Micki coughed into her hand and eyeballed him like he’d lost his mind. “It’s my mother’s. She left it on the table when she stopped by after church on Wednesday.” She cracked a tiny smile and shrugged, “Normally, I wouldn’t hit anyone with it, but it was handy and Jake was beating the hell out of you. I wasn’t sure what else to do.”
“I had Jake under control. It was nothing. No big deal.”
Her tiny smile spread at his pissy tone. She arched one feathery brow. “Nothing? Riiiiight . . . Jake owns a fight club. He teaches MMA. Trust me. He knows his way around a fight. He would’ve beaten you senseless and there’s nothing you could’ve done.”
“Nothing?” Grinding his teeth at this happy little reminder of how damaged he was, he ground out, “That’s bullshit.”
Her smile faded and she rushed to add sympathetically, “I’m sure you could hold your own in a fair fight. It wasn’t exactly fair once he had you on your back and started punching your face in.” She crossed the room as she worked to get her foot out of her mouth. Patting him on the sore shoulder was the last straw.
He jerked away and grouched, “I’m a three time middleweight champ. I’ve got a dozen titles. I’ve broken more opponents than he’s probably ever fought.”
That got her undivided attention and another lift of her brow. “Really? I’ve never heard of you, and I’m sure I’d remember your name. Boxing or UFC?” She ran her eyes over his body and answered her own question. “Mixed martial arts. You’ve got the body for that. Am I right? Where’d you fight?”
“Hel—” He shut his mouth. He couldn’t tell her about Hell’s Fury. They were getting into dangerous territory here, so he leaned against the wall, as far from the book as possible, and changed the subject. “It’s getting late. Are you ready to deal with the dogs? Where do you want to take them?”
“I hate to say this, but I don’t have anywhere for them to go. I need to make some calls to other rescuers. Hopefully, someone will have room. Otherwise, I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
“My boss isn’t going to like me keeping them in the garage, but I’ll tell you what; you give me an extra-long massage, and I’ll try to sweet-talk him into letting them stay at Expat while you figure out another place for them.”
“Not a chance. I’ll figure something out. Don’t worry about it.”
What was her problem? He was trying to help. He reached for her arm and swung her back around to face him. She collided with his chest and stayed there. He had to look down his nose into her eyes. They sparked with anger again. “What’s the problem? This is a legit request. I’m in pain here. I just asked for a massage which I thought was part of your job. If you weren’t comfortable with it, you could’ve just said no. There’s no reason to get bitchy about it.”
“Bitchy? You ask me to trade sex for your help in saving these helpless animals and I’m the bad guy? Go to Hell!”
“Whoa! Wait a minute, doc. I didn’t say anything about sex. I’m talking about therapy.”
The blood rushed to her face so fast he was surprised she didn’t faint. Oh, yeah, she completely misunderstood him. He probably shouldn’t, but he couldn’t resist screwing with her. Tugging her close enough to feel his heart beating, he bent to whisper in her ear, “I wouldn’t say no to a happy ending should you want to toss that in after you fix my shoulder.”
Match lit . . . Her offended gasp was priceless. He had to push a little more . . . He brushed a knuckle along her exposed skin, murmuring, “You have the sexiest little freckles across your collarbone. I’m dying to follow them with my tongue all the way to your—”
She cut him off. “Oh, my god! You’re a walking cliché! You’re just like every fighter I’ve ever known. All muscles and overblown ego. You think women should fall all over you because you’re so big and hot? Oh, please! You talk a big game, but you’re probably so full of steroids your dick won’t even work anymore.”
What the fuck are steroids? He opened his trap to defend his dick when it occurred to him that her anger wasn’t about him. “I guarantee I’m not like any other man you’ve known. I’m not Jake, Micki, and it’s pathetic to see a woman like you throw yourself at a loser like him. For fuck’s sake, grow a spine.”
She hauled off and slapped him across the face so hard his head swung back. He let go of her so fast she fell on her ass.
Clambering back to her feet, she brushed off her butt and hissed, “You’re not a nice person.”
