“True. He’s out back now?”
“Yep. And fed. We picked up more meat and bones for him on our grocery run.”
“Thanks. I don’t know what I’d have done without your help.”
“You’d have figured something out. Now go get him, and for God’s sake find a safe place to crash for a change.”
“Trust me, I’m going to try to,” Cole replied dryly.
* * * *
Cole and Bull did find a safe place to sleep—on the roof of a three-story building a few blocks from The Haven. “At least up here, we’ll know if anyone’s trying to sneak up on us,” Cole told the dog. That was doubly true since Bull decided to sleep at the top of the only fire escape leading up to the roof.
By this time, Cole was so attuned to waking with the sun that he had no problem getting back to The Haven in time for breakfast. Afterward, he would shower, get dressed, then read or watch TV until it was time to go to work.
After his first week at the restaurant, Mike hired him on full-time, Wednesdays through Sundays. Mike’s only cautionary statement was, “I want you to save half of everything you make. Adam said he’s going to try to get you into Domicile, which means you’ll need money to pay the rent.”
“Yeah, so he told me,” Cole replied. He smiled wryly. “It’s not like I’ve got much else to spend money on, other than some new clothes, and dog food.”
Cole had told Mike about Bull, and what breed he was, so the man replied, “His food alone will, excuse the pun, eat up at least a quarter of your paycheck.”
“No kidding.” They both laughed, and then Cole left the office to start his first official day as an employee of the restaurant.
When he got back to The Haven that evening, he told Adam he’d be off on Mondays and Tuesdays. Adam promised to call in the morning to set up an appointment for him with the counselor at Domicile.
“There’s one thing,” Cole said. “I didn’t even think about it, in my excitement about possibly having a real place to live. Will they let Bull be there with me?”
Adam chuckled. “Luckily, I did, and the answer is yes, as long as he’s collared and leashed, and has his tags.”
Cole nodded. “I’ll find a vet tomorrow, before I go to work. Bull’s not going to like the leash idea, but if that’s what it takes.”
“I’m afraid so. I know a good vet. I’ll take him, if that’s okay with you.”
“You don’t have to. I’m actually an adult. Well, at least of age,” Cole replied. “You have more than enough to keep you busy here.”
“Not a problem. The vet is two doors down from the grocery store. I’ll drop Bull off, shop, and pick him up when we’re through.”
“Okay, then.” Cole took out his wallet. “How much do you think it’ll cost?”
“Let’s say fifty dollars, as a guess, if you want him to examine Bull, too. For just the shot and the tag? Last time I took a dog in, it was twenty dollars.”
“Let’s go for just the shot, for now.” Cole counted out twenty dollars, mostly in ones, and handed it to Adam.
“Deal.” Adam pocketed the money then pointed out it was time for Cole and Bull to take off so he could lock up for the night.
* * * *
“You behave, and don’t bite the vet,” Cole told Bull Saturday morning. Bull looked at him as if he was crazy. “I mean it,” Cole said, giving him a hug before putting him in the backyard for the day and heading to work.
“Now would I bite the vet?” Ky said, as he shifted from Bull to his human form.
“Hadn’t better,” Adam said from the back porch. “In either form.”
Ky laughed. “I’m a lover, not a biter.” He stretched, coming over to join Adam. “When is Cole’s appointment with the counselor?”
“Monday. Don’t worry, it’s only a formality. The two of you should be able to move in there within the week.”
“Thanks to Larry?”
“Yep, since he pretty much runs the place. Cole just has to go through the formalities of an interview.” When Ky nodded, Adam said, “Cole’s going to be a lot safer there. I know you’ve done a good job of that so far, but sooner or later, if Marsham’s thugs try to grab him again, like you said they did at the park—and Cole loses control—then what?”
“We’re up shit creek.” Ky shook his head. “He was supposed to be fine with the Williamses until after he turned eighteen, damn it. If he hadn’t told them he was gay…”
“If they’d told him he was adopted, he might not have trusted that they loved him enough to overlook it. But what-ifs don’t solve the problem. He’s out on the streets now, or will be until I get him into Domicile.”
