Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 79850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
“And we’ll even pay you,” I said, chuckling, noting that she was still holding my dog.
“God,” she grumbled, reaching down to take off one of her heels, then the other, and then wheeled around and headed back to the car. “I need to return to the airport, Davit,” she called over to the driver. “I have to get home and pack.”
“Eugenia!” her mother yelled after her.
“Hey, lady,” I called over.
She rounded on me, her eyes shooting daggers.
“Could you give me back my dog?”
“No,” she yelled, spinning around and stalking away.
“We can make her a suite,” Ada announced, sounding excited. “She could choose her paint color and what she wants in there—oh,” she gasped, and then ran toward the car so she could talk to Eugenia.
The young woman, who hadn’t yet gotten into the car, dropped her shoes, put my dog down very gently, told him to go to his daddy, and then held out her arms for her aunt. They hugged tight, and I was thinking that sometimes life came knocking, and when it did, you had to take a chance and jump. Eugenia was doing just that. I’d done the same, so I got how it could be both terrifying and thrilling.
“Go home, Mr. Farley,” I told him as Misha reached me. I picked him up and put him back in the sling. “The gravy train is over, so I suggest you make other arrangements. We’re going to open a sanctuary.”
He was horrified, if the look on his face was any indication, and Mrs. Whitmore-Farley started shrieking that all of us were insane. Into that scene came Gale, coming up the drive, turning into his carport and parking his cruiser.
I couldn’t take my eyes off him as he began walking over to us. I was utterly riveted. He was the same man who had kissed me goodbye that morning, yet for whatever reason, it felt like I hadn’t seen him in years.
“We had a report of some kind of situation out here,” Gale announced, reaching me and putting a hand on my shoulder. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine, Deputy Chief Malloy. I appreciate your concern.”
He squinted at me. “Knock it off.”
I couldn’t help smiling.
“Answer the question,” he said, his fingers in the hair at my nape, treating me, whether he realized it or not, like I belonged to him.
“I’m fine.”
“Well, Sage Tucker called in, and he was quite worried.”
I looked over at Sage and his buddy, who had another, smaller python that they were carefully putting into a bag.
“That’s them, Deputy Chief,” Sage called over, pointing at the Farleys. “They were screaming at Maks for no reason.”
Gale took a breath and cleared his throat. “Is that a python?”
“Actually, this one’s an anaconda,” Sage replied happily. “Dude, we’re so pumped! There’s a sanctuary in Ontario that’s the perfect place for this guy!”
“Oh, that’s where those went,” Ada said with a sigh. “Someone dropped them here, and I had them in a box by the radiator to keep them warm, but they all got out.” She smiled at me. “They were much smaller back then, you understand.”
Of course they were.
“You know, I always wondered why I didn’t have mice or rats in the house,” she said turning to me. “That’s probably why, don’t you think? The snakes.”
God. “Probably. Yes. And we need to put in a gate out front,” I told Ada. “If people are going to dump things, I want to see what kind of animal it is.”
“Whatever you think, dear.”
Gale cleared his throat. “I told you there were snakes.”
“Yeah, but I thought you meant like king snakes or even rattlesnakes or something of that size. Those are not what I was expecting.”
“I was kidding,” he snapped, bending over and taking deep breaths.
“There was a caiman in the basement.”
“I don’t know what that is, but I can’t imagine it’s good.”
“Like a smaller alligator.”
“They’re actually more closely related to crocodiles,” Sage’s buddy said as he walked by, carrying one of the bags. “I’m Barnaby Reilly,” he said, offering me his hand. “Thank you again for calling us. This has been the most amazing day, Mr. Gorev.”
“I’m so glad. And call me Maks.”
“Awesome.” He took a step closer with the squirming bag. “You know, my band is playing at the Well on Friday. Maybe you—”
“He’s busy,” Gale said quickly, straightening up. Then noticing that the bag was still twitching, he bent over again.
“Okay, cool,” Barnaby said, still smiling at me, before turning to Gale. “You know, it’s not gonna bite you even if it gets outta the bag.”
“But it won’t get out of the bag, right?” I asked.
“No worries, Maks. I wouldn’t let it hurt you.”
“Thank you.”
“Could you take the snake away already?” Gale was clearly annoyed.
Barnaby gave me a head tip, then left, and I crouched down beside Gale. “Breathe, baby.”
“Shut up,” he groused at me. “And he’s too young for you.”