“Never said I was,” he laughed as he headed through the front door. “Come on. We’ve got dogs to rescue.”
The short drive to Expat didn’t take long, but it was filled with a delicious tension that had him humming inside. Micki sat stiffly with her dainty little jaw set in offended anger. He could almost see steam coming from her ears. She said he wasn’t nice. She was spot on. He didn’t do nice very well. He was loyal. He was fair. He was honest. He wasn’t nice.
Was it so wrong that he liked annoying people? Considering that, he tapped at the steering wheel and glanced up at the sky. A few wispy clouds floated by. It would be a great day to go roof running with Benn. The towering Manhattan skyline taunted him from across the river. He’d never run roofs that high. Benn, being Benn, had already scoped them out and declared they were too far apart to leap across. Even in their demon forms, they hadn’t had the jumping power to cross a city block in a single leap. They’d have to head to Europe once his shoulder was right again. They still had most of Rome to explore, and he was craving adventure that bodyguard duty just wasn’t providing.
A few minutes later, he pulled into a parking spot and unfolded himself from the vehicle. The cool air and warm sunlight felt too damn good to go straight inside the building, so he took a minute to wallow in a stretch and gulp in some fresh air. “Man, this cool air feels amazing after that heat wave. Don’t you think?”
She ignored him.
“Don’t you think?” he repeated.
She continued to ignore him.
“You know, I jog through your neighborhood a lot. Have you seen me?”
She shot him a laser-eyed death glare.
“Still mad?” he asked with an unrepentant smirk.
She studied him over the car’s roof, her eyes hidden behind grey sunglasses. She frowned before saying with complete sincerity, “I don’t think I like you. These dogs need me, and right now, I need you. Let’s leave it at that.”
“Ouch!” He rubbed his hand over his heart and said, “That’s hurtful.”
“You’re a big boy. Deal with it.” She shrugged at his fake pout. “Can we get moving now? I don’t have the energy to play games with you and I’d really like to see the dogs. I’m worried about them.” The prim, proper, and bitchy tone was back in full force. She really didn’t like him? Huh. He wasn’t sure what to say to that.
Matching her tone, he barked, “Follow me. The dogs are inside.”
The waiting area was quiet and empty as it usually was. She hesitated just inside the room and asked, “Are you sure it’s okay for me to be here? Will your boss mind?”
“No, his boss won’t mind.” Nash stuck his head out of ops and hollered down the hallway.
“We’ll be in the garage,” he called to Nash before taking her elbow and steering her towards the other door. “Come on. It’s through here.”
While she was at the ER last night, he and Benn had brought the dogs here. They had no idea how to care for dogs, but they weren’t idiots, so they’d improvised. They’d managed to scrounge up some things for them to sleep on. Koivu donated his own mattress for Ramses. The animal was obviously in a lot of pain and freaked out from the fire. Giving him a comfortable place to lie down was the least Koivu could do. He wouldn’t tell her this, but he spent the night in here and took the dogs out to go to the bathroom twice. Not that he was a big dog lover—especially not these demon dogs—but Nash was clear about his tolerance for dog shit in his building.
The smell of stale soot and fresh puppy shit hi
t him in the face as soon as he pulled the door open. Hoping they hit the newspapers this time, he waved Micki inside. Hysterical yelps and a couple of dignified woofs greeted them. Luke, Leo, and Lexi loped over to say hello. The puppies fell all over each other trying to scale the walls of their cardboard prison.
Micki’s face lit up like a torch and she left him behind, exclaiming, “Oh, you poor babies!”
He leaned against the wall, cradling his arm and enjoying the show. Even though she didn’t like him, he liked her. She was something to see. Dismissing him completely, she made her rounds, stopping to examine and pet each of the animals. She mothered them like they were children. She was gentle and kind, handling each with care. The dogs responded to her attention with licks and plenty of wagging tails. At least eight did. Lying curled onto his side, the three-legged dog simply cracked an eyelid and went back to sleep.
Her smile faded when she realized Ramses wasn’t getting up. She knelt carefully on the mattress and stroked the dog’s ears before leaning over to press a kiss on the top of his snout. “Koivu, has he been like this all morning?”
