That feeling I had when I left the dogs at the track back in Virginia filled me. Like someone had tied a rope around my chest . . . and then stepped on it.
I wanted these dogs to have the homes they deserved. That was what Miss Adeline and I did. But because we were so small—or maybe I just got too attached—every single dog that came through our doors was more than someone else to be rescued.
I’d grown particularly fond of the motley crew we had now. We were a family. All of us. And the thought of Sadie not being around to announce meal time . . .
I had a serious problem. Stop being so selfish.
Vivian absolutely would find adopters for all of the dogs. I had no doubt. And I had a few weeks to come to terms with Grey Paws being empty . . . until the next dog needed to be rescued.
Chapter Thirteen
Teague
“You have a lot of nerve showing up here.”
It wasn’t the greeting from Miss Adeline I expected, but it could’ve been worse.
She sat behind the reception desk, phone in one hand, petting someone I couldn’t see with the other.
“But I brought dinner.” I held up two bags containing chili, homemade cornbread, and salad.
“A day too late,” she muttered slamming down the phone. “Pepper!” she yelled. “We gotta roll.”
“What did you—” Pepper halted in the doorway to the back, breathless and red-faced. Her ponytail was lopsided and there were the customary paw prints on her overalls. She looked exhausted . . . and beautiful.
Her gaze was glacial, though it didn’t stay on me long. It warmed infinitely when it landed on Miss Adeline.
“That was a track in Jersey. We get four of their dogs today or—” I’d never heard that hard edge to her voice before. Even the less-than-friendly greeting had nothing on that.
“I’ll make sure the van’s ready.” Pepper jumped into action.
“I’m coming with you,” I said. It was as if the alarm at the station had gone off, and my brain shifted into automatic. “May I put this in your fridge?” I held up the bags.
A curt nod and a wave of her hand toward the stairs was all I got. I raced to their apartment and didn’t think twice about barging right inside.
Even in my hurry, I noticed it was much the same as it was the last time I’d been there. Tidy, except for a few dishes in the sink, books on the table, and dog toys scattered on the floor.
The refrigerator was packed, but I managed to make room, shoving the whole bag onto a shelf.
In seconds, I slammed their front door and flew back down the stairs, ignoring the soreness in my abs.
Pepper stuffed a pack of hot dogs in a cooler with determination.
“What can I grab?”
She pointed to a bag next to her without a word. Beef jerky was on top of whatever else was inside.
I gripped the handles and also picked up the cooler when she closed the lid. That earned me an annoyed look, but I ignored it and headed toward the open back door.
The dogs barked, led by Sadie who also stomped her feet. Ash stood and stuck her nose through the kennel door when I approached.
“Hey.” I set the cooler down and rubbed the top of her head with a couple of fingers. “I’ll be back soon.”
She seemed satisfied but didn’t back away from the gate. I marveled at how she recognized I’d carried her from her burning house and the attachment we seemed to have for one another.
Miss Adeline slammed the passenger door of the van. I tossed the bag and cooler in the back and turned to help Pepper with whatever else was needed. As used to moving quickly in an emergency as I was, I felt a bit out of my element. At the fire station, everyone had a duty when the alarm sounded. The tasks didn’t need to be thought about. They were ingrained. Automatic.
Here, I didn’t know what supplies we needed or the procedure. But these two did.
Pepper picked up a large crate by the back door.
“I’ll get it.” I attempted to take the awkward contraption from her but she refused, hefting it into the van.
She slammed the doors and hopped in the driver’s seat. By the time I climbed into the back, she already had the van in gear.
“How does this work?” I gripped one of the crates from my position on the floor to keep from sliding around as Pepper zipped through the streets.
“Oh they usually bring the dogs out in a peaceable exchange,” Miss Adeline said smartly. “They give us their dog beds and toys and bowls.”
The woman had a sharp tongue, but I wasn’t sure if this had to do with my missing dinner last night or because she was uptight about the rescue.
“Then this should go easy.”
She glared and the slight smile on my face evaporated.
“I’ve been to this track before,” she said, turning her attention to Pepper. “It’s been a long time, but I doubt it’s changed much.”
“Back entrance?” Pepper was all business, her gaze laser-focused out the windshield.
“No. If it’s the same as it used to be, the kennels are to the left once we get in the gate.” She tapped on the screen of a smartphone I wouldn’t have expected her to have. “They have races starting at six, so we should be able to get inside easily enough.”
“If we can’t?”
“We do like always and improvise.”
These two sounded like they were preparing for a battle. If someone had called to ask them to come get the dogs, why wouldn’t they turn them over easily? Apparently I had a lot to learn about rescues.
“What do you want me to do?” With an emergency, every situation was different, but things went better when you worked as a team. Today, I’d be on the receiving end of the orders, but I liked this captain much better than my normal one.
“Stay in the van,” Pepper snapped.
“No way.” I couldn’t sit by and do nothing. She shouldn’t expect that of me.
