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KILLER UNLEASHED
by
BETH PRENTICE
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Copyright © 2015 by Beth Prentice
Cover design by Yocola Designs
Gemma Halliday Publishing
http://www.gemmahallidaypublishing.com
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
For my wonderful family. Thanks for not rolling your eyes at all my crazy ideas!
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CHAPTER ONE
Meet Theo. He's ten inches tall, white with big, brown spots, extremely hairy, and when he looks in the mirror he sees The Rock. He's my neighbor's dog. Well, technically, he's now my dog.
This morning Betty, my seventy-year-old neighbor, asked me to take him to the animal shelter. You see, her family has forced her to move into a retirement home, and she can't take Theo with her. That is a real shame. I, of course, said I'd take him, as I pretty much do whatever people ask me to. According to my counselor I need to value and stand up for myself more, but that's a whole other story.
Honestly, this didn't make any sense to me. I'd never met Betty's family. In fact, I'd never even heard her mention them. So as you can imagine, it was a surprise to me that not only was she going to move as they wanted, but she was also going to give up her beloved, little dog. I sighed and promised myself that when I was elderly I would not do what my children told me to do. Who am I kidding? I may as well pick out my nursing home now.
So I, being the weak-willed person I am, agreed to help her.
Only when I got to the shelter, I sat in the car and looked at the prison-like entrance gates. I could hear the noise of hundreds of dogs calling out to each other, saying who the hell knew what. I watched as two volunteer workers walked some of the bigger dogs down the dusty laneway. My heart cracked as a man dropped off his faithful friend at the reception counter and left without even saying goodbye. The dog tried to follow him, whining longingly. I looked at Theo, and my eyes filled with tears.
"You know, you're really cute, and I'm sure you'll find a home very quickly." I think I was trying to convince myself more than him.
He looked up at me, his brown eyes as big as saucers, his ears pinned back. That was such a low blow. My heart was already breaking. I did not need him to look cuter than ever.
"Don't look at me like that. This really is for the best." I reached out and rubbed his furry little head. He turned his soft, little brown face toward my palm and snuggled into it.
Humph. He really knew how to play this game, didn't he?
I ran my thumb over his little Chihuahua nose and thought about the day he was having. The home he knew had been ripped away from him along with the person he loved most in the world. To make his day even worse, he would have to spend the night in solitary confinement surrounded by strange personnel.
I thought about this last year I'd lived opposite Betty. I'd never once seen Theo bark or snap. Before meeting him I had thought all Chihuahuas were snappy, nasty little creatures. I was wrong. This one in particular was adorable.
I felt a tear run down my cheek and drip off my chin.
I couldn't do it. I didn't have it in my heart to hand him over to complete strangers, letting him believe he'd been abandoned by all those who loved him. Sure, Betty had already organized for me to hand Theo over to a lady named Lucy, but surely she wouldn't care if I kept him. And I was sure Lucy was far too busy to follow up on a dog that didn't get surrendered. In fact, they would probably all be extremely happy Theo had already found a new home.
"Okay, okay! You win. I hope you're happy," I said as I wiped my chin with my free hand. The wagging of Theo's tail told me he'd understood what I said perfectly, and if I wasn't mistaken, that was a very big smile on his little face.
Putting the car into gear, I turned it around and headed home. Little did I know, keeping Theo would turn out to be the best and worst decision of my life.
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On my way home I thought I would make a quick stop at the pet shop. The last time I'd owned a dog I had been twelve and totally too irresponsible to keep an animal alive. I really hoped things had changed since then. I mean, I'm now a very responsible small parcel courier with the use of a company van, and I've aged eighteen years since the day I had stupidly left the front door open and allowed our dog, Lucky, to run into the road. Sighing, I picked Theo up and walked toward the entrance to the superstore.
An hour later I walked back out, broke and pushing a very large shopping cart. Who knew owning such a small animal could cost so much money?
"You're lucky you're cute," I scolded, looking at Theo as I placed him on the front seat of my car. "And don't get too comfortable there either. I just spent a small fortune buying you a top-of-the-line car seat. So you'll be safely secured in the back—as soon as I can figure out how it works." Theo looked at me as if to say whatever, made three anti-clockwise turns, and settled down for a sleep.
Rush hour traffic was pretty bad on the way home, but the tension in my shoulders relaxed as I pulled my car onto my street. I loved it here. My house was situated at number thirty-seven Price Lane, Westport. Westport's on the east coast of Australia and was a pretty old town. I thought the original settlers had lacked imagination when they named it, as it sits on the west side of Goat Island and was once a very popular port. Hence the name. In my part of town all the houses were old, so they had a history, a story to tell. Not sure what the story of mine was, but it didn't matter. It had a personality, and I always felt a sense of calm whenever I pulled up outside it.
