"Ian?" Lorenzo asked. "You named your cat Ian?"
"Yes, after Ian Fleming, the author." The big guy grinned. "I love spy novels."
Wait.
Ian?
I purred loudly as I rubbed the top of my head against his chin. I knew of only one Ian, and it wasn't the author. This had to be Corporal Abiola Sesay, the man Ian sent to help me.
Oh man.
I was in so much trouble.
Chapter Three
"I can't thank you enough for stopping," Abe was saying to the three thugs.
I had to wonder if he knew they were thugs. The tenseness of his muscles and the tight grip he had on me said he did. I just couldn't tell if he was this clueless or if it was all an act.
What did I know?
I socialized from a bunker in my basement.
"Come on, let's get you home." The man started walking out of the alley. "I swear, I'm going to put a tracking device on you if you keep getting out. Do you know how dangerous it is around here?"
He kept talking as we rounded the corner and started down the sidewalk. I had no idea where he was going, but as long as it wasn't where the killer thugs were, I was okay with it.
"Just a little farther, Danny," he murmured. "I can hear them coming out of the alley. They should pass us in a moment."
I tensed when I heard an engine come up behind us. The dark car slowed when it passed us then sped up and drove down the street and disappeared into the night. The corporal kept walking, circling the block and coming back down the alley from the other direction. When he reached my back gate, he glanced around then darted inside, closing and locking the gate behind him.
I meowed to be let down. As soon as I was set on the ground, I shifted and glanced up…and up. Goodness, he was tall.
"I have to go in and unlock the door."
"Uh, Danny?" He gestured toward the back porch. "They broke your door. I'm pretty sure it's unlocked already."
I groaned when I looked toward the back door. The darn thing was hanging on its hinges. "I swear I'm going to take the cost of a new door and everything else they broke out of their hides."
Just as soon as I figured out who they were.
"Come on, we need to get inside. There's too many eyes out here."
I couldn't agree more.
I hurried up the steps to my porch then pushed the door out of the way before making my way inside. My heart sank when I saw the amount of destruction. They hadn't just tried to leave me a message, they’d tried to obliterate my house.
Stuff was strewn all over the floor, including food. They'd even upended my sugar container and poured it all over the floor. Dishes had been shattered, table legs broken off, pictures shattered and pulled off the wall. Pages ripped out of books.
It was a disaster.
"I'm sorry, Danny."
I offered the man a weak smile. "It's not your fault, Corporal."
"Call me Abe."
"Thank you for coming, Abe." My smile brightened just a little, but fell when I glanced around. "I'd offer you something to drink, but…" I shrugged. "Once I get it cleaned up, I can—"
