Something to Curse About (Discord Jones)

by Gayla Drummond

  “It’s wrong the bad men make dogs fight each other. That they make big dogs hurt little ones.”

  Bone shook his head, his lips flapping. “Chica, you can’t help them.”

  “Do you know where they are?”

  His good ear swept back. “Maybe.”

  I offered them the only reward I could think of. “If you help me, I’ll help you find homes.”

  The red dog snorted. “Bitch is crazy, Bone.”

  “Hey! I’m not a…” I stopped. Dog, female…yeah, I was a bitch to them. “I’m not really a dog. I’m human. A bad man cursed me, turned me into a dog. And my name is Cordi, not Chica.”

  The black dog, missing part of one lip so that his teeth showed, growled. “I’m outta here. Don’t want no part of people again.”

  “You stay put, Diablo,” Bone growled back, gazing steadily at me. I tried not to wince at the other dog’s name. “Diablo” meant devil, and devils were usually demons.

  “You fall for every line a bitch throws your way. Always ends in trouble.”

  My adventure offered a fascinating education of dogs, one I’d definitely keep in mind. If—when—I returned to human, I hoped I could retain enough from it to communicate with them better than before. “Look, dude, I’m not asking for anything but help to find the place. I can handle things from there myself.”

  “She’s telling the truth. She’s not natural.” The last dog, white with merle markings and a graying muzzle, moved up to Bone’s shoulder. “Look at her.”

  All four stared. I lifted my head, ears perking forward. “What’s wrong with me? I think I’m doing a pretty good job of being a dog.”

  “I see it,” Bone said. “Okay, we’ll show you the place.”

  “But we’re not getting involved. We did our time,” the red dog grunted. “Right, Bone?”

  Their pack leader didn’t answer.

  ***

  I felt out of place, trotting between Bone and the older dog, with the other two bringing up the rear. Doggy Me was taller, and stuck out like a sore thumb with my somewhat longer coat and lack of scars.

  “You really human?”

  “Yes. I have a car, an apartment, and a job. I work as a private investigator.”

  Bone cocked his good ear back. “A what?”

  “Like a cop dog,” the older one said.

  “Oh, yeah. So why do you smell like those animal people that live over on Haymill?”

  I nearly tripped. “How do you know what street they’re on?”

  Bone snorted. “Might be missing an ear, but I can hear people talking.”

  “Right. Sorry. A couple of them are my friends. Well, they are when I’m human. Guess right now, they’re kind of my owners.” Whom I’d run away from, again. I hoped that wouldn’t be the last straw for Logan or Terra. It’d suck to end up in the pound.

  No, it’d more than suck, whether someone came along to adopt Doggy Me or I visited the Bad Room. I’d either be dead or spayed and consigned to a shorter lifespan. I shook my head to dispel those thoughts. They didn’t help jack. “How come they don’t understand dogs?”

  “Too much human in them. They don’t understand cats either.” Bone jerked his muzzle upward. “It’s up ahead. They keep ’em down in the cellar, so no one hears all the barking.”

  We were nearing a street sign, and I glanced at it: Augustine. Interesting. “My cases are related.”

  “Huh?”

  “Princess, the little dog I helped, I was looking for her before I became a dog. She said there’s a taco or burger place across from the bad-smelling place where the dogs are. And my animal person friend said my car keys were found in a trash can at a taco place, across from,” I halted, looking at the three-story building taking up two full blocks further on, surrounded by tall, chain link fencing. I remembered it. “The old brewery. We’re close to the outskirts here.”

  “Yeah.” Bone sat down and scratched behind his nub. “There’s a taco place across from it, a block down. Why does that make them related?”

  “The man who changed me into a dog dumped my phone out by the highway, my wallet on Thompson, and my keys here on Augustine. Right across from where the other dogs are being kept. I don’t think it’s a coincidence.” I sat down too. “Where’s Thompson?”

  Diablo moved closer. “Four streets over, between the highway and here.”

