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“Sorry. I’ve almost got it… And done.” Paige waved her hands in the air and smiled through the mesh at him.

“Fabulous,” Dewey groaned. “Let’s get going. I want to be out of this stupid prison.”

The mesh bulged as he pushed against the sides.

“Oh, stop,” Paige said as she snapped the strap onto the carrier. “I just need to grab my hoodie.”

“Well, hurry up! It’s tight in here,” Dewey shouted as she darted toward his nest and hurried up the stairs.

She returned in minutes, shaking her head at him as she pulled the hoodie down and adjusted her tote bag on her shoulder. “I got the medium-sized carrier. You should have plenty of room.”

“I’m squashed in here.”

“Doubt it. You’re tiny. You should totally fit.”

“You’re lucky I’m stuck in here and can’t claw you.”

Paige tossed the strap over her shoulder and hefted the bag upward, letting it hang down to her hip. She took a few steps toward the metal staircase leading up with the carrier bouncing off her hip as she hurried along.

“Ow! Careful. I’m being jostled around here.”

“Sorry, I’m trying to hurry.”

Dewey huffed out a breath. “Now I know why I’ve never left the library.”

“Pipe down. People may believe you’re my dog, but not if you’re talking.” Paige’s footsteps echoed on the metal platform as she hurried across to the door. “Oh, shoot!”

“Now what?”

Paige dropped the bag on the floor and darted down the stairs. “I forgot the Seepy Sap!”

Out of breath, she swung around the railing, raced toward the BookTron desk, swiped the heavy gold cube, and shoved it in her tote bag before she bounded up the stairs again.

She groaned as she lifted the pet carrier up and hung it from her shoulder again. “Ugh, maybe I should have gotten the large carrier. You’re way heavier than I thought.”

“Shut up, Paige. This size carrier is just fine.”

Paige swung the door open and stepped into the hall, then she hurried up the steps to the main library. “You said it was too small.”

“I just couldn’t get settled into it, but now that I did, it’s fine. I’ve got plenty of room. It’s big actually.”

Paige rolled her eyes as she stepped up from the last step to the hallway. She pulled her phone from her tote and tapped around on it as she walked down the hall. “Okay, got a rideshare coming to pick us up. Oh, where are we going?”

“Shadow Harbor’s private airstrip just outside of town. It’s called Shadow Harbor Air Club.”

Paige pushed into the dark, quiet library with a nod. “Got it. Let me tell Otis we’re leaving.”

She shouted through the library for the security guard. He hurried from the hall leading to the Human Resources office, still licking powdered sugar off his fingers.

“Something you need, Paige?”

“I just wanted to let you know we’re heading out on a mission. I’m not sure when we’ll be back, but we won’t be in the library.”

“We?”

“Hi, Otis,” Dewey called from within the pet carrier.

Paige heaved up on the strap, tugging the carrier a little higher. “I’m taking Dewey with me for backup.”