“And then I get to do my thing, which I should have when I first met him.”
“We already talked about that. He had to learn to trust you first—as Bull—and know that you would always be there to defend him.”
“I know. I just wish…”
“What, Ky?”
“That I wasn’t so…attracted to him.”
“Oh, hell. Seriously?”
Ky shrugged. “Shit happens. You know that. It’s how you and Paula ended up together.”
“Yeah, but…” Adam eyed Ky. “I didn’t know you’re gay. If I had, we’d have put someone else on him.”
“Probably should have, all things considered, but it’s too late now. Don’t worry, I’ll behave. After all, he’s just a kid.”
“He’s eighteen. Well beyond ‘kid’ age.”
“And I’ve been around for sixty years so far, so to me he’s a kid.”
“Sixty going on twenty-five, to look at you.”
“That still doesn’t negate…”
“Enough, Ky. No matter how you feel about him—on a personal level—your job it to teach him how to shift and how to handle his new life once he does.” Adam gave him a hard look. “And protect him from Marsham and his thugs, if necessary.”
“I know.” Ky ran a hand through his hair in frustration. “That’s going to be fun. Twenty-to-one, he’s going to be real disappointed when he finds out that as a shifter he’s a Bullmastiff, not a wolf or a panther, which are at least romantic. I know I was. You should count your blessings you’re a leopard.”
Adam laughed. “I do, every time I see you as Bull.”
“Thanks. Not. All right, I guess I’d better get back to being Bull, so I can get my shot. Not that I need it, but…”
“Yeah. You need the tag if they’re going to let you stay with Cole.”
Ky shifted again, then followed Adam out of the yard to the van for their trip to the vet.
Chapter 4
“Do you think I passed?” Cole asked Adam Monday morning as they left Domicile. He was scared that perhaps he hadn’t and things would remain the same, with him and Bull spending their nights on the streets forever. Or at least until I can save enough for my own place, which will take months or more.
“If you were open and honest with him, I’m sure you did,” Adam replied, patting Cole’s shoulder.
“I was. He’s knows everything about me now.” He chuckled. “Except whether I wear boxers or briefs. I almost expected him to ask.” Taking a deep breath, Cole said, “He told me I’d know in a day or two. I’ll be a bundle of nerves by then.”
“Probably. So we’ll keep you busy in the meantime. Starting with lunch and then you can help with the grocery shopping. Paula’s not feeling up to it today.”
“Is she sick?”
“I think she’s got the flu. She was throwing up this morning. Yesterday morning, too. That’s why Bret and I fixed the meals.”
“Maybe it’s morning sickness?” Cole said.
“I doubt it,” Adam replied, but he looked thoughtful, then a slow smile lit his face. “If it is…”
“Jeez. Ask her.”
“I’m going to. Tonight. Right now, though, let’s go over there—” Adam pointed to a restaurant across the street, “—and get lunch. Shopping is hard work and we don’t want to do it on an empty
stomach.”
A few minutes later they were seated at a table, their meals ordered and drinks in front of them—coffee for Adam, a soda for Cole—as they talked.
“I think,” Cole said, “if they let me into Domicile, I’m going to try to buy a bike. A cheap one, so I can ride to work instead of taking the bus.”
“That sounds like an excellent idea. That way, you can drop Bull off with us during the day.”
“Ouch. I hadn’t thought of that. He might go stir-crazy, cooped up in the room all day.”
“I doubt it. Bullmastiffs don’t mind inactivity as long as they get exercised regularly.”
“A long walk in the morning, before I head to work.”
“Exactly.”
Adam smiled widely, and for a moment Cole thought it was at him, until he heard a voice from behind him say, “Adam? What are you doing here?”
The speaker came into view and Cole bit back a gasp of surprise.
“We meet again,” Ky said, looking at Cole. “Run into any more trouble since I last saw you?”
“No, thank God. You know Adam?”
