God, how I’ve missed her.

I’ve missed her sass.

I’ve missed her wit.

I’ve missed her charm.

Her smile, body, intelligence, fierceness. Everything. I’ve missed everything.

Except, now, she hates my guts. I knew sending her that text message would bite me in the ass one day.

I look down at the dogs that are jumping all over me. Slobbering and getting hair all over my suit. I’m not a dog person or an animal person of any kind really. I could be, I guess. But I’ve never spent any time with them or thought I needed to have an animal in my life. I prefer my alone time in peace rather than having to take care of another living thing.

So, I have no idea how to get them to stop. I slowly back up toward the gate and manage to wiggle out without letting the beasts loose.

I take a deep breath as I walk back to the car I rented and move on to plan B. She clearly isn’t happy to see me, but I do know her weaknesses, what she won’t turn down.

I open the back door and pull out the bottle of tequila and Chinese takeout. I put on my most charming grin as I walk back to her front door and knock loudly.

I wait, knowing that she’s going to be stubborn and not want to open the door. But a few minutes pass, and she slowly relents, coming to the door.

“I brought food and tequila because I’m sure you don’t have any food in the house,” I say even though I don’t know if that’s true. I just know that she cares about her animals more than she does herself. That’s clear from where I sat in my car, watching her before I got out.

I stare at her more closely, getting a good look at the changes since the last time I saw her months ago. Her hair is pulled back, but it no longer has the blue streaks that ran through her hair before. Her hair is no longer jet-black either; it’s more a medium brown. Most of her piercings are no longer covering her face. The tattoos are hidden by her long sleeves underneath her scrubs even though it’s the middle of summer.

Her eyes are what give me the most concern though. People change their appearance. Maybe she was going through a rebel phase that she’s trying to get past now. But her eyes are expelling a sadness that I’ve never seen before. Maybe this is the same sadness that she was running from on vacation. Whatever is in her eyes is what she needed me to fuck away and make her forget. Now that I’m gone, the reality of that pain is back.

She opens the door just a little and snatches the food and alcohol out of my hand. Then, she slams the door in my face before I have a chance to push my way inside. Not that I would. I like control, but I would never make her feel unsafe.

I sigh. On to plan C. I walk back to my car and drive the half-mile back to the clinic where my new favorite vet tech, Alicia, is.

“No luck, huh?” she asks when I step back inside.

“Nope, but I have a plan C. And, if that doesn’t work, I’ll try plan D and so on.”

She smiles. “And you want my help?”

I nod.

“I shouldn’t help you, but Skye doesn’t need to be alone tonight. She could use some company even if it’s bad company.”

I frown. “I’m not bad company.”

“Skye told me what you did in the Bahamas.”

“Fine. I’m not the best. But I do know I’m a good distraction, and it seems Skye is in need of a distraction.” I bat my eyes at her while saying, “Please.”

“If you bring her a sick animal to take care of, she will let you in.”

I grin. “That was exactly what I was thinking.”

“Hold on,” she says, disappearing into the back room and then reappearing with a cardboard box with small holes cut out on the top.

I take the box from her and open the lid. I jump back, dropping the box.

She does a full-belly laugh, grabbing her stomach as she walks over and picks up the box that I just dropped.

“Is this a joke? Did you and Skye plan this to get back at me?” I ask, my voice much higher than usual.

Alicia continues to laugh as she walks the box back over to me. “No, it’s not a joke. The snake needs medical attention.”

I frown. “I’m not a big fan of snakes.”

“I would have never guessed that,” she snarks.

“Why can’t I bring a puppy or kitten or something that needs her help?”

“One, because most of our puppies and kittens need more medical help than what she can provide at her house. And, two, because I’m still not a huge fan of yours, and I want to make you suffer as much as possible. Consider it my own personal test to see if you are worthy of hanging out with my friend.” She holds the box out to me. “Now, do you want to see Skye tonight or not?”

I slowly take the box. I’ll just keep the lid on the whole time. I’m not sure if a sick snake is enough to get Skye to let me into her house, but I’ll give it a try. If not, I’ll come back and find the cutest puppy to take back and try again.

“So, you want to tell me about Gabe?” I ask.

She smirks. “Nope, I’m not touching that conversation. If Skye wants to tell you, she will.”

“Thanks,” I say, holding up the box a little as I walk toward the door.

“But, if I were you, I wouldn’t mention Gabe tonight. She’s been through enough tonight, so don’t add to her depression.”

I nod. Too late, I think.

But I’ll table the Gabe questions until later. It seems that no one wants to tell me exactly who Gabe is, but I have enough resources that I’m sure I can figure it out if I put some of my guys on it.

I put the box with the snake in the passenger seat next to me, and then I climb in the driver’s seat and drive back to Skye’s place, keeping my eye on the box the whole time, making sure the snake doesn’t slither out. I park the car on the gravel driveway in front of her house, behind an old pickup truck that doesn’t look like it has run in ten years at least.

