That fucking guard wouldn’t give a name. He was loyal till the end, and all that loyalty bought him was a long and painful ride to hell.
Everyone knows you don’t fuck with our family and live to talk about it. Which is why I don’t understand why I care about this chick. I could have chased her down and scared the shit out of her or worse, but I didn’t. There was something intriguing about the way she stared at me. She wasn’t exactly afraid of me. Stupid on her part, but at least she had enough self-preservation to run.
Now I have to determine if she’s going to be a problem. I pull into a spot down the street and park my G-Wagon. She might not even work here. She could have just adopted one of their cats, for all I know. I barely got a look at her in the grand scheme of things. I don’t even know if I’ll recognize her if I see her again. That’s a lie. I can’t stop thinking about her in that stupid-looking sweater she was wearing. Like some goody goody out to save the world. What the fuck was she thinking being in a dark alley late at night alone? She could have been murdered. Hell, I could have killed her and dumped her body parts in the river. There are worse things than a quick death.
My mind flashes to my twin sister, Francesca. She was in college when she was kidnapped by an enemy of our father. They held her for days. Gang raped and tortured her. Cut off all of her hair. Tattooed her. Burned her. Beat her.
In the end, my father and I did far worse to them.
They deserved it and then some.
We got Fran back, but she’s never been the same.
She’s scared of her own damn shadow. Refuses to leave the house. Refuses to see anyone.
Not even me or Shaw.
She doesn’t talk to anyone.
Blames herself for our Pop going to prison for murdering those pieces of shit.
I only regret that I didn’t make their deaths slower.
I’m not a good guy. I don’t give second chances. I can’t afford to. Not in this lifetime.
It’s a dog eat dog world and I’m fucking starving. Rabid. Craving something I can’t even taste yet.
I shut off my car and shake off thoughts of my sister who might as well be dead she’s such a fucking ghost.
I don’t even know why I’m here. What I’m hoping to find. Before I know what I’m even doing, I’m exiting my car. Winter’s unforgiving wind nips at my face. My facial hair is not doing a damn thing to protect my skin from the vicious bite of the frigid air. Flipping the collar of my jacket up is pointless. I light up a cigarette and pull on my leather gloves.
I dart across the street and observe the animal rescue. There’s someone sitting outside with the dogs. I don’t need to see her face to know it’s her. The chick from the alley.
“Good boy, Smiley.,” she coos at one of the dogs, scratching him under his chin. I flick my cigarette to the ground, snubbing it out with my boot as I glance over at her, but she doesn’t look up. Her long brown hair with streaks of blond going through it shields her face from my view. I stick my cigarette in my pocket and continue down the street, ducking into a peddler’s mall. One of those places where people rent booths and sell used shit that no one really wants.
“Come on in and take a look. Everything is priced to sell,” an elderly man greets me.
I bet it is. I lift my chin in his direction and walk down the first row of booths, hating the musty smell of all this old junk. Now that I’ve found her, I can’t help but wonder who she is.
If she’s told anyone about what she saw. If she’s planning to or is she hoping to forget…
Closing my eyes, I try to remember her face. The shocked expression she wore when our eyes met. The curiosity her gaze held for those brief seconds when it felt as if time was standing still for the two of us. Like something shifted in the universe.
Shaw would call me crazy if I told him I don’t know if I want to hunt her down to silence her or to kiss her pretty bow-shaped lips. One detail I can’t forget is the pink sweater with red hearts on it she was wearing.
Some real cutesy girlie shit.
Something my little sister Jillian would love.
I open my eyes and glance at the booth in front of me that’s full of dog and cat beds.
The universe has a funny way of answering questions, even when you haven’t even asked.
CHAPTER THREE
Ruby
I watch like a proud mother while Rufus and Smiley play with a tug rope in the fenced-in side lot, getting some exercise. They were found wandering in a park. Collars on, but no tags, and they weren’t chipped. Their stay hold ended a few days ago and we’ve already had several applications for the labrador mixes. There’s a family coming by soon to meet them. My phone vibrates in my back pocket.
