“Sounds like a mess,” Croft murmured, his hand falling still on Danger’s head. “Alaskan Malamutes are fuckin’ heavy coated breeds, too. She’ll get hot outside.”
I scrubbed my face. “I know. I put her a pool out at my house. Her and Francis turned out to be friends of a sort. Shared their food and their pool. I think Francis is mad at me that I found Danger a home.”
“Why didn’t you keep her?” he asked quietly, his words sounding slightly slurred.
His pain pill was finally kicking in.
“Because I have too many dogs that need my help. And I thought Danger was going to love it there,” I admitted.
But there was no reply.
Nor was there an easing of my guilt.
I shouldn’t have given her away.
He was right. I should’ve kept her. But I’d honestly thought that she would love that family. I’d just been trying to do what was best for Danger.
And look how that turned out.
CHAPTER 10
As long as I have a face, you’ll always have somewhere to sit.
-Text from Croft to Carmichael
CROFT
I was lying in my bed alone the next morning, and I really, really fuckin’ wished that I’d told the judge that I wouldn’t be coming in today.
Only, I’d misspoke, and now I was going to be forced to go in whether I wanted to or not.
Easing out of the bed, I kept myself distracted by thinking of Carmichael.
She’d left last night around nine, and she’d taken my dog with her.
Why?
Because Danger and Lion had really hit it off, and Danger had needed a friend. So, I’d let her go home with my dog.
That, and I’d wanted to make sure that she had extra protection.
We’d gotten word from Flint last night that there hadn’t been anything or anyone found in connection to the break-in at Carmichael’s place, or my shooting.
Meaning, whoever had done it was still out there.
But, while we’d been out yesterday, Flint had been busy.
He’d put a full security system into Carmichael’s place. And when I say full security system, I was talking top-of-the-line, only the people that had the connections, security system.
I wasn’t sure how Flint had gotten his hands on it, but I’d been damned impressed.
Still, I’d sent her with Lion just in case.
I hadn’t slept well last night, either.
I’d been thinking of all the things that could potentially go wrong.
Like what if I didn’t hear her in the middle of the night and something happened? What if someone got in despite the tricked-out security system? What if I physically wasn’t capable of helping her?
Needless to say, as I shuffled my way to the bathroom, the very last fucking thing that I wanted to do was go try a case.
But I didn’t have a choice.
I had exactly an hour and a half until I had to be at the courthouse, and shot or not, Judge Stanley would not be forgiving if I was late.
Getting through my normal daily routine, I was just getting to the point where I put the button-up shirt on when I realized that it wouldn’t be happening.
Though I was moving a little better today, tiny buttons and a screaming arm were not for me.
That, and I needed the bandage changed and I couldn’t reach the exit wound at my back.
Plus, I could really use an excuse to go see the sexy little thing across the street.
Finishing up everything that I could on my end and taking some drugs to hopefully hold me over, I grabbed my shirt, tie, suit jacket, keys and phone before heading out the door.
The walk to Carmichael’s place took less than a minute, and I was surprised to find that, although it felt fairly bad, I was moving a whole lot better than I had the day before. Things didn’t absolutely kill me when I walked. More like a dull throb.
When I knocked on the door, though, the reverberation down my arm made me grimace, which was when she chose to answer the door.
She frowned hard at me. “You look rough.”
I felt rough.
But better.
“I’m okay,” I admitted, holding up my shirt and tie. “Will you help me get dressed?”
She grinned then.
“Yeah,” she agreed immediately, opening the door wide. “The dogs are actually in the back yard playing with Francis. Well, Francis and Lion are playing. Danger is watching but getting closer and closer by the second.”
I wanted to see this, so I passed her and walked to her back door where I looked out.
Sure enough, Lion was in the kiddy pool that Carmichael had spoken about yesterday, and Francis had only his head buried.
“Do you think that the raccoon is feral?” I asked curiously. “I mean, Lion has all her shots, but still.”
“I think that she’s probably fine,” Carmichael admitted, taking my suit jacket, tie and shirt from me. “Turn around.”
I did, my eyes taking her in.
She was wearing a short pair of sleep shorts that were loose and flowy. Something that I could easily slip my hand up one of the leg holes if I wanted.
Her shirt was an old shirt that had seen better days. It said “Track & Field” on it in white, cracked letters.
I wanted to rip it off of her and pull her in so I could feel her skin against mine.
With only a single glance, I knew that she was naked underneath that shirt. No bra to be found.
I also knew that when she shifted, her breasts would bounce with the flow of her movements.
I groaned and looked away, my eyes going to the pool outside to watch the dog and the raccoon play.
“Arm,” she ordered, holding my shirt out.
I gave her my bad arm and she help me thread it into place but paused when she got it halfway up my arm.
“You’re not wearing an undershirt today?” she asked curiously.
I shook my head. “Couldn’t find a clean one. I need to do some laundry.”
“I think that you need help.” She laughed. “I have a shirt you can wear. It might
