“You can probably guess what he said!” was the reply.
“Look Annie, I know you want to help but if you were my girlfriend, I wouldn’t want you anywhere near this kind of detective work,” Carl added. “I mean, these guys sound dangerous. Crazy. Jesus, who does that to dogs?” He shook his head in disgust, then looking over to Suzanne said, “You ready to leave? I’ll walk you to your car.”
Leon looked over and nodded to him. “Thanks Carl. I’ve got a few minutes left here to finish the order.”
“Well, I’m going to check my emails from earlier,” Annie said. “I had one from a county vet that sounded promising.”
Carl and Suzanne turned back to her with concern on their faces as they were walking out. “You aren’t going to try to investigate, are you doc?” she asked.
“No! I promise guys, I won’t do anything on my own. But if it looks like one of my county colleagues has any ideas, I’ll let Shane know.”
Satisfied, Carl walked Suzanne out to her car and then headed home himself.
“I’ve got the ordering finished for the month,” Leon stated, shutting down the computer in the office. “Anything special you need me to do before I head home?”
“No, you’re good to go.”
“You still checking things out?”
“Yeah. Read this email from this veterinarian in the county next to Jefferstown.”
Leon leaned over her shoulder reading.
Hi Annie. Haven’t seen you in a long time. Still got the practice in the city? Got your email. While I don’t know any specifics about puppy mills in our area, I have my suspicions. I’ve had some clients bring in dogs they said they bought from breeders, but when I questioned them, it definitely wasn’t a breeder. The dogs were just in crates at one of the farmer’s markets that the county has during the summer months. Dogs have parasites and some signs of malnutrition. I report it when it comes in and animal control goes by the markets but nothing so far. One of our clients has hunting dogs and he mentioned that he has heard dogs barking out in the woods near the old Truman farm but he just assumed it was someone raising more hunting hounds. Other than that I can’t say that I have anything for you. Take care and if you ever get out of the city, look us up. I got married last year and we’d love to have you over. Malcolm Bursten, DMV
Leon was quiet for a moment as he finished reading. Looking down at her, he asked, “So do you think it’s worth telling Shane?”
“It can’t hurt to tell him. The dealers aren’t keeping dogs in the city or the police would have found them by now. And the counties surrounding the city are just too big and rural for them to comb through.” Shrugging, she continued, “I’ll let him know and then he can decide what to do.”
“All right, doc. I’m outta here. Shirley’s going to have dinner waiting and if I want to get a little somethin’ tonight, I best not be late!”
Laughing, she agreed, “Get home before both your dinner and Shirley get cold!”
* * *
That evening Annie shared her findings with Shane. When she had pulled her emails up on her laptop, she actually had three more from colleagues that all had some possible clues.
He looked over at her face, excited with the idea that she was helping him. Her green eyes shone with delight as her face scrunched in concentration. His concentration was diverted by the copper hair piled on top of her head and the sweet scent of honeysuckle from her bath wash. Pure fuckin’ sunshine.
Glancing over, she quickly moved her hand over her face with a look of concern. “Do I have something on my face?” she asked blushing.
Leaning over, he placed a soft kiss on her lips. “No, baby. I was just admiring the view.” He was leaning back in to take the kiss deeper when she suddenly spoke.
“Can we go this weekend and see if we can find some of these places?”
Shane jerked back, brow furrowed and ice blue eyes snapping. “What the hell are you talkin’ about? We? Baby, there is no we when it comes to this investigation. You’ve already been attacked and there is no way in hell you are getting anywhere close to this.”
Rolling her eyes, Annie turned to face him. “Shane, I’m not talking about going in, guns blazing, to break up a drug dealer’s den. I’m talking about visiting some of these places that may be puppy-mills. If they’re there and as poorly run as most, then as a vet I can get them shut down.”
He rocked back in his seat and looked at her incredulously. “Annie, the answer is no. Even if there is no drug activity, these places are dumps, and the people who run them don’t want to be found. They also don’t mind protecting their interests. They sell dogs that are poorly bred and sell them as pure-breds and make a lot of money doing it.”
