“Carmondy,” she hissed, dragging him away from Norah’s room and into hers so she could yell at him without whispering. “What are you doing up here?”

His linebacker-worthy shoulders lifted and fell. “Just checking on you. I heard your voice but not what you were saying, and I thought you might be calling for me.”

“Calling for you? Calling for you?” His look of innocence aggravated her even as she struggled not to find him amusing. It was the same reason she had a hard time training Warrant. Both the dog and John were too endearing for their own good, even when they were misbehaving. Biting back any hint of a smile, Molly gave him the sternest look she could manage. “Don’t worry. If I ever call for you, you’ll know.”

“Good to know. Ready?” His gaze flickered down to her still bare legs before slowly making their way back up to her face. “Weren’t you going to change?”

Ignoring his question, she rested her hands on her hips and stared at the ceiling, searching for patience. When she realized that none was forthcoming, she sighed heavily and met his eyes again. “Why do you have to be this way?”

“What way?”

The right words escaped her, so she waved her arms in a way that encompassed his whole huge form. “So…lurky. Happy and lurky.”

His grin actually widened at that. “Thank you, but I think the phrase you’re searching for is happy-go-lucky.”

“No.” Giving up, she dropped her backpack on the floor and headed for her closet. “That’s not what I’m searching for. Now, get out.”

“You sure you don’t need any hel—?”

“Out.” She emphasized the single-word command by pointing at the door. Even though he still wore his stupid grin, he obeyed, slipping out of the bedroom and closing the door behind him. Despite knowing that he was safely in the hall and did not, to the best of her knowledge, have X-ray vision, Molly still changed in a hurry, half expecting him to burst in with some half-assed excuse at any moment.

She managed to yank on her cargo pants and T-shirt uninterrupted, so she opened her nightstand drawer and picked through the contents. Since her pants provided multiple, easy-to-reach pockets, she decided to bring along a few more accessories than she normally did: a Taser, two folding knives, a pair of handcuffs, her lock-pick kit, a travel-sized pepper spray, and a few other handy odds and ends.

After twisting her hair into a braided bun at the base of her neck and checking to make sure her backpack had the usual first-aid kit and other essentials she needed when out chasing skips, she couldn’t resist a quick glance in the mirror to make sure she looked okay. As soon as her eyes met her reflection, she looked away. What was she doing? This was a dangerous and important thing she needed to do, and she couldn’t be getting distracted by her impromptu partner.

Turning resolutely toward the door, she shouldered her backpack and checked off all the items on her mental checklist. She was ready to go. As soon as she’d taken a single step toward the entrance to her room, the door swung open and Mr. Happy-and-Lurky stuck his face inside.