"Simple? This is the third time!" Mr. Pyman shouted.
But, the doubt had been put into the crowd around them. Two left while two others started talking to each other, nodding their heads.
"I am not a thief," Vallory shouted back. "I was looking for Penny."
Well, at least he'd remembered the daubpup's name right. "Uh, Vallory."
"And if you have an issue with me, take it up with security," Vallory continued.
The creature on his leg reached his knee. He deepened his voice and said with the same tone he used when coaching the Fifth Ring Youth League soccer team, "Vallory."
She responded the same as his team, giving him her full attention. He pointed down at the baby that was now making headway on scaling his thigh. How was it doing that? He could feel the movements, but no claws. Or maybe its claws were still tiny enough to not go all the way through the fabric of his pants?
A corner of her mouth tried to quirk into a smile. "Let it climb. Daubpups love to climb and I don't want to ruin the learning experience."
He was now a learning experience?
"Don't divert the subject," Mr. Pyman said, his voice still loud. His face was well on the way to turning a bright rosy red.
"What subject?" Vallory demanded. "You accuse me of being a thief but have no proof." She hugged Penny. "I have proof I had to find my missing daubpup. The subject is done."
Mr. Pyman took a step towards her. "Look at you. You aren't even dressed like an exhibitor. Why are you really here if not to steal pets?"
"Now, now," Ms. Mishley said, the wringing of her hands growing more frantic. "No need to do this. Really. She had a missing pet herself, Noah."
"I wasn't aware there was a dress code here. Should I go to the principals office?" Vallory taunted.
Okay, this needed to end. Yes, she could defend herself, but Ms. Mishely was right. This was not the time or the place. He ignored the little voice inside him telling him that he was motivated by something else. Such as wanting to protect her.
With the baby now up to his waist, he felt safe enough to move. At least, slowly. His movement was notice, and not just by Mr. Pyman. He must be glowering to judge by Ms. Mishley's quick step back and her nervous expression.
Mr. Pyman didn't back up, but then Damien hadn't expected him to. Mr. Pyman wasn't the type.
But then, neither was Damien. Not since a teen. He took a step forward, putting himself in Mr. Pyman's personal space. The man took an involuntary step back, and then his eyes flashed in annoyance as he realized what he had done.
"The show is still open, and we are blocking the attendees," Damien said, keeping his voice firm, but not loud. He didn't need to be loud to get across the words. "This ends now. If you have an issue with Ms. Schist, then take it to security."
His authority may have been diminished by the humming baby daubpup that was now nuzzling his ear. But, he kept his gaze steady and clear, his shoulders back and legs planted.
Mr. Pyman took another step back, having received the signal. He looked past him to Vallory for one brief moment before turning on his heel. He said over his shoulder, "Consider this reported, Ms. Schist."
With his departure a collective sense of relief went through those still remaining. Other voices rose in conversation, and the milling crowd started to move again.
"Oh, thank you," Ms. Mishley said, taking one of his hands into her cold ones. "It was not going well."
"No, not at all." Only then did Damien see the dark-blue suit of one of the security guards. Mr. Pyman would not be the only one to have a word with them. "Did I hear it correct? A third pet-napping?"
"Oh yes. Right in the middle of the crowd." Ms. Mishely's eyes went wide and she glanced down the aisle, whispering, "No one knows how they could have done it, and the security cameras show no one leaving the building with it. Everyone is worried over their pets."
"I would like to see them try for Penny. There isn't a cage that can contain her." Vallory tried to smile, but it didn't go all the way up to her eyes. The bright red spots on her cheeks were starting to fade, leaving her looking pale and wane. She opened the front main door of the enclosure and set Penny inside.
Penny whirled around to come right back out, to be blocked by Vallory's hand. "Oh, right. Her baby."
"Which I have here with me." Making love to his ear. Trying to be as careful as he could, Damien reached up for the little humming bundle as he knelt next to Vallory.