“Yep. He and I are old friends.” Ky pulled out an empty chair and sat. “How do you know him, Cole? No, let me guess. You hang out at The Haven.”
“Yes,” Cole replied, feeling shy all of a sudden.
“A good place.” Ky turned his attention to Adam. “So what brings you to this neck of the woods?”
“Cole had an interview at Domicile.”
“Nice. If you get in, Cole, it’ll get you off the streets.”
Cole just nodded, watching the man who had helped Bull save him from being attacked. He’s still huge, and still damned good looking. Okay, not going there. He’s so far out of my league, even if he was gay. But I can dream. He had, actually, for a couple of days after he’d first met Ky. Erotic ones that had played hell with his libido. Then Ky became just a memory when Cole began working for Mike and the whole idea of Domicile took over Cole’s thoughts.
“Do you have anything planned for this afternoon, Ky?” Adam asked.
“Depends on what you have in mind,” Ky said.
“Help us with our grocery shopping. You can lug things out to the van.”
Ky faked a pout. “You only want me because I’m big and burly.”
“That, too,” Adam agreed, laughing. “You’re also good company, when you put your mind to it.”
“Sure, I’ll tag along. But you’re on your own when you get back to The Haven. Not that you won’t have plenty of help there to unload the stuff.”
The waitress arrived with Adam and Cole’s meals, then asked if Ky wanted anything. He ordered coffee and a sandwich.
“So how’s life been treating you, Cole?” Ky asked.
“I have a job,” Cole replied proudly.
“Doing what?”
Cole told him, between bites of his sandwich. “It beats the heck out of spanging,” he said in conclusion.
“I’m sure. Do you still have your dog?”
“You better believe it. No way am I giving him up. That’s one reason I want to get a room at Domicile. They’ll let him come with me, now that he has his tags and a collar to put them on.”
“A boy and his dog,” Ky said, grinning.
“I’m not a boy,” Cole protested.
“Nope. Not quite an adult yet, at least age-wise, but for sure not a boy.”
Cole flushed at the long, knowing look Ky gave him, wondering what that was about. Not what I wish it was. Not by a long shot.
Ky’s meal arrived, and while he ate, he quizzed Adam about what was going on with him since they’d last talked. When everyone had finished eating, Adam paid the bill, including Ky’s, telling him it was the least he could do since Ky was going to help with the grocery shopping. He told Ky where they were going, and Ky said he’d meet them there.
“He’s a nice man,” Cole said as he and Adam walked to where they’d parked the van.
“Yeah, he is. A bit scary until you get to know him.”
Cole smiled. “Sort of like Bull. Big and fierce to look at, but with a heart of gold.”
“Exactly.”
* * * *
“He’s as strong as a horse,” Cole said later that afternoon, while watching Ky hoist two fifty-pound bags of dog food into the van. “I hope Bull likes the turkey and oatmeal Ky chose.”
Adam winked at Ky, telling Cole, “I’m sure he will.”
They finished loading the van and then Ky took off, saying he had some business to take care of. When Cole and Adam got back to The Haven, several of the teens helped put the groceries away while Cole went out back to give Bull a huge bone the butcher had saved for him.
Sitting on the steps while Bull gnawed the bone, Cole told him about the interview and shopping. “You’ll like Ky,” Cole said. “Well, if you ever get to meet him, that is. He’s sort of like…umm…like you might be if you were human. Nice, strong, protective, and sexy. Man is he sexy.” He sighed, then laughed. “Damn, I sound like a gushing teenaged girl talking about her first crush.”
Bull woofed before going back to his bone.
“You’re lucky. You don’t have to worry about stuff like that. At least I don’t think dogs do. Do they? You see a lady dog you like, sniff around a bit, and bam, there’s a half dozen Bullmastiff puppies. Speaking of which, I bet Paula’s pregnant. What do you think of that? Probably nothing. Okay, I’d better get inside and see if I can help with dinner, since she’s not here today. Then—” he sighed, “—after we eat, I’ll shower and get my stuff so we can get out of here.” He got up, saying “I so hope we get into Domicile,” before going into the house.