  I sneezed. “I bet money he was coming here, that he’s the one those two wolves were talking about. They were scared of him.”

  “Wolves?” The red dog pushed forward. “Weren’t no wolves running things when I was in.”

  “Not when Diablo and me were in either. How about you, Sal?” Bone asked the older dog, and I turned my head, staring at the white dog. Naw, couldn’t be. Could it?

  “No.”

  Bone stood up, something in the set of his shoulders and neck indicating readiness. “I don’t like that at all. How about you guys?”

  They chorused, “No.”

  He snorted, dropping his head and lifting a front paw to swipe at his muzzle. “I say we do something about it. I say we help her get those other dogs out.”

  “It’s okay,” I said, noticing Red’s hesitation. “Just tell me how to get in.”

  Bone laid his ear back and showed me his teeth. “We’re going. Come on.”

  “Okay.” I followed him across the street, secretly relieved I wouldn’t be alone as the other three trotted after us.

  FIFTEEN

  “Ow, ow, ugh, ow.” I panted, struggling to pull myself under the fence while leaving a lot of hair behind. Once through, I shook. “I think I’m bleeding.”

  “You’re definitely not a dog.” The observation came from Bone, who’d already eeled under the fence. “You whine too much.”

  The fence rattled as first Diablo then Red came under it. Sal had gone first, disappearing from sight through a low window with all the glass broken out.

  “Do you like little kids?”

  He cocked his head to one side. “Why?”

  “So I’ll know whether finding you a home with little kids who’ll pull your tail and poke their fingers in your eyes is good revenge.”

  Bone chuffed. “I like kids. They share food.”

  Giving an exasperated growl, I made a note to find him a home with little kids. That might prove impossible, the way he looked. Who in their right mind would want a scarred up pit bull around their children? I’d have to find someone who really enjoyed doing charity work. I mentally smiled as a possibility crossed my mind, and tucked it away for future reference.

  Sal barked from the window. “It’s clear.”

  “Let’s go,” Bone said before turning around and dashing off. He leaped and flew through the window. Diablo took off, and jumped inside the building just as easily. I looked at Red.

  “I may need some help.”

  He sighed. “Come on.”

  It took three tries before I managed to drag myself through the window. My back paws kept slipping off Red’s back. After I made it, he jumped through and landed with a grunt, dust puffing up from his front paws.

  The inside of the brewery was a wreck of dirt, broken glass, trash, and rusting metal. Our paw prints weren’t the only prints. There were prints from other animals and humans too. It stunk to high heaven. “What is that smell?”

  Diablo answered. “People potty.”

  I looked at him. “What?”

  “People that ain’t got nowhere else sleep here. They potty.” He flicked an ear. “You going to find them homes too?”

  The feel of my tail tucking had me looking away. “I would if I could.”

  “You know what the first rule is, when you’re born in a home?”

  “No.”

  Diablo grumbled. “It’s ‘love humans’. When you’re born on the streets, it’s ‘fear humans’. When you’re on the streets, you see how bad people act to each other, and to us.”

  “You were born on the streets.” My guess turned out wrong.
<
br />   The black dog chuffed. “I was born in a home, sold away from my mom not long after my eyes were open. The kid I ended up with didn’t want me. He traded me to a man for a pair of shoes, and I ended up in the pit.”

  I wanted to pick him up and cuddle the hell out of him, promise him nothing bad would ever happen to him again. Instead, I crept forward and tried to lick his cheek. “I’m sorry.”

  Diablo jerked away. “Let’s get this done.”

  I watched him stalk off, my ears drooping. Red nudged my shoulder. “It’s harder for the home-born. They got lied to, you know what I mean?”

  “Yeah.”

  ***

  Our path led through the deepest recesses of the brewery. Here and there, I saw places where the homeless had created nests for themselves, using whatever was handy. Boxes, broken wooden pallets, and even some pieces of furniture. I wondered how they’d gotten the larger stuff through the windows.

  “They live here, so they have to know what’s going on. Why haven’t they told anyone?” I asked Sal, whom I’d ended up walking beside.

