* * * *
By the time she arrived, the dog had inched out fromits hiding spot and lain down on the ground beside Vic, headresting on its forepaws. It was a large dog—no mere puppy, from thesize of it. Some sort of Labrador mix, Vic would guess. It hadshort hair mottled into dirty clumps, and the bloody ear floppedover one chocolate eye. Every so often, it would snort with analmost human-like sigh as it gave Vic the most pitiful of looks. Hedidn’t know what to do—was it injured? Hungry? Hurt? It had downedthe rest of his lunch, and as much as he wanted to buy anothersausage or three for it to eat, he didn’t want to leave italone.
Or the boys, for that matter. Bobby’s angrymutterings were muffled by the strip of metal across his mouth, andhis friends had given up yelling for help until they saw the policecruiser slow to a stop at the curb. As Kendra Jones climbed out ofthe vehicle, the kids started up again. “Hey! Help! Help!”
Ignoring them, Kendra ducked through the opening inthe fence and crossed to where Vic waited. He rose to meet her; thedog stood, as well, one forepaw drawn up in pain. Kendra pushed thecap back from her heart-shaped face and smiled up at him. “Ithought you said you didn’t touch them.”
“My prints ain’t on those bikes,” Vic assuredher.
Casting a doubtful eye at Bobby, Kendra asked, “Iguess they just did that themselves, eh?”
Vic shrugged. “You could say that. Can I presscharges or something?”
“It’s not your dog.” Kendra glanced at the mutt, whowoofed softly and rubbed its muzzle into Vic’s palm. Absently, hepetted the top of its head. “Look, Vic. I’ll be honest with you. Ican drag the kids downtown but they’re juvies, you know? We canonly hold them until their parents come pick them up. They’ll getslapped with a fine or community service, if that. The dog won’t beso lucky.”
Narrowing his eyes, Vic asked, “What do youmean?”
Kendra looked off in the distance, unable to meet hisgaze. “The pound is full of animals like this. Abandoned, thrownaway. I called Animal Control on the way over and they should behere soon. We’ll take the dog to the SPCA, let a vet go over it,make sure it’s not somebody’s pet that’s run away. But after that,I’m going to have to take it to the pound. It’s an older dog, andnot really…you know, cute and cuddly, see? It’s a little wild, alittle ragged. It’s probably not a likely candidate foradoption.”
Vic’s fingers found a soft spot behind the dog’s earsand scratched. The dog leaned into him, loving the attention. Yeah,so it wasn’t picture perfect—neither was he. “You’re saying what,life in a cage, then?” Vic asked. “What’s wrong with that? At leastit’ll have food and shelter.”
Kendra’s mouth twisted as if she’d bitten into alemon. “Not for long. The pound keeps it a week maybe, less ifthey’re overcrowded.”
“Then what?” Vic wanted to know.
The look she gave him was torturous. He didn’t haveto read her mind to see what it meant. Then it’ll be put down. As if it were a nuisance tobe rubbed out, eliminated. Euthanized. Destroyed.
Vic frowned at the dog. Its sad eyes were closed asit savored the feel of his fingers rubbing behind its ears. Itsweight felt heavy and warm where it leaned against his leg. Herecalled the way it had approached him, tentatively at first, thenconfident he wouldn’t harm it. And here it sat, trusting as it lethim pet it, with no clue Kendra spoke so casually of ending itslife.
His voice was gruff when he finally spoke. “I’m latefor work. Call me, will you? Let me know if it belongs to someoneor not. Can you do that?”
Quickly, Kendra nodded. “Sure. Do you want—”
He cut her off. “I don’t know. Just let me thinkabout it, will you? Don’t do anything rash.”
She nodded again. “I won’t. I think it likesyou.”
Vic frowned harder, a built-in defense mechanism heused to keep the rest of the world at bay. But it didn’t work onthe dog, who had leaned its head back and now let Vic rub beneathits chin, and he suspected it didn’t work on Kendra, either. “I gotto get to work.” He heard the squeal of brakes and glanced down thestreet at a white van pulling to a stop. “Is that Animal Control?Make sure you call me. If I don’t hear from you by the time I clockout—”
“You will,” Kendra promised. “I won’t let them doanything with the dog until I talk to you.”
With a nod, Vic gave the dog a quick pat and movedaway. It took a step after him, but at Vic’s stern look, it sank toits rear haunches and waited. “Good boy,” Vic muttered beneath hisbreath.
As if it had heard him, the dog woofed once. Vichoped it belonged to someone. Maybe he wouldn’t have to be the oneto decide the poor mutt’s fate. But somehow he doubted that.
When he headed for the break in the fence, Kendracleared her throat, stopping him. “Vic?” she called out.
He turned, scowling.
With a sympathetic smile, she pointed behind him.“Can you maybe get these guys down for me? I can’t take them inlike this.”
Vic held his hands out at his sides, palms open, andimagined his fingers linking through the holes in the fence’schain. Closing his hands into fists, he felt the power surge fromhim to grasp at the fence; one hard tug and the metal posts bentlike straws, folding into themselves until they snapped. The boyscried out as they tumbled down hard to the rock-strewn ground.
Kendra’s eyes went wide. With a smile of his own,this one mischievous, Vic pointed out, “I didn’t touch them, didI?”
* * * *
Something Roxie had said in jest about her wedding toVic bothered Matt for the rest of the day. “You can’t marry him…”
Well, why the hell not?
Yes, the law wouldn’t recognize the union. And yes,no church in the state would sanctify it. But who needed a showyceremony anyway? Why not just a simple exchange of vows in front ofa few dozen friends? Why not proclaim their
