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Alec woke up feeling stiff and store. He opened his eyes and wondered why the mattress had suddenly become as hard as a board. But when he looked around, he realized he was on the floor.

How had he gotten there? And what was that loud snoring sound?

He pushed himself up on his elbows and peered over the edge of the bed. Tangled up in the sheets, Chase was lying, snoring away, and occupying the bed’s entire acreage.

“Oh, no, you didn’t,” said Alec, getting up. Before he could manage, though, pain shot through his chest and he plunked back down. “Owowowow,” he yammered.

The snoring abruptly stopped and a face peered down at him.“Alec? You all right down there, bud?”

“No, I’m not all right!” he said, grasping his chest. First his left man boob, then his right man boob. “I have terrible chest pain! I think I might be having a heart attack.”

Chase had the audacity to laugh!

“Hey, it’s not funny! Better call a doctor. Or, better yet, call an ambulance!”

“It’s not your heart, buddy. It’s your chest muscles. How’s your back?”

He moved a little, and excruciating pains shot through his back.

“It’s radiating out to my back! It’s cardiac arrest—I know it! Call an ambulance!”

“It’s your workout, not your heart. You worked those muscles pretty hard yesterday, and now they’re complaining about what you put them through.”

“WhatI put them through! Whatyouput me through!”

“Hey, you have to start somewhere. Here, let me help you up.”

With a groan, and pain shooting through both his chest and back muscles, he got to his feet.“Owowowow,” he cried. “That hurts.”

“What you need is a hot shower and a relaxing massage,” said Chase. “And you’re in luck: they got both here at the Grand Continental.”

“I hate you, Chase Kingsley,” he said as he took a seat on the edge of the bed. “And why did you push me out of the bed?”

“I didn’t push you. You fell.”

“A likely story.”

“No, really. And since I didn’t want to wake you—”

“You decided to leave me lying on the floor. Nice!”

“Let’s get you into that shower, and while you’re soaking under that hot stream I’ll book you a nice massage. How does that sound? And maybe we’ll throw in a sauna.”

“No workouts today?” he asked.

“No workouts today. I promise.”

“Mh. All right, then,” he grumbled, and shuffled towards the bathroom.

Ten minutes later, he was slowly starting to feel human again, his sore muscles gently massaged by the pleasantly powerful stream of hot water. And by the time he exited the walk-in shower, Chase announced they were both booked for a sauna at ten, and massages at eleven.“And no conference,” Chase said sternly.

“We’re playing hooky again?” Alec asked.

“Yep. Doctor’s orders. I’ll quickly pop into the shower and then we’ll head down for breakfast, okay? At least,” he said, halting in the bathroom doorway, “if you feel up for it.”

The thought of that delicious breakfast buffet did much to lift the police chief’s mood. “I’m feeling up for it,” he announced bravely.

“I thought as much,” said his deputy with a cheeky grin, and disappeared into the shower before the spongy hotel slipper Alec aimed at his head could find its target.

Chapter 24

We’d finally arrived at the beauty parlor, and the driver dropped us off at the back, so as not to attract any attention. We quickly hurried inside, presumably to thwart any attempts by lurking paparazzi or other lookie-loos to catch sight of us, and soon found ourselves inside the beauty parlor proper. It was a nice parlor, as parlors go, though I have to admit I don’t have a lot of experience with beauty parlors, never having actually set paw inside one before.

There was a row of seats where presumably people had their hair done, judging from the sinks and the mirrors and the hair salon trays, a station where pedicures and manicures were executed, and of course there were tanning beds, a sauna, and even a hot tub where people could relax. All in all, a paradise for the ladies, but not for us cats.

At least not until we were led by a very kind-faced young woman to another part of the building, and suddenly found ourselves in pet paradise indeed: there was a play area where several pets were having fun with a multitude of toys in all shapes and sizes, scratching posts that reached all the way to the ceiling, a pet grooming station where currently a long-haired mutt was being relieved of his excess mane, and even a pedicurist devoted to those little pet nails, currently working on a Chihuahua.

“Pamper paradise,” said Harriet, a little breathlessly.

“It’s nice here,” said Prunella. “I come here almost every week. It’s basically a glorified waiting room for pets while their humans are gussied up next door, but I like it.”

“I like it, too,” said Harriet. “In fact I think I could live here.”

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” I said.

“What? Oh, you mean food? I’m sure they have a kitchen around here somewhere.”

“We’re not here to be primped and prinked. We’re here to find our original selves in that cryogenic freezer.”