Koivu dropped into a crouch beside her and ran his hand over the dog’s back. Ramses blinked awake and flopped his tail a couple of times. “Hey, buddy,” he murmured. “Remember me?” Ramses flopped his tail again and closed his eyes with a soft grunt. Koivu studied the bandage and remembered how he’d felt after his surgery. He couldn’t imagine having his arm removed at the shoulder. He couldn’t imagine having to learn to navigate the world with one arm. Ramses couldn’t possibly understand why he woke up with a leg missing and pain eating him up.
Micki laid her hand on Koivu’s arm and said softly, “He likes you.”
Uncomfortable under her scrutiny, he shrugged. “He’s a cool dog.”
“Has he eaten at all? Drank any water?”
“Not this morning, no. He’s been sleeping like a log. He barely moved at all last night.”
“How would you know? Did you check on him?” The doubt lacing her words was more than a little insulting.
“Of course, I checked on them. What kind of asshole do you think I am? I told you we’d take care of them. I always keep my promises.”
With perfect timing, Benn came over and announced, “He bunked with the poor guy.”
Her eyebrows shot straight up. “He did?” She dropped her gaze back to the twin mattress. “You slept with the dog? That’s incredibly nice.”
He felt heat climbing up his neck and stood abruptly to hide it. “It’s no big deal. He was whimpering and I thought he might be cold.”
Her eyes were still filled with disbelief, but she only said, “Hmm.”
He pointed to the assorted blankets lying on the floor. “We were out of blankets.”
Benn chuckled under his breath and shook his head, muttering, “Nice redirection, brother.” To Micki, he said, “He needs some pain meds and antibiotics. Why don’t you call his vet and explain what’s happened? They can replace what was lost in the fire.” He handed her a couple of twenties and said, “My treat.”
Tears welled up in her eyes, but she blinked them away. “That’s so sweet of you . . .”
“Benn,” he replied in return. He held out a hand to help her up and turned on the famous Benn charm. “It’s the least I can do. You’ve got a lot to deal with right now. Why don’t you take Koivu and go shopping for some new supplies?” He gestured to the broken down cardboard box and plastic water jugs they’d cut in half for bowls. “These things are probably not going to work. Nash says you can keep them here for now, but he’s adamant about keeping the garage clean so we need some kennels.”
“I can’t believe you did all this. You’ve got beds and newspapers and bowls.” She spotted a jumbo bag of dog food that Koivu’d picked up earlier that morning. “Oh, and you bought food already. You’ve thought of everything.” She took Benn’s hand and squeezed it with genuine gratitude. “I can’t thank you enough.”
Benn shook her hand, but turned her towards Koivu. “You’re welcome, but you’re thanking the wrong guy. Koivu did all the real work. He dug up the supplies, took the dogs outside, and bought the food. He even cleaned up the puppy shit this morning.”
Her smile faltered as she absorbed Benn’s words. A fleeting softness crossed her expression before settling into a more cynical smile. “I appreciate this more than you know. Thank you.”
“It’s nothing. Don’t thank me.”
Benn smiled nicely and said, “Why don’t you go get the supplies?”
Her face fell and she glanced around at the makeshift accommodations. “I’ll see what I can scrounge up. The shelter wasn’t exactly a profitable business. As far as I know, Larry was broke. Donations have dropped off this past year so I’ve been keeping us in dog food for the past six months. I know Larry doesn’t have the money to buy new equipment. Kennels are expensive. He had to beg the vet to do the surgery pro bono.”
Koivu gave Ramses one last pat and stood up. “I’ll pay for it.”
Benn blinked in surprise.
“What? I have money.”
Micki squinted at him as if he’d grown another head. “Are you serious? Why?”
“I said I’ll pay for it. Don’t be difficult.”
She narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms again. “I don’t care how nice you’re trying to be. You’re still not getting a massage.”
He walked away laughing. She’d give him a massage sooner or later. The real question was which body part got stroked first.
