“I’ll give you two grand,” Ava blurted, shoving the other thoughts aside.
Mrs. Arbuckle looked her way. “Really?”
Ava nodded emphatically but kept her tone cool as she laid it out. “Two grand in cash right now. You’ll have to sign him over.” She motioned toward the front. “We’ve got a form you can fill out.”
“Two grand cash?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“And what about his daycare for this week?”
“It’s covered. You’ll owe us nothing.”
Her eyes shifted back to the dog. Not once did she lean down to pet him or attempt to soothe him with words. She looked on like he was a hiccup in her day that she didn’t want to deal with.
Ava was about to offer twenty-five hundred, but thankfully, the mean lady formerly known as Mrs. Arbuckle agreed.
Half an hour later, the woman was gone, Arbuckle officially belonged to Camp K-9, and Ava was calling Magnus on his cell phone.
“Hey, you headed in soon?”
“I kinda need your help,” she told him as she sat beside Arbuckle again, gently stroking along his side. His tail had resumed its steady thump against the bed he was resting on.
“What’s up?” Magnus sounded worried.
“Nothin’ major. But you should come back to the office. I’m in the playroom.”
“Okay. Be there in a sec.”
Magnus and Trey arrived five minutes later, both of them walking in with matching expressions of confusion.
Ava gestured toward the dog. “Meet Arbuckle.”
“We’ve met,” Magnus said, strolling closer and squatting down so he could scratch him on the head. “What’s up, little dude?” Magnus looked at her. “I saw Dr. Stryker in the parkin’ lot. He said his paw’s gonna be fine.”
“I know. It’s not that. I … uh…” Ava took a deep breath. “I kinda bought him from his former human.” She lowered her voice as though Arbuckle wouldn’t hear her. “She’s a mean bitch and doesn’t deserve him.”
Trey chuckled.
Magnus’s eyebrows slowly lifted. “Youboughthim?”
She nodded. “I took two grand out of the petty cash box—I’ll pay you back, I swear.”
“Did you get her to sign a waiver?” Trey asked as he came forward.
“I did. She counted out the money before she left. Gia helped me with it all.”
Magnus’s gaze swung to Sarge and Aurora, who were still sitting nearby, keeping guard.
“I don’t wanna leave him over here tonight,” Ava finally said, which was the real reason she’d asked Magnus to come over. “The vet gave him pain medicine… I don’t think he should be alone.”
“He wouldn’t be alone,” Trey acknowledged, although Ava got the impression he wasn’t disagreeing, merely stating a fact.
“I know, but I think he needs more personal attention.”
“You’re sayin’ you want him to come in the house?”
“That’s what I’m sayin’.” She glanced at Sarge and Aurora. “And I think his bodyguards wanna come too. I mean, they used to live in your house. I don’t really know why—”
