Asprin, Robert Lynn – Catwoman – Tiger Hunt (With Lynn Abbey)

“For the pain. Water now?”

Tiger pushed the glass away, but he took the pills in his good hand. “Tell the quack I said thanks for the hospitality.”

He couldn’t stand up until he got into the passageway. The sudden change in posture made him woozy, but there was no going back. Not after last night. It had gone so quickly, so completely. He’d never believed the sheepherders when they said their enemies would stop at nothing. As far as he’d been concerned, they’d always belonged in a circus sideshow. And the police—who had tipped them? But then the black cat—the black tiger—had appeared, and he’d seen what he had to do. He got away alive. There was still hope.

The sun was high overhead when Tiger came out the unmarked metal door. It hurt his eyes. He’d been out longer than he thought. He reached reflexively for his sunglasses, but they were gone, along with his jacket and his shoes. The shoes he was wearing were too big. The jacket was too small and stank of chili sauce, but it covered the bloodstains on his shirt. He tugged on it a couple times, just to make sure, then headed for the street.

The Connection knew what had happened. There was no way the Connection didn’t know by now. So Tiger was careful coming out of the alley. He checked both directions for the antenna-sprouting van. The street was clean. Tiger was just as cautious at the next intersection, and the one after that; then he began to relax. If the boss wanted to see him, the van would have been waiting for him. He wanted to get home and clean himself up before he met with the boss to square things up.