“Shane, I know that. I know what they are. That’s why I want to find some.”
“Babe, you’re still not getting the picture here. These people may shoot visitors before they find out why you’re there and they sure as hell won’t be friendly once they realize your purpose.”
Annie turned her wide-eyed gaze back to him. “Honey, people don’t shoot other people like that!”
He just stared at the innocent beauty in front of him and rubbed his hand over his face. How do I let her know the dangers without taking away that sunshine?
“Baby, you’ve got no idea of the world I have been in and I don’t want you to. If I could keep you wrapped up in a bubble, swear to God I would. You’ve already been terrorized once by part of that world,” he added, noticing her wince. “And I want to keep that world from you.”
Staring at his pale blue eyes that held love and concern for her, she leaned back in her chair. “You’re serious, aren’t you? You’re not just doing some caveman act on me.”
“Yeah, Annie girl. I’m serious. You leave the investigation to me. You do your job, the job that you love, and leave the rest to me.”
* * *
“I was going back over some files and came across the injuries due to a dog attack. Did you ever call the emergency vet?” Suzanne asked.
Annie thought for a moment before remembering the details. “Oh yeah. I got hold of Dr. Ketchum and he said he never saw a dog that evening, but that they had a new receptionist working there so there may have been an error or oversight.”
Suzanne looked concerned. “Error? Mr. Charleston was very sure about what occurred. Why would the emergency vet not remember or have records?”
“I don’t know. His explanation made sense to me at the time, but to be honest with everything going on, I really didn’t follow up any more.”
“Do you mind if I do some digging? Mr. Charleston seemed so sweet and he is so protective over his dog since his wife passed away.”
Smiling at her assistant, Annie agreed. “Sure. Check back with him and then with the vet if you want.”
They turned toward the hall as the yowling of an angry cat was heard. Leon walked in with a cat attempting to rip him to shreds, but he had the animal in a firm grip.
“Could use a little help here Suzanne, if you two are tired of playing detective vet!”
She was already walking toward him, ready to assist. “What a whiner, Leon. It’s just a little kitty!”
Later, Annie came out of an examination room and saw Carl at the front desk. “Hey, I didn’t think you were working today.”
“I needed to get away from my mom for a little bit while the therapist was there so I thought I’d stop by and check on some of my files. I was curious about your consultation from that gorgeous woman a while back. Did Rocky ever come back and bring her animal?” Wiggling his eyebrows, he said, “I was kind of hoping to find out if she was single.”
Annie hesitated, not knowing what to say. It seemed wrong to lie to Carl, and yet, the situation surrounding Rochelle’s visit was so personal. “Um, I haven’t heard from her since she was here.” At least that’s not a lie.
“Too bad. Hey, I’m meeting some friends after work for drinks. Do you want to join us? You can bring your boyfriend.”
�
�Thanks, but he’s working late and I’ll be here catching up on work as well. But have fun.”
After Leon and Suzanne left for the day, Annie finally finished her reports and shut down her computer. Leaning back in her chair, she closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. Thoughts had been swirling around her mind for hours and she just wished she could turn them off. Shane. Their house. The clinic. Suzanne finishing her program. Leon taking on more responsibility. Matt. The puppy-mills. Shane’s case. Carl. Rocky.
“Auggggh!” she yelled out loud. This is why Shane is the detective and I am the vet. Animals I understand. I assess their condition and then systematically begin to find the causes. Dogs don’t have ulterior motives. Cats may want to scratch you if they are scared, but they’re not trying to kill you.
Standing up from the office chair she tried to roll it back under the counter, but the wheels were stuck on something. Bending down to see what was the obstruction she saw a man’s wallet. Grabbing it, she stood up as she opened it to see who it belonged to. The driver’s license showed it was Carl’s. He’s out with friends and won’t have his ID for bars. Looking at her watch, she wondered if she had enough time to get it to his mother’s apartment before he left with his friends.