This time her smile was genuine, infusing her entire face. She reached up to help release its hold from his ear. "Like I said, they love to climb."
"And hum."
She set the baby inside. Such a small thing, barely bigger then her hand. It immediately climbed onto the top of Penny's back. Penny turned her head to nuzzle the baby. Vallory sat back on her heels and quickly closed the door.
"And safely back inside," she said, her voice full of relief.
"How did she get out?" Damien asked. "Do I need to repair something while I'm here?"
His bot echoed the question with a whistle. Ah, so the little guy had finally arrived to gaze adoringly at its new friend. Vallory let a hand drop to the top of his bot and stroke it as if she would the fur of the daubpup. Soft gentle hands. Ones he would like…
He clamped down on that thought hard.
Vallory shook her head, even as a light blush went through her face. Had she picked up on his thoughts? "The enclosure is fine. As far as I know there is nothing to repair."
He helped her rise to her feet, liking those hands in his. Warm, unlike Ms. Mishley's.
Ms. Mishley. The sound of the crowd came rushing back. The older woman was standing right next to them as the crowd started moving by behind her.
"While you are here, perhaps you could check the lock of my enclosure?" Ms. Mishley glanced nervously at the crowd flowing easily down the wide aisle. "Just in case the thieves decide to come back?"
"Not a bad idea, but not my specialty. I can put in a request for one of my co-workers to come down," Damien offered.
Ms Mishey gave him a pleased smile, even though obviously still nervous to judge by the way she held her hands tightly together. "Oh yes. That would be wonderful. Thank you, young man."
"It's been a long time since I've been called that," Damien said as Ms. Mishley joined the crowd to head back to her enclosure.
"Why not? You are young." Vallory gave a sigh and he realized her attention had returned to her animals. The other daubpups in the enclosure came over to sniff at the baby, or even to rub noses with it. "Maybe I should separate them. I'm not sure how this works."
That comment he couldn't let go. "You are the breeder. How do you usually deal with babies?"
"Well, that's the point. No one has successfully bred them. No one has ever even seen a baby or juvenile."
What the… "No one? How are you going to increase the number so you can sell?"
Another flush of color, but this time deeper and accompanied by a worried expression. Which didn't make sense at all.
This didn't make sense. Mr. Pyman's annoying accusations echoed through his head. Unable to stop himself, he demanded, "Why are you here if not to sell?"
Any reply was lost in the reaction of what came next. The crowd, the exhibitors, and a substantial number of the animals started complaining. Complaining loud and long, with some of the howls from the animals causing his eardrums to cringe.
The stench had returned, and this time it was hitting the Exotic Pet Show.
CHAPTER SEVEN
VALLORY SLAPPED HER hand over her nose. She couldn't help it. Horrible smell.
Not quite sewer, not quite garbage, not quite volcanic emissions. It was as if someone had taken the worst of all of them, mixed it together, and sprayed it into the air.
The stink made her want to run out of the building. As fast as she could, to do anything to get away from it. From the sounds of the people and animals around them, she wasn't the only one.
"What is that?" Vall
ory demanded.
Damien's face held a disgusted and weary expression, one that made her want to give him a hug in comfort. Only, she would have to take her hand down to do it properly, and no way was she going to do that.
"We aren't sure. The station is having issues," Damien said.
"You said that this morning." Right before she nearly became trapped in a lonely isolated part of the station. She couldn't help the shiver that went through her at the thought.
The aisles quickly started emptying as people fled the area. Exhibitors shouted for the judges. Judges shouted for security. Show managers hovered near their pets, unwilling to leave yet, but looking ready to the moment any excuse came along.
"I'm sorry. I need to help deal with this," Damien said, taking a step back.
Vallory shooed him away with her free hand. "Do it. The sooner the better."
From the whistle of his bot, it sounded like it agreed.