* * * *
“Damn it!” Cole shook his head in dismay as they turned the corner into the alley Tuesday evening. There were two teens going up the fire escape to the roof he and Bull had been using for the last few days. “Damn it to hell and back. Now where? Another roof, if we can find one that’s safe? Or try down by the lake. We never did do that.”
Since Bull didn’t reply, by looks or actions, Cole decided to check out a couple of alleys first. We might get lucky and find something. The idea of being outside and on the ground again didn’t sit well with him. The two times someone had tried to attack him had happened outdoors—but not on the roofs.
“Let’s go down a couple of blocks,” he told Bull. “I think I remember seeing a vacant building when I was job hunting. Maybe there’s a way to get inside from the back.” He led the way to the street, keeping his eyes open for the place he was thinking of. “There. I was right,” he said a few minutes later, peering through the dirty front window. “Definitely empty. Now if there’s a basement window in back…”
He walked down the cut-through between that building and the next one, to the small lot behind it. Scanning the back wall, he saw a padlocked door, and three windows right at ground level. Two were boarded up and it was obvious the third one had been, before someone had pried the boards off. They lay on the ground along with broken shards of glass. More shards, like sharks’ teeth, stuck out from the window frame.
Cole peered through the window into what was a barely discernable room, lit only by the half-moon above him and a dim light over the door of a building across the alley. He carefully broke off some of the pointed glass, clearing the side and bottom of the window. “What do you think, Bull?” he asked, leaning on his hands to try and see more of the room. He eased back, aware of the rest of the glass, and stood, rubbing his knees. “Looks safe enough.”
Bull came over, sticking his head through the opening. He crouched and sprang into the room, barely missing a shard of glass at the top of the window.
“If you can do it, I can,” Cole muttered. He tossed his backpack in first, then eased through the window, landing on his feet on the concrete floor. “What I wouldn’t give for a flashlight right now,” he told Bull.
Slinging his backpack over his shoulders, he put his fingers on the wall to keep him centered as he began to wal
k the perimeter of the room. From the window to the corner of the room was only a few steps. It took twelve careful steps to reach the next corner. By the time he got there, Cole’s eyes had adjusted to the darkness enough that he could discern the outline of a doorframe perhaps another ten steps away—and a dark shape in front of it. For a second he panicked until he realized it was Bull. “You almost gave me a heart attack,” he grumbled at dog.
There was a door, open and hanging by one hinge. Cole started to enter the next room only to find Bull blocking his way. “Is someone in there?” Cole whispered.
Bull shook his head, as if he’d understood Cole, but didn’t move until Cole took hold of his collar. Together, they walked into the next room. It seemed pitch-black in there—to Cole—but Bull unerringly led him across the room to a doorway on the side wall. Cole found the door handle, opened the door, and stepped through into yet another room.
“This would be great, if I could see anything. Still, if I can’t, no one else can, either, so it’s probably safe to crash here.”
He spread out his sleeping bag by feel alone then crawled into it, using his backpack as a pillow. Bull settled down beside him, which made Cole feel safe, the way he always did with Bull by his side. Soon, he was asleep.
Chapter 5
Cole woke quickly when someone shook him. A guttural voice said, “You’re a hard guy to find.”
A second voice asked, “Where’s the dog?”
Cole tried to sit up, only to have the man beside him put one hand on his chest to keep him where he was. “Where’s the dog?” he said, reiterating the other man’s question.
“I don’t know,” Cole replied, panic-stricken, as the man turned on a flashlight, sweeping it around the room. “He…He was here when I…” He gulped. “When I went to sleep.”
“Looks like he left you in the lurch,” the second man said, coming into view. He grabbed Cole’s arm, pulling him free of the sleeping bag and to his feet. Then he backhanded him. “Now we have you all to ourselves.”
Cole felt a cold anger overriding his fear. Then pain—bone-deep pain as if his body was being torn apart.
Cole and His Dog Page 4