Snatching up her purse, she locked the clinic and headed down the street, having written down the address from his employee file. Four blocks down the road, she saw him jogging toward her.
“Annie! I was just trying to get back into the clinic. I think I may have dropped my wallet.”
“I’ve got it. I found it under the desk and was trying to get it to your mom’s place before you left to meet up with your friends. I would hate for you to get carded and not have ID,” she laughed.
He looked concerned. “You were going to my mom’s apartment?”
“Well, yes. I thought that was where you lived.”
“It is, but I…well, I don’t think you should ever drop in on her,” he said looking embarrassed. Rubbing the back of his neck, he looked up at her and explained, “She’s…kind of…cantankerous.”
“Cantankerous?” Annie asked.
“I know she’s in pain so for the most part I just ignore it. But, well…she can sometimes not be very polite to people.”
“I see. Well, I’ll remember that. I’m just glad we caught up with each other,” she said handing him the wallet. “Have a good evening.”
Thanking her, Carl turned and headed back down the street. Annie turned back toward the clinic where her car was parked and began walking down the street again, this time noticing how much darker it was. Stopping under a street light, she realized that there were quite a few street lights out in the neighborhood, making the sidewalks eerie.
“Dr. Donavan,” a male voice sounded as a man materialized from the shadows. He was not as tall as Shane but was bulky, as though he spent a great deal of time in a weight room.
She instinctively took a step back, clutching her purse. Damn, I should have my mace in my hands!
The man noticed her defensive posture and stepped into the light so that she could easily see his face, while keeping his hands in plain view at the same time. “Doctor, my name is Jobe, from Alverez Security, and have been assigned to make sure you get home from the clinic each night. I saw you walking away from your car and meet with the other doctor, so I wanted to make sure you were all right.”
Annie stood still, wide-eyed, the adrenaline rush was still pounding through her.
“Doctor, may I show you my identification?”
She nodded and replied, “Yes, please.”
She noticed that he smiled just a little. “Why are you smiling?”
He handed her his Alverez Security photo identification giving her a chance to scan it and his face. “I’m smilin’ because you’re so polite even before knowing if I am who I say I am.”
“Why haven’t I seen you before?”
“Ma’am…I’m sorry…Dr. Donavan. It’s my job to go unnoticed. I’m here so that you don’t have to worry about your safety, but to also stay in the background. Now, may I escort you to your car?”
Smiling at Jobe, she agreed, “Yes, thank you. It was getting dark and I was concerned.”
“Doctor, may I suggest that you not attempt to walk the city streets unescorted again?”
She wanted to protest, but knew that if Shane was aware that she had been out in the dark, alone on the streets, he would not be happy. Nodding, she reached her car and unlocked it. Turning, she stuck out her hand. “Thank you, Jobe. I appreciate you assisting me. I’m sure that watching me and the clinic must be a very boring job for a man like you.”
“Dr. Donavan, I assure you that no job is too small, and watching your clinic is certainly not boring. But even if it was, I would still do it to the best of my ability. Your safety is paramount. Shane’s a good friend and that makes you important.”
Smiling her goodbye, she got in the car and drove home. Pulling into the driveway, she noticed the lights in the house were on. So was the front porch light. So were the security lights. And Shane’s truck was in the driveway. And his silhouette was in the window.
By the time she was getting out of the car, he was already off the porch and stalking toward her. Before she could get out her greeting he was upon her.
“You want to tell me what the fuck you were doing walkin’ alone on a city street in the dark with hardly any street lights working?”
Annie’s mouth dropped open in surprise. Jobe. Damn, he called Shane. The first flush of emotion was surprise. Then embarrassment. Then anger. Green eyes widening, she looked up at his angry face. The face that smiled at her over the breakfast table and stared at her intently when she was screaming his name in passion. And right now that angry face was pissing her off.
“Oh no you don’t. You do not get in my face when I am just getting out of the car after a long day at work and start yelling at me.”
