Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 68867 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 344(@200wpm)___ 275(@250wpm)___ 230(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68867 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 344(@200wpm)___ 275(@250wpm)___ 230(@300wpm)
“Oh, hi,” I said, not frightened—dogs had never scared me; I’d had my father for that—just aware that he, or she, was very big and could eat off my face if they wanted. The thing was, the dog immediately walked over to a bucket, dipped their muzzle in, and retrieved a fuzzy yellow tennis ball. Returning to me, they waited patiently.
I wasn’t stupid, so I held out my hand, and the ball was deposited gingerly in my palm.
“Yeah, all right,” I told the animal, then threw the ball away from me hard.
The dog’s speed was impressive, first down the twelve stairs, I’d counted, and then flying across the grass. Such a big dog, probably with some wolf in there; a hybrid, no question. I hated backyard breeders, and there had been so many when I was growing up. I was thrilled with Chicago’s fuck-around-and-find-out, animal-cruelty laws. That did not fly in the land of Lincoln. I was guessing that the mutant was a rescue, Miro struck me as the type to save a life.
When the ball was returned, it wasn’t even as gross as I thought it would be. I did need to descend the steps, because it was spit out in the grass at the base of the stairs, and the look I got, like, Are you coming? made me smile.
I heard the door open behind me, and when I turned to look, the woman from earlier, married to Thor, was smiling down at me.
“I see you found Chickie, or he found you.”
“Chickie?”
She nodded, descending the stairs. “He’s Ian and Miro’s dog. Started out just as Ian’s, then Miro’s too and now he’s mine as well.”
“He’s awful pretty.”
“I suspect he knows,” she said, offering me her hand. “Aruna Duffy.”
“Delroy McCabe,” I replied, taking her hand in mine.
“Are you a marshal as well?”
“I am. How do you know Miro and Ian?”
“Miro and I have been friends since college.”
“Oh, that’s great. I have good college friends I still see once or twice a year unless somebody’s gettin’ married, has a kid, or loses someone. I like goin’ to see new babies the best. I wish some of them lived here.”
“It’s been good to have Miro close,” she said as Chickie came charging up to us, whimpering and whining at Aruna’s feet.
She crouched down to pet the wolf, and he howled his happiness, licked her, shoved his muzzle in her hand, his nose in her eye, and generally made a nuisance of himself before she threw the ball and he was gone in a blaze.
“Oh, watch this,” she said, laughing, then went suddenly still and gasped loudly. “What is that?”
Chickie was back in seconds, standing in front of her, ears up, nose sniffing the air, the picture of alertness.
She pointed at the closest oak tree. “Squirrel!”
And the dog went up the tree. Like straight up the tree, as if running on the ground.
“Holy shit,” I said, in absolute awe.
She was cackling.
“Aruna Duffy,” I heard Miro yell behind me. “Get that dog down from that tree right this second!”
“Oooh, you’re in trouble,” I whispered.
She cackled. “That’ll be the day.”
“Will he kill the squirrels?”
“As if the moose dog could catch a squirrel,” she scoffed, then turned and yelled, “Ohmygod, a stranger!”
Instantly, Chickie ran right down the tree, leaping from ten feet off the ground, and immediately ran the perimeter of the fence, checking that nothing was awry.
“Aruna!”
We both turned to Miro, who was standing on the porch.
“You need to get in here. The rest of the food finally arrived, and I don’t know what’s what. Ian said you told him what to order, so he’s claiming ignorance.”
“Oh, he’s a filthy liar,” she told him, starting toward the stairs.
“Thank you again for the pizza, Del,” Miro called over to me. “You and your partner saved my life.”
“Your partner is a beautiful man,” she said, climbing the stairs, but then stopped and turned to look at me. “As are you.”
I grinned at her. “Please, we all know what he looks like. His sister will be here later, and she’s stunnin’ as well.”
“Sounds like a good gene pool, but you’re not lacking either, Delroy McCabe. I love blond men with golden tans. Big fan.”
“You’re gonna make me blush.”
“I would love to see that,” she teased, then stopped again before going inside with Miro. “Don’t leave without saying goodbye. I won’t either.”
“Deal.”
I threw the ball for Chickie some more, but eventually he had to go inside. It was too hot outside for a dog with such a heavy coat.
When I went in, Lang was talking to Kohn. Talia and Sharpe were in the kitchen, talking to Callahan and Celso. I noted Talia and Celso holding hands. I was glad they’d hit it off.
Grabbing a bottle of water, I was on my way back out when I bumped into Sen Yamane.