  “If they told, who’d listen to them? They’re outcasts, like us. No one listens to outcasts,” he said.

  Diablo overheard. “You’re too dumb to be a dog. Pretty dumb for a human too.”

  I swallowed a growl. “I can’t learn if I don’t ask questions.” Having another one to ask, I did. “Have we met before, Sal?”

  “When’s the first time you saw me?”

  Well, as a dog… “About an hour ago.”

  “Then I guess we haven’t met before.” He left my side, catching up to Bone, his tail wagging twice.

  Maybe being a dog had begun doing something weird to my brain. Why would my so-called fairy godfather turn himself into a dog? Of course, that would also mean he wasn’t a figment of my imagination.

  Conversation with Dad aside, I did sort of think the little, weathered Indian was a delusion. A helpful delusion—sometimes—but a delusion all the same. There weren’t any long-term studies on what having psychic abilities did to a person. Maybe we’d all end up crazy, locked away in some magical mental hospital constantly gabbing to our imaginary friends.

  Ooh, cheerful thoughts, Cordi. Let’s move on. My stomach rumbled. I’d taken off before being fed breakfast. “I’m hungry.”

  “There’s mice,” Red said.

  Ugh. “No, thank you.”

  “Okay, gather around.” Bone wagged his tail once after we’d obeyed. “We have a problem. The door’s closed.”

  Our heads turned in concert, all of us looking at the large, metal sliding door. I sniffed, smelling the tang of spray oil. “They’ve oiled it. We can push it open.”

  “Yeah, but they’ll hear us.” He glanced at Sal, who left the group to sniff around the door.

  “Two wolves, and something else. Don’t know what it is. Haven’t smelled it before.”

  Not liking the sound of that, I looked at the dirty concrete between my paws. The old dog kept sniffing and sneezed before perking his ears. “Only one wolf down there now. There’s music playing. He might not hear the door.”

  “Someone’s coming. Hide.” We dashed away from the door at Red’s warning, scrambling for cover. I crouched behind a crumbling column, hoping the shadows would help hide me.

  A beam of light swept the area, settling on the door. As it grew brighter, I could make out the person carrying it. A girl, teenaged, with short, curly brown hair and a pale face. She looked short, maybe five-six or so. I sniffed the air currents roiling due to her presence. Human, and from the acrid taint, a scared one.

  Another sniff offered more information, triggering something I hadn’t consciously noticed at the time. Damian didn’t smell exactly like the other humans who’d been at the parking lot. He had a little something extra in his scent.

  So did this girl. Maybe she’s a witch?

  Whether she was or wasn’t, why the hell had she decided to pay a visit here?

  I watched her approach the door, noting the slight shaking of the flashlight. Yeah, definitely scared. She clicked it off and shoved it into the pocket of the blue coat she wore. The coat was long and the kid looked like a giant, puffy blueberry.

  It wasn’t cold enough for such a heavy coat. I regarded it more carefully. As thick as it was, it’d be some protection against teeth.

  She threw her shoulders back, her lips becoming a thin, bloodless line, and reached for the door. Apparently, scared or not, she was going down there. She wasn’t going unarmed either. I saw the crowbar she held close to one leg.

  Whoever she was, it looked like we were on the same side, but all I could see was disaster looming. Five dogs and a short, teenage girl. Yeah, this totally wasn’t going to end badly.

  The door barely made any noise when she pushed it open. She took a deep breath and slipped through, careful not to let the crowbar bang against it.

  “Doesn’t look like we need to go down,” Diablo said, hopping over a half-rotted box.

  “Fine, don’t. I’m going. She’s going to need help.” I left my hiding spot and hurried to the door.

  “Wait,” Bone said, shooting out from the shadows to block my path. “We need a plan.”

  I bared my teeth at him. “This is my plan: I’m going to follow her, and if I have to, beat the wolf down while she opens cages.”

  Red chuffed. “I like her plan.”

