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.The one with streaked hair giggled."He looks morelike a refugee from Fashion Week.""Homeless designers, right? Like, ohmigod, youcan't live in that box.It's not Perrier!" They collapsedagainst each other in gales of laughter."Excuse me." Diego made a point of walkingthrough them to Finn and shook his shoulder gently."Timeto wake up.I know you don't feel well so let's get youhome."Finn blinked, his look seeming to ask why he was77 Finn Angel Martinezsaying such idiotically obvious things.But with a glance atthe girls and back at Diego, his expression hardened.When Finn sat up and the girls began to walk off, achair leaped out of line directly into one girl's shin.Shestumbled into the others and they all tumbled in a heap ofshrieks and flailing limbs.Finn's grim smile told Diego allhe needed to know."That wasn't very nice." He took Finn's arm to helphim up."They're nasty little bits.And they were upsettingyou.""Still, you can't go around& " Diego shook his headand led him off to the nearest bathroom."If I'm reallyupset, I'll take care of it myself, okay? Please don't thinkyou have to fight my battles for me."Finn fell silent except for his wheezing.Offended,Diego thought.A check to make certain the bathroom wasempty, and he pulled Finn into the handicapped stall.Hehelped Finn out of his clothes, praying for a moment'sprivacy.Two sets of feet visible under the door, one shodand the other bare, would look bad."Can you manage?" he whispered as he foldedFinn's clothes into a neat bundle and shoved them into thebag with the sneakers on the bottom.Finn heaved a hitching breath, closed his eyes, and78 Finn Angel Martinezmelted.Diego looked down; a black ferret lay on the tiles athis feet."Don't ask me to get up.I can't," the ferret mutteredin Finn's voice.A twinge of anxiety fluttered in Diego's stomach.Ferrets tended to be nippy."Please don't bite me."The absence of any smart-ass rejoinders to this toldhim how bad off Finn was.He gathered the soft-furredbody up in both hands and eased him into the bag atop theclothes."I'll try not to jostle you too much."The ferret grunted and curled into a ball, his headvanishing under his body.All the way home, an itch lodged between Diego'sshoulders.An unreasoning fear gripped him that someover-zealous security guard would call out, 'Hold up, sir.Let's see what's in the bag.' Not that transporting ferretswas illegal but he'd have to concoct some explanation aboutnot wanting to leave his pet at home.Lying convincinglywasn't one of his strong suits.He breathed easier when heclosed the apartment door.Finn lay limp and unmoving when he lifted him out.He gathered the furred body close to his chest."I'm sosorry.""Not that I want to discourage your embraces,"Ferret-Finn whispered."But could you put me in the bath?"79 Finn Angel MartinezDiego slid him into the water and held him, fingerstingling, until he shifted into a fish.Bass, grouper, trout, hehad no idea what sort but one that looked comfortablelounging in a bath at any rate.He'd banished the thought of handing Finn over toany agency, certain he would end up in some formaldehydetank in Area 51, after being thoroughly interrogated,sampled, tormented and dissected, of course.Later, when he settled Finn on the sofa with hisbottled water and bananas, a plan began to percolate.Heshowed Finn how to operate the TV remote with cautionarystatements about how little of what the picture box showedwas real."Like a play?""Yes, exactly like." Diego thanked the heavens thathe understood the concept of drama."I'm going out for abit.Please don't go anywhere."Finn nodded in a distracted way, his head cocked toone side as he watched Teletubbies bouncing across thescreen.Diego went first to deliver his articles due at variouslocal magazines, then called Miriam to see if she had a fewminutes for him and left a message on Mitch's voicemail."I'll be at Café Lucca by two
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