Page 19
“I have men who can handle logistics.”
“Animals don't need logistics. They need people who know them.” I hear my own voice thinning and force myself to breathe before I go marching off into a full Southern fuss right in his expensive kitchen. “Kevin needs somebody who understands that he bites when he's scared. Jake won't eat unless his bowl is in the back corner. Bella gets nervous if Mr. Pickles barks too much, and Elvis will howl himself hoarse if he thinks everyone forgot him.”
Alexei keeps looking at me, and I know what he’s thinking. To him, the answer is simple. Keep me home. Keep me safe. The trouble is that my life stopped being simple the day I took over that shelter. Animals get sick. Volunteers panic. Donations disappear. Somebody always needs something. And if nobody keeps an eye on Kevin, he'll probably commit another felony before lunch.
“I said today,” I add more gently. “Not forever.”
His jaw flexes once, but he nods. “Today.”
Ivy's fingers tighten around my sleeve. “You'll stay with me?”
Whatever argument was waiting between me and Alexei disappears beneath the fear in her voice. I turn toward her and place my hand over hers.
“Yes, baby. I'm stayin’ today.”
Her shoulders relax, and she leans against me again.
I peer over at Alexei and find him watching her. It tugs at my heart. He wants to be the one who fixes this. I can see it. The trouble is that some hurts don't work that way. Right now, Ivy wants me close, and all either of us can do is give her what she needs.
When I look back at him, I find him watching me instead. My stomach does that ridiculous little flip again. Then his phone vibrates, and the moment disappears before either of us can say anything.
A burst of movement in the hallway announces Winston before I ever see him. He barrels into the kitchen at full speed with Daisy following at a much more dignified pace. Both dogs look entirely too pleased with themselves.
“Well, somebody had a good walk,” I murmur.
Winston heads straight for Ivy, nudging his nose beneath her hand until she pets him. Daisy curls up beside her stool with a contented sigh.
For the first time all morning, Ivy's mouth twitches. It's not quite a smile, but it's close. Then she asks if we can go upstairs. The request sounds harmless enough until I notice she keeps checking the hallway. The look on her face reminds me of shelter dogs after a thunderstorm. They know the worst is over, but they're still waiting for the next boom.
My heart squeezes. I don't think spending the day hiding in a bedroom will help. Right now, she needs sunshine, distractions, and a chance to think about something besides yesterday.
“How about we find paper and crayons?” I suggest. “Maybe draw a little.”
“I don't know what to draw,” Ivy mumbles.
“Well, sugar, that’s the beauty of crayons. They don't require a plan.” I slide off the stool and hold out my hand. “You just pick a color and see what happens.”
Ivy leads me into a sunroom at the back of the house. Winston claims a patch of sunlight near the windows while Daisy stays close to Ivy's side. The entire room is bright, and the gardens beyond the windows look like something straight out of a magazine.
Flowers bloom in every direction. Security guards patrol right through the middle of them. It’s enough to make me shake my head. Alexei has managed to turn even a flower garden into a guarded perimeter.
Ivy notices the guards, too. “Are they staying?” she asks.
Alexei, who followed us from the kitchen without making a big announcement of it, answers before I can. “Yes.”
“For how long?”
“As long as I decide they're needed.”
Ivy absorbs that, her little face turning serious. “Because of the bad men?”
The question feels like a punch in the gut. Agatha pauses near the doorway with a tray of cookies and juice, and my hand tightens around the box of markers I found in a cabinet. Alexei crouches in front of Ivy, lowering himself until they are eye to eye.
“Yes,” he tells her. “Because of the bad men.”
“Will they come here?”
“No.”