Three hours later, they had the garage set up as a temporary shelter. Three large kennels were lined up along the back wall. Each kennel contained a couple of folded up blankets and a water/food bowl combo. Petite, gentle Lexi was already curled into a neat ball with her freckled nose tucked beneath her front paws. Next to her, the four puppies frantically climbed their kennel’s sides in a desperate attempt to escape. Their hysterical yapping was giving Koivu a massive headache, but he soldiered on. The last kennel stood empty, its door open wide. The two gangly brothers, Luke and Leo, slunk off in different directions while avoiding any eye contact with the humans. Wearing a red collar, Luke peered from behind a dented steel trashcan. Leo tried to squeeze his body between a precarious stack of empty cardboard boxes and the wall. When his clumsy movements shook the stack, he bolted to the other side of the garage like his ass was on fire.
“Idiots.” Koivu gave Ramses’ muscular hindquarter a pat. “You’d never run away, would you? You seem like a warrior to me.” The dog peered over his shoulder and thumped his tail in agreement. “That’s what I thought.”
Micki wiped her hands on her butt and announced, “This kennel’s not big enough for two dogs. They’ll be tripping all over each other. Damn it. We should go to another store.”
Koivu whistled and Luke’s ears perked up, but he didn’t venture from his hiding place. “It’s going to be fine, doc. They’re housetrained, right?”
“As far as I know they are.” She looked around the nearly empty garage and added thoughtfully, “There’s nothing here to chew up, so I guess it would be okay to let them run loose, as long as Nash is okay with it. I don’t want to overstep.”
“He’s fine with this as long as you’re working to place them. I wouldn’t slow roll that if I were you. He’s only got so much patience.” That, and Koivu was hoping to be back in Hell by the end of the year . . . He didn’t mind helping, but he wasn’t staying topside any longer than absolutely necessary.
She nibbled on the tip of a fingernail and said, “Larry set up a fundraising event for next Friday night. It’s one of our biggest moneymakers. When I talked to him late last night, he was determined to go through with it even though our building was destroyed. With any luck, he can convince some big spenders to help fund a rebuild or offer up another permanent location for Dal Pals. Otherwise, I think we’ll be done.” Her voice caught and she frowned at the floor. “These may be our last rescues.” She shook off the sudden pessimism and forced a genui
ne smile. “Thank you again for your help. You didn’t need to pay for this stuff, but I appreciate it. I need to get going. I have things to do today. I’m going to take Ramses home with me. I’d like to keep a closer eye on him.”
“Stop thanking me. You needed help. I gave it to you. And I’m keeping Ramses with me. He likes me.”
Her pretty mouth opened and closed again. He pressed on. “You have to be in your office Monday morning, but I can be here with him. It’s a win-win. Unless, of course, you don’t trust me.”
He let the accusation settle between them.
After a few seconds of thought, she finally agreed. “You do seem to have a connection with him and you did give him your bed. I guess it wouldn’t hurt to let him stay. Promise me you’ll call if anything—and I mean anything—changes with him. I want to know ASAP. Deal?”
“You got it. Now get out of here. The dogs will be fine. You can look in on them tomorrow.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely.” He reached out to touch her arm as she turned to leave. “Call me if you need anything.”
Chapter 6: Girl Gone Wild
Was it possible to be any more wasted? No, Micki thought, it wasn’t. This Saturday night was anything but young and she wasn’t any spring chicken, either. Thirty was creeping up like a lava flow. Slowly but surely, her best years were passing her by. Thanks to Jake—the fucker—she was alone and single when she should’ve been married with kids. It was all his fault. The fucker.
“Can I get you a fresh beer, sweetheart?” The Irish bartender with the unruly mop of black hair grinned at her from behind the bar. “You’ve been nursing that one for an hour. It must be a tad warm by now, yeah?”
“Has it been that long?” She squinted at the clock on the wall behind her. Yep. It was already 11:00. She shoved the half-empty bottle across the smooth oak surface with a weak smile and a lame attempt at flirting. “I guess I was so busy staring at you that I lost all track of time.” She batted her eyelashes for good measure. She needed to get back to the world of dating. That was the answer. Back in the saddle again.
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