She flicked her cool gaze to me in the rearview mirror. I liked that she was in command and no nonsense, especially when it came to the dogs.
“You can get the crates open and ready,” she relented.
I scowled. I could do more than that. What if the situation was dangerous inside the kennels? I should be there to look out for them.
They’ve done this a million times without you.
Didn’t matter. I was on this rescue. I’d do my part . . . whatever that was.
After what seemed like only minutes, the entrance to the track came into view.
Miss Adeline straightened.
Pepper gripped the wheel harder.
And my blood pumped a little faster through my veins.
The arch over the entry was rusted. What few parking lot lights remained weren’t straight up any longer. The paint was faded on them and most of them didn’t have working bulbs.
If this place was in this kind of disrepair, what did it say about the care of the dogs?
Anger for the animals bubbled to the surface.
Miss Adeline turned and pointed at me. “Don’t say anything. We go in. We get the dogs. We get out.”
I nodded once, but she was already directing Pepper toward where she believed the kennels to be.
There were few cars in the parking lot. I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Would we need witnesses?
Pepper wheeled the van to a building that looked like it could use a coat of paint.
“This is it,” Miss Adeline said. She had her door open before we stopped.
“Get the crates open and keep guard.” Pepper gave me a pointed look. “Stay put.”
She grabbed several leads and hooked them over her neck.
I didn’t like this. I didn’t like being left outside. Not when I was meant to be doing something.
The dome light in the van provided the only source of light and it wasn’t much. There was a fixture by the door to the kennels that kept flickering like it could go out any second.
I tensed my shoulders. The trees rustled
in the cold wind, but there was no other noise.
It was too quiet. With every snap of a branch I jerked to hear where the sound came from like I was in some sort of bad horror movie. It was the unexpected I didn’t care for. I preferred to know what was coming, or at least the possibilities.
Woof. Woof. Woof.
Crazed barking ensued and seconds later, Pepper burst out the door with four dogs. How had she gotten a leash on all of them that quickly?
I rushed toward her, but she shook her head. “Help me get them in. I have to go back.”
“I thought we were getting four?”
She shoved the leads in my hand and jogged back toward the building. I bent to heft one of the dogs into the van but realized I had three others to contend with. They were sniffing and jerking—and strong.
Pepper would’ve probably already had them in the van.
I wrapped the leads around my hand and just went for it. The dog I picked up was the most active. He wiggled in my arms so violently I thought he might escape.
“Hey now. It’s okay. We’re here to help.”
He didn’t seem to understand. In fact, he fought harder. I hoped I wasn’t hurting him and hated to stress the poor guy out.
The more he resisted the more anxious the others became. But I got him inside a crate and secured the door.
Pepper appeared again with another three dogs. I worked faster to get the next one in the van. She took the remaining leashes out of my hand, making it easier to get them inside.
“Load them through the side door,” she said when we’d run out of crates.
She was calm. In command.
Where is Miss Adeline?
The barking had settled and the night had become suspiciously quiet again. Pepper disappeared into the building once more.
I guided the last dog around to the side door. He—or was he a she—put his paws on the side step as if he knew he was headed for safety.
But he couldn’t jump up.
As I gave him a boost, I got a good look at him in the light. His ribs were visible. He had bumps on his skin. And he appeared as though he could break with the slightest touch.
Gently, I put him in the van and patted a blanket on the floor. He lay down on it immediately.
Miss Adeline emerged with two more dogs. She moved in a lightning clip, especially for a person her age.
“Hey!”
She didn’t look up when someone shouted, a woman on a mission.
A shadowy figure hurried toward us. Miss Adeline continued to ignore him. I helped her load the dogs in the van and opened the passenger door so she could easily get inside.
“Those aren’t the dogs you’re supposed to take,” he said breathlessly when he reached us.
“Tell that to the sheriff when I report you for cruelty to animals.” She muscled in front of me instead of climbing in the van.
“Those dogs are spoiled,” he shouted as he took a step closer. “Give them back or you’ll be talking to the cops for stealing.”
She snorted. “No one has seen your ribs in fifteen years from the looks of it. The same can’t be said for the greys we found.”
“I have races to run tonight.” He moved toward the open van doors.
I put up a hand without touching his chest. “You don’t want to do that.”
He looked up at me, appearing to assess just how great a threat I was. “Give me back the dogs and we won’t have a problem.” His tone had lost a bit of its bravado.
“We already have a problem,” Miss Adeline snapped. “I have malnourished dogs with some in obvious need of medical care.”
Pepper burst out of the building with four more dogs. Holy crap.
“You can’t have those dogs. They’re running a race in an hour.”
What? Three of them could barely walk. They seemed to have summoned all their strength to make it this far.
One collapsed at my feet as if he knew he’d made it to safety.
I scooped him up and settled him next to the others, then repeated with the remaining dogs.
“This it?” I asked gruffly.
Pepper nodded as the man made a grab for the leads still in her hands.