“Baby, this is not yelling. This is me wanting to know what the hell got in my woman’s head that made her go out looking for an apartment building on a dimly lit street in the dark?”
Annie darted around him and stomped up the stairs, yelling over her shoulder, “Why don’t you just ask my shadow, Jobe? He can tell you what I was doing. Oh yeah, that’s right. He already did!”
Shane was coming up the stairs behind her when the door almost slammed in his face. Barely catching it with his hand he shoved it open, making sure she wasn’t standing in the way.
“Babe, we are not through discussin’ this,” he said following her into the kitchen.
“Shane. Hello? This isn’t a discussion. This is you yelling at me like some kind of wild man and I don’t like it. I also don’t like the feeling that you have someone tattling on me! If you want to have a discussion, then let’s discuss. You know… ‘Hi honey, how was your day? Anything interesting happen?’ Not getting in my face in the driveway!”
Shane stood in the doorway of the kitchen watching Annie stalk around, grabbing pots and pans and slamming cabinet doors. Her eyes snapping, cheeks flushed. Her copper hair had escaped the pony-tail and was waving about her face as she marched from one side of the kitchen to the other.
He dropped his head and stared at his feet for a moment, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. Wild man. If she only knew how wild I used to be. I gave orders and men jumped. Sometimes I only had to give a look and people would follow. I did things…not going there. That wild life is over. Done.
He looked back up, his chest tight with emotions. “Sunshine,” he said gently.
At that endearment Annie stopped her mini-tantrum at the sink and slowly turned toward him. Her green eyes met his pale blue ones and her anger faded. In front of her was not the beast from a few minutes ago, but her man. Calm. Tame.
“I’m tryin’ here, Annie. Yeah, Jobe called and told me what had happened and I lost it, babe. All I could see was innocent you wandering down a dark city street, few street lights, gettin’ ready to go into an apartment building t
hat you didn’t know anything about.” As he spoke, he slowly walked over to her until her could wrap his arms around, pulling her in to his chest.
“Honey, it was not dark when I started out. Carl’s apartment that he shares with his mom right now is only about four blocks from the clinic. I was just going to run there and leave his forgotten wallet. He met me coming down the street, heading back to the clinic because he realized he left it. We chatted a few minutes and then I was going to walk back to the clinic.”
He stood and held her tightly, one hand wrapped around her middle and the other holding the back of her head protectively. Of course, she had been doin’ something nice for someone. Pure, fuckin’ sunshine.
“I confess,” she added, “that it got dark very quickly and I didn’t realize how many street lights were not working. I was scared when Jobe approached…”
“He scared you? He didn’t identify himself?” Shane’s voice raised again.
Leaning her head back, she raised her eyebrows as she looked into his face. “Shane, don’t be silly. Of course he identified himself.”
Sighing, he pulled her back. “You’re right. Jobe knows how to handle his job. And babe, his job right now is you when I can’t be there.”
Snuggling in tighter, she said, “Isn’t this better? Discussing this?”
“Baby, you gotta cut me some slack. I’m workin’ on it…tryin’ to pull back. Tryin’ to learn how to take care of what is mine in a way that is tamer than I am used to. But Sunshine, don’t ever forget, you are my woman. And. I. Take. Care. Of. What. Is. Mine.”
He leaned down and captured her mouth in his, the kiss immediately hard and wet. He breathed her in as though his life depended on it.
Dinner forgotten, they barely made it to the bedroom before they began stripping their clothes off. Falling onto the bed Annie opened herself up to him as he knelt between her legs, kissing the inside of her thighs until she was squirming in want.
Pressing her down with one hand on her stomach, he smiled up at her as he dove in to the hidden treasure, lapping her slick folds. Sliding his hand up toward her breast, he rolled her nipple between his thumb and finger while thrusting his tongue inside. Feeling her lose control he sucked on her clit, eliciting a scream from her as her orgasm pulsated throughout. Lapping the juices, he then slowly kissed his way up her stomach, over her breasts giving each one attention, until he finally made it to her lips.
Love's Taming (The Love's Series) Page 21