“And what’s that?” I reluctantly ask.
“Only if you learn how to use a gun.”
My heart beats faster. “Yes, that won’t be a problem.” My voice heightens in excitement.
“Okay, well, I’ll see you when you get back.”
“Thank you, thank you,” I reply and hand the phone to Viper, then smile up at the man. “I’ll take him.”
SIX
BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS
Ava
We are sitting on the lounge when Elena says, “I can’t believe you got a dog.”
“His name is Conan.”
“That is not a dog’s name.”
Lifting my chin, I say, “It is so.” I lean down, patting Conan, who’s lying by my feet, on the head. “I thought you loved animals.”
She shuffles closer to Axle. “Not ones that are going to eat me.”
“He seems fine with women. It’s men he’s wary of, but he has showed no sign of aggression to anyone since I brought him here. He’s just been following me around, but I get the impression if he senses aggression or a threat, it might be a different story.”
“Remind me never to yell, and it’s not a dog, either,” Axle says. “It’s a small horse.”
I peer back to Conan. “Don’t you listen to them,” I coo.
“It’s one dog. Did he really need all that stuff? I saw the truck when you arrived. It was packed.”
I arch a brow in disbelief. “He’s a big dog, and it’s not like the MC had anything for him.”
Axle snorts. “You bought the dog clothes!”
Without a beat, I correct Axle. “His name is Conan.” I can’t help but smirk. “You never know—it might get cold.”
“Poor dog,” he replies under his breath.
“It’s good to see you smile.”
I purse my lips at Elena’s comment. Then Conan looks up at me, so I pat him. “I always wanted a dog. I wanted the company... and the affection, but Beau said no.”
“Why didn’t you just get one anyway?” Axle asks.
If only it were that easy. I shake my head. “You don’t understand.”
“What don’t we understand?” Elena asks.
I peek up at her but pause, unsure whether I want to bring it up. “Well, first, I didn’t have access to the bank account. He only gave me cash to pay for groceries. I didn’t work, so I had no money. When his drinking got worse, I spent less on groceries and put some money aside in case I needed it.”
I looked down at Conan. “We only had one car, and I could only drive it when Beau said I could, and I don’t know for sure, but I’m pretty sure he had a GPS tracker on the car. He seemed to always know where I was and where I went. I tried not to think too much about it, to ignore his controlling behaviors, but I reached my limit. I asked for a dog once. He said no, and when he said no, it meant no, and if I got the dog, he would have yelled at me and would have given the dog away.”Or killed it.
“I hope he comes looking for you,” Axle says. “I want to punch him for you.”
“Are you ready?” a deep voice asks, which makes me recoil. I glance up to see it’s Reaper. Conan stands and turns, his eyes trained on him.
