“Hey… hey, old boy. It’s okay. I’ve got you.” I scoop him up and hold him tight against my chest.
As soon as Kiki sees us, she releases a strangled sob and races to my side. “Oh my God, my sweet boy…” She buries her face against his fur, her body quaking.
“Come on,” I murmur, desperate to hide the fear in my voice. Kiki has enough of that. “Let’s get you both into the truck. I’ll call the cops.”
She latches onto my wrist, shaking her head, fear ablaze in her eyes. “No. You can’t call them, Eddie.”
You know those moments when all the pieces fall into place and what was fragments suddenly form a full, undeniable picture?
A heaviness settles over me as I realize the perpetrators of this crime. “It was Drake and his men, wasn’t it?”
Kiki shrugs, a fresh round of tears streaming down her face. “Who knows at this point? Everyone hates me.”
“Hey, look at me.”
But she doesn’t. Her gaze remains on Gus, her fingers stroking his sodden fur.
I duck my head, forcing myself into her line of sight. “Lookat me, Kiki. I don’t hate you. I have never, not for one second, hated you.”
A tremulous smile flickers across her lips but it quickly disappears, the furrow settling back between her brows.
It seems even happiness is afraid to stay by her side for more than an instant, and that knowledge breaks me.
“You should go,” she says, finally daring to look at me. “The roads are terrible. Go home. Gus and I will be okay.”
I let out a guffaw at the ridiculousness of her statement. “No way in hell, but thanks for the offer.”
We hobble back toward the vehicles. I shut off her car and pocket the key before leading them to my truck, turning the heat on full blast. “Lock the doors. And if something happens, you go. You understand me? You go.”
“No—”
“Yougo, Kiki.”
She hangs her head, managing one slow nod as she realizes there’s no room for argument.
Gripping the crowbar in both hands, I work my way back toward the cabin, uncertain what might be waiting for me when I cross the threshold.
The place is a disaster. Furniture has been knocked over, drawers dumped out, the contents scattered across the floor. There’s glass everywhere, and her favorite painting lies tattered in the corner.
“Goddammit,” I mutter under my breath. “Fucking why?”
I check every room, my pulse roaring in my ears, certain someone’s waiting around the corner to end me.
But no one’s here. Whoever did this is long gone. For that, I suppose we should be grateful.
I return to the truck and Kiki rolls down the window. “There’s no one here, but it’s a mess in there.”
“I know. I saw when I first got here,” she mumbles. “But it doesn’t matter. I have Gus.”
I reach out, stroking a gentle hand down her cheek. “It does matter, Kiki. But you’re right, Gus is way more important than anything else in that cabin.”
I jerk my thumb toward the shed. “I’m gonna grab a couple of pieces of plywood and board up the door and window. That’s all we’re worried about tonight, okay? Why don’t you come inside and grab whatever you need?”
Kiki shakes her head. “There’s nothing I need in there.”
Thank God for being a contractor. I’ve got all the tools I need to board up the door and window. It ain’t pretty, but at least it’s secure. More secure than it was anyway.
Fifteen minutes later, I climb back into the truck and pivot in the seat. Kiki’s still shivering, still frozen, but at least the tears have subsided.