"Good luck with the show," Damien said. He lifted his wrist, saying towards it as he walked back to the service aisle behind her enclosure, "The smell is back, and this time it has hit the pet show."
Yes, the show. In a way she was glad for the interruption the stench caused. She didn't know how she was going to answer his one question. Other than just tell him outright?
A simple enough answer: she was having meetings on behalf of the daubpups. No real reason to keep it secret, not now that her little darlings were already in the show. They couldn't be kicked out now.
She turned back to take a look at the daubpups. Maybe she should get Penny and the baby out of here.
Several of the daubpups played with the ball, although not as energetically as before. Three others chased each other along the fake tree limbs angled out from the walls of the enclosure. In the back she could see others, including Penny, curled up in their nests. With Penny lay the new baby, apparently asleep next to its mother, and completely ignored by the other daubpups.
Good, one thing to ease her mind. It appeared the baby was quite safe with the rest of the group. Just as well. She didn't have a proper place to isolate mother and baby, anyway.
She stood to the side watching them as the crowds came and went. Her worry over the new mother and baby overwhelmed even her nose. Yes, it still stunk, and people and animals still complained. But, her crew? Happy and settled inside.
The relief was so intense and lasted so long that she didn't realize the moment the smell ended. What tipped her off that something was different was the increased crowd.
Her lips curved up into a smile. Damien must have found the problem. He would. He knew his job.
A frown replaced the smile. So sure, was she? She hardly knew him. Hardly knew the station, and the only other maintenance person she'd met was Damien's trainee. Not exactly a wide sampling of the large crew it must take to keep a station like this going.
But, her mind had settled on it. Her Damien did the fixing.
Neon stopped to put a paw up on the front enclosure wall right next to her, giving her a yip. With a flick of her thick banded tail, she turned and tackled Frumpmuffin. The two went rolling across the enclosure, much to the delight of several observers.
Penny and her new baby woke and started nuzzling each other. When Penny turned to grooming her fur, the baby caught sight of a nearby tree limb. Adorable how both ears cocked forward towards it. Even more adorable how it crawled through the jungle of dried grass and straw to get to it.
The baby started climbing. The response of the other daubpups was unexpected. They jumped up and down from limb to limb, then to the ground, and then back up again as the baby climbed higher. As if excited about the little one's progress.
Vallory felt the same. Active, climbing, the group having accepted it? Fantastic. She brought out her pocket computer and started documenting the behavior.
The sounds of the crowd receded as she concentrated on what she loved: observing the daubpups just being themselves. They loved fun. They loved each other, no matter how they might wrestle.
No, the logical and analytical side told herself. She was attaching human emotions to the little creatures. The emotional side said she didn't care. It kept her interested. And they acted loving. Attentive to the others, sensitive when one wasn't feeling well, shared food and other resources, groomed each other. Very social animals who showed a lot of attention to each other.
And now those traits were turned to the new arrival among them. The baby, in turn, appeared to love it. It nuzzled up to Neon before tackling the next branch.
There was that word again. Love. Vallory gave an audible sigh as she entered another set of notes into the computer. The daubpups were getting more action in that direction than she was.
Although, hard to meet the man of her dreams when her job took her into the wilderness so much. Maybe after this she should look for a position with a nature reserve where she could live closer to other humans. Maybe a small community.
In the midst of her feeling sorry for herself, her mind threw up an image. Of green eyes that could shift from gray-green to almost emerald. Spiky dark-brown hair. Even in the mental image he exuded that calm authority and control she'd sensed the first time they'd met. A small tilted smile told her a quirky sense of humor lurked below the surface.
The image merged with one earlier today. Of him dealing with Mr. Pyman while the baby nuzzled and licked his ear. Her fury at the accusations had warred with the desire to laugh at the sight of the muscular body being used as a climbing tree by a colorful baby daubpup.