Today was a bit tricky however. My old next-door neighbors, the Davidsons, had moved out a few days ago, and it looked like the new tenants were moving in as their moving van took up most of the road.
Never to be one to give up on a parking challenge, I carefully maneuvered my small SUV into a spot in front of the van. Well, when I say carefully, I mean I narrowly missed its front bumper, but missed is the important part, right? Picking up Theo, and then making quite a few trips back and forth between the house and the car, I managed to get all my new belongings inside. I looked down at Theo.
"How can a dog your size need so much stuff?" I asked him. He chose to ignore me, trotting off toward the lounge where he made himself comfortable on my lovely, white couch.
I had thought the saying, "It's a dog's life," was supposed to mean life was tough. I didn't think Theo had gotten that memo.
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By the time the clock struck ten, I was exhausted and decided an early night was exactly what I needed. All the stress and worry about Theo had really taken it out of me.
I started my nightly ritual of walking around the house, checking all the locks, and making sure all the lights were turned off. My house was a tiny, three-bedroom, single-story house with an attic extension. It was the attic r
oom that was my bedroom, and as the pretty dormer window looked out over the front, I had a great view of the comings and goings on the street. There was virtually no front yard, just a small courtyard with an ornate, iron fence and gate preventing any stray dogs from wandering in and pooping on my tiles. I had added a couple of pots with some sort of green things in them, which looked really nice—especially when I remembered to water them. My house was attached to my best friend Isaac's and the Davidson's two-story Victorian terraces. It almost looked like the builder had added my little house as an afterthought. As all the houses in the street were very old, who knew what the real story behind them was, but since the previous owners had completed its renovation, I was one very happy camper.
Picking up Theo, I walked up the spiral staircase and into my bedroom. I placed Theo on the bed, moved to the en suite, and stripped off for my shower. But not before I took a good, hard look at myself in the mirror. I was convinced that tattooed on my forehead was the word Sucker.
Pulling my hair back from my face, I peered into the mirror. Nope, couldn't see it, but I was still sure it was there. Maybe it was my light-blue eyes that made people think I was a pushover, or maybe it was the dimple embedded in my right cheek on my round face when I smiled. I changed my hair color so often I wasn't really sure what my natural color was anymore, but at the moment it was a bright shade of red, compliments of the dye I'd put in it last night. Other than that, I looked pretty much like every other girl out there. I wasn't very tall—five-foot-three to be exact, and I had a small frame with just enough cleavage. That was a good thing, as I had a bit of an addiction to nice underwear. And perfume. Oh, and candles. And pretty much anything that looked nice in my house. Lucky for me, I also had a job.
After completing my routine of shower, teeth cleaning, etc., I walked to my window to make sure it was open just enough to get some fresh air. At this time of night my neighborhood was extremely peaceful, and I loved sitting on my window seat looking at the view. I gave a contented sigh and was about to close my blinds when I noticed a man standing on the footpath, staring at Betty's house. Since Betty's house was directly across the road from mine, I had a very good view of his back. From here, he looked to be about medium height and was wearing a long trench coat, the streetlight reflected on his shiny, black hair.
Hmm, that was a bit odd. I supposed it could have been a prospective tenant, but it was a strange time of night to be house hunting.
I felt goose bumps break out as I watched him turn, look up at me, and stare. Then he lifted his collar and moved across the street, disappearing into the Davidson's old house.
"Well, that was creepy," I said to Theo as a chill ran down my spine. I hurriedly pulled the cord on my blinds, moved to the bed, pulled back the covers, and attempted to get in between them, but Theo had taken up residence on my pillow. I still felt bad that Betty had left him, so I moved to the other side and gave him some room.
Tomorrow would be a different story though.
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I woke the next morning with a very sore back. I wondered how an animal that weighed just over five pounds needed almost ninety percent of a queen-sized bed to sleep in.
"Enjoy it, little man. Tonight you'll be in your own bed," I mumbled, as I stood and looked at the clock. It was already six thirty, and I needed to be at work just after seven. Shit. I was already late, and I hadn't even started the day yet.
The day didn't really improve while I stood looking at my watch, waiting for Theo to do his business on the small patch of grass in my backyard, willing him to hurry up. I had his food, water, chewy treats, and stuffed cow all waiting for him on the kitchen floor, ready for me to make a hasty exit out the front door. I tapped my foot as I watched whilst he sniffed various spots and decided they weren't up to standard, only to continue sniffing for a better one. Personally, I didn't think there was a better spot. Looking at my yard from a dog's point of view was pretty sad. I really couldn't blame him for being picky.