“Do not touch them.”
He froze at my command. “You can’t take my dogs.”
“You don’t have dogs anymore.” Miss Adeline climbed in the van and slammed the door.
Pepper tossed the leashes in the back.
“Get in.”
She flashed me a look to kill but didn’t argue. I closed her inside and the dome light went out.
“You can’t do this.” The man made no move.
“You shouldn’t have done what you did.” I shouldered past him.
“I called her to come get some of them,” he cried.
“So you got one thing right. Don’t make another mistake.”
I jogged around the front of the van.
Pepper screamed.
I reversed course to find the man had opened the side door.
Dogs barked viciously.
The man fought for the leashes in her hand. She kicked her legs wildly, landing a couple blows to his stomach.
“Leave them alone,” she screamed.
I yanked on his shoulders and tossed him to the ground.
“Ahh!” He landed flat on his back.
I put a boot on his chest. “I said don’t make another mistake.” I pressed a little harder to emphasize the point before I removed my foot.
“Lock it.” I closed the van doors again and sprinted around to the driver’s side.
Thank God Pepper had never turned off the ignition. I threw it into gear and slammed on the gas.
No one said a word until we were off the track property.
“Is this what all rescues are like?” I asked.
“No,” Miss Adeline said. “We don’t usually get caught.”
Chapter Fourteen
Pepper
Thirteen.
What were we going to do with thirteen more dogs? We were already out of kennels. And our donation funds were nearly dry. After the vet bill from Dr. Lyons came in, the coffers would be depleted.
When I’d gone in that track kennel and seen the conditions, I’d nearly been paralyzed. It didn’t matter how many ugly situations I’d seen. It never got any easier.
But we’d rescued them.
They were safe now. And thankfully most of them just needed to put some weight on, although a couple were dangerously underweight and one had a fractured leg.
Dr. Lyons had kept them for observation.
There was a sea of greyhounds at my feet as I filled water bowls.
It was nearly ten o’clock. I still had to walk the other dogs before bed. And I had to figure out where our new friends would sleep. We didn’t have enough crates. Maybe they’d have to come upstairs.
“We’ll be fine.” Miss Adeline patted my shoulder. “We always are.”
“I know.” And I did. But I was exhausted.
A big part of my stress was Teague. I was grateful he’d been there for the rescue. Why though? He’d stood us up yesterday. And now, he wouldn’t leave.
Whatever Miss Adeline or I commanded him to do, he did. He’d kept his cool at the track. He’d taken up for us.
Because of that, I’d already forgiven him for the missed dinner. I just hadn’t forgotten it yet.
He grabbed a couple leads. “Is there an order to who goes out first?”
Sadie barked like she understood the question and was responding “Me. Me. Me.”
He grinned and opened her kennel door. She bolted out to inspect our new friends. Her nose worked overtime as she sniffed each one in welcome.
When she was finished, she rubbed against Teague’s legs and looked at him innocently. I rolled my eyes. She was so much trouble.
He rubbed her head. “Ready to go out?”
That tender voice he used with the dogs got me every single time. I’d heard him reassure the greys we’d rescued. He’
d been good—no, great—with them. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. Only that it made my heart beat a little faster. He was a good man.
Sadie stamped her feet and impatiently waited for him to loop her neck with the leash. Once he had, she marched over to Ash’s kennel and nudged the door with her nose.
Ash got to her feet, her tail going a million miles a minute. She didn’t react like that for anyone except Teague. But it made sense. He’d saved her.
“This who you want as your walking partner?” he asked Sadie, who barked and nudged the door again. “Okay.”
Sadie was unusually calm as he leashed Ash.
“You don’t have to do this,” I said instead of the thank you I’d meant to come out.
“I want to.”
We stared at one another for a moment. His brown eyes were piercing, like they could cut straight through to my soul. I couldn’t look away. I couldn’t get away from what that look stirred inside me. It was indescribable because I’d never felt that. Whatever it was.
Sadie tugged on the leash, having had enough of standing around, and went for the back door. They disappeared, and I stood staring after them.
“He’s good with them.”
I jumped and put my hand over my heart. “Why’d you sneak up on me?”
“A bulldozer could have, the way you were staring.” That woman. I hated it when she was right.
“After I bathe them, we should let them sleep upstairs.”
She smirked as I ignored her comment. “Agreed. I’ll gather up some blankets, but tomorrow we’ll get them beds. I’ll call in a favor.” She surveyed the space. “We don’t have room for more kennels, but we need to think of something more permanent. We’re going to have a full house for a while.”
I looked at all the dogs scattered on the floor. There were so many it was hard to walk without stepping on one.
“Will the track give us any trouble?” A niggle of worry wound its way through me. I didn’t particularly like taking more dogs than we were called about, but there was no way on earth I’d have left any of them behind.
This wasn’t the first time it had happened. And it wouldn’t be the last.
Crash: Crash & Burn Duet Book 1 (Shaken) Page 6