He hadn't minded. Not a bit. She'd expected him to. Most macho men would have been horrified. When she asked him to let the baby continue, he did. He didn't remove it, continued on as if it weren't there, letting Vallory do it.
Well, not continued as if it weren't there. He'd held still for the most part, his body tense. As if afraid to hurt it or make it fall?
And, he'd taken her side in the argument. He hardly knew her, and he'd taken her side.
She blew a strand of hair away from her nose, hoping to also cool a suddenly hot face. She could be in trouble if this continued. It was also a distraction she didn't need right now. Not with the creatures on the other side of the barrier relying on her. The addition of the baby increased the pressure. She now knew they could reproduce. The need to find them a permanent home increased, its weight on her shoulders increasing until she thought she might collapse.
"The first day of the Redpoint One Exotic Pet Show is now concluded," a woman's voice said from the speakers overhead. Vallory jerked her attention away from the daubpups to look around her in confusion. "The show will reopen tomorrow morning at seven. We hope to see you here. Thank you."
When did the aisles get so clear? She'd been standing there all afternoon?
The aches that suddenly appeared now that her concentration had been broken told her that she had. She'd done it again. Like when out in the field, she became so all-consumed in her observations and recordings that time would pass in the blink of an eye. She would come out of it to find the sky darkening and her muscles so tight and aching that she could barely pull herself upright to start walking towards home.
Only this time, she'd done it in the middle of a crowded pet show. That was a first.
She rubbed her lower back with one hand while flexing the other arm, trying to get both to relax. Two security guards walked down the aisled, stopping to talk to each exhibitor. Good. Nice to see security out in force, especially after so many pets disappeared.
She turned to another task. Cleaning out the water and refilling it. Replacing some of the dried grass. Grabbing the ball, despite the daubpup complaints.
"You can play with it another day. I don't want you to get tired of it," she told them as she headed back towards the door.
She slipped out just in time to hear one of the security guards say to Ms. Mishely, "We're clearing out all the buildings within the next half hour and setting up a perimeter. Let the show official know if you need any help prepa
ring your pets for the night."
Good. Hopefully they would have an uneventful night, and she wouldn't walk back into the building to more accusations. Especially considering she had another meeting the next morning shortly after the show started. Fortunately for that one, she would be meeting the expert here inside the show grounds in the food court.
She came out from behind the enclosure after putting the ball away in the locked container she stored there. The security guards were nearly to her, but they weren't what made her freeze.
Mr. Pyman stalked down the aisle in her direction. Maybe not at her, as his enclosure was right next to hers. It didn't matter. With her achy muscles, hurting feet, and a stomach and headache from not eating anything for so long, she was in no mood to deal with him.
Vallory turned away and put a hand on the clear front of the enclosure. "Have a good night, little ones. I'll be back in the morning. Don't get into any trouble."
She shivered at the way they all stopped, even the baby, to turn and stare at her. She knew they couldn't hear her. Even if she'd knocked on the window, they wouldn't have heard her. The enclosures were designed to stop all noise, to keep the animals as comfortable as possible.
It made her wonder all over again as to their intelligence level, and what else they were capable of that she hadn't yet observed. She knew down to her toes that there was a lot. She'd seen only the tip of the iceberg.
She let her fingers trail across the front of the enclosure as she walked by, staring right back at them. She heard Mr. Pyman talking with the two security guards behind her.
No need to talk to her. Her pets were safe, with the enclosure a comfortable temperature, and a baby who already demonstrated it knew how to walk through walls just like all the rest. No thieves stood a chance with her little ones. They just wouldn't go with them.
With a last smile at them, she stretched out her legs and headed for the exits.
The walking felt good. She swung her arms and rolled her shoulders as she left the pet show. A whole night to herself to finally relax a little bit with no meetings to interrupt. She planned a long soak in a nice bubble bath and take a little bit of her rapidly dwindling funds for a decent meal.
Once Upon a Pet Show (A Redpoint One Romance) Page 7