As my tapping got faster and my impatience grew, I heard a voice over my fence. Always nosy, I popped up onto my tiptoes and had a peek. Standing alone in the backyard was a man talking on his phone. He faced me but was looking at the ground, so he didn't see me checking him out. He looked middle-aged, with an exceptional head of hair, and had yet to get the middle-aged beer gut my older brother, Robbie, had prematurely started work on. The man was speaking to the unlucky person on the other end of the phone in a very aggressive manner. Looking up and spotting me, he flung a black trench coat over his arm, turned, and walked into the house.
Oops, probably not the best way to introduce myself to the new residents, but, oh well, shit happens. Seeing him brought back the memory of last night, and once again I felt a shiver down my spine.
It took a few more minutes, but finally Theo gave in to the urge to empty his system and trotted back into the house. I looked at my watch. If the traffic was right, I might still get to work on time. Locking the back door behind me, I ran through the house towards the front, picking up an apple as I went. Turning the lock in the door, I nearly tripped over Theo as he ran between my legs, about to escape.
"I don't think so, little dude," I said, reaching down to grab him before he made the exit. "You get to stay here and relax for a few hours. I won't be too long." I pushed him back into the house and closed the door.
I hadn't even made it to the gate when I heard his whimpers and cries.
"Ignore him, Chloe," I said to myself. "He has to learn to stay on his own."
I opened the gate. His cries turned into a howl, and for such a small animal, he certainly had a loud voice.
I closed the gate behind me, determined to ignore him. Mr. Wilks, owner of the corner store, passed me as he made his way down the street. He turned and glared, making me feel like a terrible dog owner. Taking a deep breath, I turned on my heel and walked back to the front door. I'd make Theo stay on his own tomorrow.
CHAPTER TWO
Turns out I really was a sucker because Theo slept in my bed every night, and it appeared I'd wasted my money buying him that beautiful, soft, comfortable dog bed. After the fourth night I moved it into the lounge room in the hope he might use it there.
The rain pelted my windows as I looked at my watch. It was still only two thirty. I sighed, grateful my working day was over, and I could spend the afternoon curled up on the couch catching up on my latest book. I was just getting to the interesting part when there was a bang on my front door. Damn. Now I'd have to wait to read the hot, steamy bit.
Putting my book on the coffee table, I got up to see who was there. Huddled under a bright-yellow umbrella was my best friend and neighbor, Isaac.
"What are you doing out in this weather?" I asked, stepping back so he could get in the door.
"It's freezing! I can't believe that only last week we were complaining how hot it was," he said. He left his umbrella at the door and walked inside. I noticed he was wearing a black, cashmere sweater over freshly ironed jeans. At six foot three, Isaac's big, squishy, and resembles a teddy bear. I've always felt so safe and comfortable with him that sometimes I wished he weren't gay.
"That's typical of Westport," I replied. "Would you like a cup of coffee?"
"I'd love one!" he answered, following me to the kitchen at the back of the house.
"So what's up that a phone call couldn't satisfy?" I watched as a very wicked grin spread across his face.
"Well, I happened to be at home all day today, and instead of watching Days of Our Lives, I watched the new guy move into Betty's old house."
"And?" There was obviously more to this than what he'd told me so far.
"Wow, wow, and wow! Have you seen that guy?" he asked, fanning himself with his hand.
"Isaac! Remember Adam?" I scolded. Adam is Isaac's ever-patient partner. I think the relationship worked well since Adam's a pilot and away quite a lot.
"Yes, I know I'm taken. But you, Chloe McDermott, are not," he smirked.
"A relationship is the last thing on my mind right now. I haven't quite recovered from the last one yet."
"Who's talking about a relationship? What you need is a night of wild, hot sex, and our new neighbor may just be the right guy for the job," smiled Isaac.
"I'm fine, thank you. I'm more than happy to cuddle up to Theo every night. At least I know I won't come home to a text message from him advising me I've been dumped."
I turned my back on Isaac and poured the coffee to prevent him from seeing the hurt in my eyes. It had been almost four months since the day I had received that message from Jack, but the pain and humiliation still stung. Jack had been staying with me while his apartment was being renovated. Admittedly, the renovating was taking longer than normal, but he'd struck up a friendship with Betty, so neither Jack, myself, nor my neighbors were in any hurry for him to go home. That day I thought I was going home after work to a nice leisurely afternoon, relaxing and reading my new book. Instead what I got was a house devoid of Jack and a text message telling me it was over. No explanation as to why.
"Well, what better way to show that asshole you have moved on to bigger and better things…and when I say bigger, I mean bigger!"
I turned around to see the dreamy look in his eyes and had to smile. Trust Isaac to notice something like that. "There are a lot of people moving in and out of this street at the moment. I saw the new guy from next door the other day. He didn't seem very friendly."
"No, he's really rude. I tried to say hello to him as I walked past on my way to the shop, and he totally snubbed me."
"He drives a pretty expensive car," I said, referring to the shiny, red Audi parked outside his house.
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