Anton had told me he was going to hang out in the guardhouse, something he seemed to do more and more frequently with my uncle and aunt around and Jordan gone. I pulled out my phone and texted him immediately.
Me: Something is wrong with Bandit. I need to take him to the vet.
I satin the lobby of the vet emergency hospital with Anton by my side, while we waited for them to finish treating Bandit.
The front door of the clinic opened and Axel stepped inside. His face was calm, but he looked concerned.
“What’s going on?”
I was so emotional I almost couldn’t speak. “When I got home from school I noticed that Bandit was hurt, so we brought him here. They had to sedate him to take scans, and he has two hairline fractures in his ribs. The vet thinks someone kicked him.”
Axel looked between Anton and me. “Is he going to be okay?”
“He will be, but he needs to be on pain medication and rest for the next few weeks.”
“I’ll have the guard check the cameras so we can see who hurt him.”
“I already did.” My voice was cold with anger. I handed him my phone. “It was Lena.”
He watched the footage the guard had sent me. My aunt had walked up to Bandit, who had been drinking his water, and without warning had kicked him twice in the ribs before he managed to bolt upstairs.
Our eyes met.
Rage coursed through my body. I would burn the world down for Bandit.
“Mila,” he warned, looking at my face.
“Why would she do that?”
He handed me my phone back. “You need to let me handle this.”
I didn’t have a chance to argue because that was the moment they led poor Bandit out from the back. After being sedated for his treatment, he looked absolutely pitiful.
“Poor baby,” I cried as I crouched in front of him and put my arms around his neck. He leaned into me, sighing heavily.
We were given strict instructions not to let him jump, run or play hard for at least a month, while limiting him to the slowest of walks. He was also on a pain management regimen.
As we drove back home, Bandit lay in the back seat. Beside Axel, I didn’t speak. I just stared out the window. I couldn’t believe my old life had come back to haunt me. I had lived a nightmare with my aunt and uncle in Russia, and here I was again, cowering and fearful in my own home.
I hated it. I thought about Bandit. He had headed down to the kitchen to get a drink of water and, without warning, my aunt had attacked him. What had gone through his head? How scared had he been? The thought of him going upstairs and lying in pain, waiting for me to come home, nearly broke my heart.
“Mila,” Axel said beside me. “Talk to me.”
“There’s nothing to talk about.”
“You need to let me handle this.”
I turned to him. “What are you going to do? How can you make sure Bandit doesn’t get hurt again?”
He thought for a moment. “To ensure his safety, we’re going to keep Bandit in the guardhouse with the day guard while you’re at school.”
That was actually a good idea, and I was pissed I hadn’t thought of it before. But I had underestimated the cruelty of my aunt. It hadn’t even crossed my mind that she would hurt Bandit.
“Tell me what you’re thinking,” Axel said.
I was too emotional to talk about this right now. The thought of her deliberately hurting my dog enraged me to levels I had never felt before. “I’m fine.”
We pulled into the driveway.