  “It’s a good plan,” Sal agreed. They looked at Bone. He looked at Diablo.

  “You in or not?”

  The black dog silently snarled. “We’re gonna end up dead.”

  “We’re going to end up dead one day or another.” Sal edged toward the door. “I’m in.”

  We filed through the door, one by one, Diablo bringing up the rear.

  ***

  A ramp lay on the other side of the door, wide and sloping gently enough for a forklift to drive down. The girl had already made it to the bottom, but I couldn’t hear her steps over the rumble of bass coming from below.

  “Diablo with me. You two stick with Cordi,” Bone ordered as we loped down the ramp. He didn’t pause when we reached the bottom, turning left. “This way.”

  Diablo shouldered me aside to reach him, and the two of them cut right as we passed a tangle of rusty machinery. Red blocked my attempt to follow them. “We go straight in. They’ll check around and come in after us.”

  “Okay.” We ran on, catching a glimpse of blue ahead. By the time we reached that spot, the girl had gone through another door and I heard her speak.

  “You took my dog, and I want her back.”

  The music shut off. We halted at the doorway, peeking in from either side. She stood with her feet spread, holding the crowbar like a baseball bat. Her statement explained everything.

  Looking past her, I saw the wolf shifter, who looked about my age. He jittered a few steps toward her, his brown eyes wide and his hands fluttering. “I can’t give you your dog back.”

  “I’m not asking,” the girl said. “I don’t ask sickos like you for anything.”

  He bent slightly forward, burying his hands into his sandy blonde hair and tugging at it. “You think I want to do this shit? I don’t. I have to, or he’ll kill me. He’ll kill you too, he finds you here.”

  “I’m not leaving without my dog.” She jerked her head right. “The Husky, she’s mine. Let her out.”

  “I told you my girl would come for me,” a dog yipped. The sound had the girl lowering the crowbar and turning toward it.

  The shifter moved, but so did I, rushing around her to snarl at him. He froze. “Call it off.” Red and Sal joined me, one on either side. The guy swallowed hard enough for us to hear. “Call them off.”

  “They’re not mine,” she said. “You know, since I’m here, I think I’ll take all the dogs.”

  “You can’t.” He fell to his knees, clasping his hands together. “Please don’t. I’m not kidding, he’ll kill me.”

  The lack of telepathy made me want to cry in frustration.
I had no way to nudge the girl into asking the questions I needed answered, or to get the answers I wanted by listening to the shifter’s thoughts.

  Instead, we held him at bay while he begged and she ignored him, hurrying around to open cage doors. Most were large dogs, who took off as though their tails had been scalded without so much as a “Thank you” before disappearing.

  “Hold him.” I left Red and Sal to hurry over as the girl began opening the cages containing little dogs. There were only five of them. “All of you need to stay with me. I’ll take you somewhere safe.”

  Diablo’s rumble announced his and Bone’s arrival. “Told you the bitch ain’t nothing but trouble. What are we going to do with them?”

  After lifting the last little dog from its cage, the girl kneeled to hug her dog, who’d stuck to her side since being released. The Chihuahuas clustered around my hind legs in a shivering, multi-colored lump. The girl looked at them then at me, her forehead wrinkling. “I don’t think you’re an ordinary dog. Are you someone’s familiar?”

  I shook my head. “Tell her you need to go. The other two men might come back soon.”

  The Husky yipped, grabbing hold of the girl’s coat sleeve. “Come on, Tonya.”

  Rising, Tonya let her dog pull her toward the door. She looked at the wolf shifter, who’d fallen silent, though his eyes darted around. “You’d better run if you’re that afraid.”

  He whined, focusing on Red and Sal. “They’re going to kill me.”

  “No, they won’t. Everyone out!”

  “Go,” Bone said. “We’ll keep the little ones together.”

  I left, rushing out the door with the smaller dogs on my heels. The four pits followed, with Tonya and her Husky behind them.

  Not knowing where else to go, I headed up the ramp and back along the way we’d come, and called a halt at the window. “Crap.”