so well, and before she knew it, she'd agreed to move in with him. She kept waiting for the bad thing to happen… like the brother who didn’t want them together or an evil stepmother to ruin things.

Lovers getaway? Kate scrunched her nose and made a face at Laura.

Your cousin and I have plans for the weekend. Laura felt the heat creep up her neck to her cheeks. Kate would die if she knew what she and Peter had planned.

Kate ducked her head. I better show Fred where to put that new shipment or we’ll never be able to find the kibble.

The inventory room seemed to be a black hole where boxes disappeared without explanation. Duke chose that moment to pull Laura down the hallway. She got her feet planted and led Duke back to the bathing area.

The picture of her father smiled at her from the wall. This shelter had been his years ago. She'd grown up in this building. She'd started cleaning kennels and taking out garbage. She'd watch her father match dogs to the perfect family. Watched him take scared dogs and transform them into confident dogs ready for their forever homes. It was a family tradition she should be proud to uphold.

Duke slobbered her on the face and his tail thumped the table’s leg. She grabbed the extra absorbent towel and dried the dog off with long stokes, feeling the long muscles of his flank. Duke had been so far gone when they'd found him. Every rib from his spine to his sternum had shown. His spine had looked like a row of knobs. He had been so starved; he could barely walk.

Some kind but misguided soul had given him a huge meal before turning him over to the shelter. They'd taken Duke to the vet and she had confirmed he was at risk for Refeeding Syndrome. Luckily, Duke only had the diarrhea and loss of appetite. They'd caught the imbalance in time. But it had taken frequent small, high quality meals and many IVs to finally bring him around.

Without Kate's money, they never would have been able to take him in and give him the care he needed. And now look at him.

She grinned as Duke tried to lick the hand that brushed him. He was still just a little too skinny, but was putting on weight nicely. Once he was dried, she took him back to his kennel.

Duke's bath was the last thing on her list. She could finally go back to her and Peter's apartment and prepare for the weekend. Her stomach fluttered. She'd never discussed fantasies with previous boyfriends, but somehow Peter just seemed easier to talk to.

Fear mingled with her excitement and anticipation. She'd never done anything like this before, but she'd risk it for Peter.

3

KATE

Kate listened for the shelter's front door to close. She moved around, picking up papers and shutting off lights. She needed to wait an additional ten minutes in case Laura forgot her keys or had some last-minute instructions.

She rolled her eyes at that thought. Laura was all sorts of disorganized and she'd been more than happy to hand over the inventory to Kate.

Being able to change her form was helpful for a get away, but now she had to fix the digital records.

Kate went to her desk and pulled out the inventory records. First, she'd audit to match the delivery log to the invoice. Once that was complete, the fun part. Cooking the books.

She unlocked her drawer, ignoring the hiss and rattle of her fake snake, and pulled out her own record.

For every special shipment, she marked the boxes as donated, sold, or used, depending upon what was supposed to be in that box. Later tonight, she’d physically remove the boxes. That would make everything match.

She shredded all the evidence that would allow her special boxes to disappear. The packing slip, her private list. Each page she shredded ratcheted up her excitement. They were so close.

One last task remained. She checked her watch. It was time.

She got in her car and drove to the train station.

The man she had to call scared her. She’d only met him once when she had been on her first date with Turner. He'd appeared suddenly, raising the fine hairs on her back. She'd tried to control her natural flinch.

He had noticed.

She'd not had to fake any of the fear she'd shown. Thomas, the Fixer, Turner's right-hand man, and some said his pet assassin, chilled the air in the room. She had no idea what sort of creature he was, but he was not human. Every sense she had screamed that he would kill her if he knew what she was. He was a hunter.

His cold, blue eyes had assessed her, pulling her secret identity up from hiding. Even with the pendent on, she'd had to focus to keep her appearance steady. If he became interested, he would crush her. But he had turned away and she'd been able to breathe again. She'd even let a chuckling Turner hold her a little closer for comfort.

This next phase was one of the most dangerous parts. Her stomach twisted as she grabbed the burner phone from the hidden pocket in her purse. On the seat was a kid's voice distorter that looked like a blue, plastic megaphone. It was okay to feel like an idiot using it, as she was not an idiot. It would be better if the Fixer had no idea who she was. He was the key to making Turner believe that she and Mike were dead. He shouldn't be able to tell her and Laura apart, and once they all burned, Turner wouldn't be able to either.

She took a deep breath and dialed. This was the last call in a series to lure Thomas in.

The subjects will be available for pick up at 123 Lost Cabin Trail near the Hidden Valley Resort in Notely, Minnesota, five p.m. tonight. Her voice came out a low masculine growl.

They are to be unharmed when I get there. His voice was cold and precise and sent shivers down her back.

Of course. When do I get paid? She’d only asked that question so he wouldn’t get suspicious.

The connection went dead.

She closed her eyes and took a shuddery breath. He'd taken the bait. If everything went to plan, she would close out this part of the plan and take on her final identity. Her previous life wrapped up in a nice, neat package. Just in time too. She would barely have enough time to prepare for the last phase.

She tied a scarf she’d taken earlier from a little old lady. The scarf had been her favorite, so the image Katie could take from it was strong. She became the gray haired, stooped lady who walked her tiny yipping dogs every day.

She walked slowly into the train station and sat on one of the wooden benches. A family with a set of little boys came in. Each boy had a model train in his hands. A hiker with a gigantic backpack walked across the room. No one else caught her attention until ten minutes later, a woman came in with a huge canvas purse on her shoulder. The bulging bag and how she leaned when she walked said it all. She had