I climb out of the car and walk around to the passenger side. I take the box out, carrying it with both hands as I walk up the gravel driveway to the front of the white farmhouse. It’s not very large and much older than any house I’ve ever been in besides my grandparents’. There are daisies planted outside the red front door. The house is not that big, which surprises me after how much money she spent on vacation. I figured she would have a mansion somewhere. She owns what seems like quite a bit of land, but that still wouldn’t cost as much as a nice house would.

I knock on the red door that needs a new coat of paint and wait to see if Skye will open the door or at least respond. I knock again after a few seconds pass. I hear stomping footsteps inside, and finally, she creaks the door open just enough to see me.

“What do you want, Brody?”

I hold up the box. “I have a sick snake that needs your veterinarian skills.”

She glares at me as she slowly opens the door. “Well, let’s see it,” she says, exhaling deeply.

I grin and lift the lid just enough so that she can see inside.

Her gaze darts from inside the box to me. “There isn’t a snake in that box.”

“Will you just take a look at the snake? I’m not sure if it is sick or not, but I’m concerned.”

“I would, but there is no snake in the box.”

I throw the lid open and find the box empty. “Shit.”

I run back to my rental car and peek into the windows, not daring to open it.

Skye walks slowly over to the car and looks in the window. “Was there ever really a snake, or is this all some stupid hoax where you try to save me from the snake or something?”

“There was really a snake. Alicia helped me out.” I hesitantly look over at Skye.

She shakes her head as she tucks a loose strand behind her ear. “Alicia needs to mind her own business.”

“She’s just looking out for you. She said she was concerned after what happened today.”

She looks up at me. “She told you?”

“No, she just told me you had a rough day and to treat you well. That you needed a distraction.”

She stares at me for a moment, lost in thought, and then returns her gaze to the car. “There,” she says, pointing to the driver’s side of the car where I’m standing.

I stare at the snake as it slithers up the side of the seat. I have no idea how we are going to capture it. “Should we call animal control or something?”

She laughs. “You’re afraid of the snake, aren’t you?”

“No.”

“Then, reach in, and grab the snake just behind the base of the head.”

I frown. “No, it could kill me if it bites me.”

“It’s not venomous. And it’s sick, so its reflexes are much slower. It shouldn’t be a problem at all.”

I stare at the snake that seems to be taunting me. There is no way I’m reaching in and grabbing that snake. I don’t care if my masculinity is put into question. Me and snakes don’t get along.

Skye rolls her eyes and then throws open the passenger door. She sticks her upper body in, and the next thing I know, she’s holding on to the snake and carrying it into her house.

Superwoman. She’s fucking superwoman.

I follow after her as she walks into the house, not asking for permission to come in because I don’t want to know the answer. As soon as I step inside the small house, I’m greeted again by her four dogs jumping and licking me.

“Down,” Skye commands.

All but one listen to her. She gives the last one a stern look, and he eventually stops jumping on me as well.

Skye lays the snake out on the counter and starts examining it while I step cautiously into the kitchen to watch her work. She runs her hands over the snake, like it’s a dog or a cat.

“It just has a cold. I’ll give her some medications, and she’ll be feeling better by tomorrow.” She looks at me. “Can you get me the box?”

I frown as I carry the box from the front porch to her. “Don’t you think we should put it in something more secure? It already escaped once.”

“How did I not realize how much of a pansy you were?” she asks, putting the snake into the box.

I smirk. “Probably because you were too busy getting your brains fucked out to care.”

She puts her hands on her hips. “What are you doing here?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

“No, it’s not.” She walks back to the living room where there is an empty bowl that used to contain her Chinese food and a glass filled with tequila. She takes a seat on the worn-in tan couch. Her dogs climb up next to her, making themselves at home as they curl up with her and each other.

I take a seat on the reclining chair next to the couch, knowing that she isn’t going to offer me food or drink. She doesn’t want me here, so why would she make it more comfortable for me to be here?

“I want our last fuck.”

“You know that’s not going to happen. You knew before you came here that I would never give it to you. That, even if you had treated me like a perfect gentleman that last day, I still wouldn’t fuck you after you showed up here. I told you, I was only ever interested in one week.”

She takes a drink of her tequila, and I watch as it slides down her throat.

“I wanted to make sure you were okay,” I say as my eyes burn into hers.

“You don’t care about me.”

I sigh. “You’re right. I only care about you as long as I get to fuck you, but it seems you won’t let me fuck you until I pretend to care, so you can see my predicament.”

“I’m not talking about Gabe.”

“I didn’t ask about Gabe. I want to know why you are in so much pain right now. And don’t lie to me. I know your body better than anyone. I know that your eyes are usually filled with a little bit of light, but today, they only see the darkness. Your breathing is slow and heavy, like the weight of today is pushing you down, making it hard to move, let alone breathe. Why are you in such pain?”

She stares off into space, giving me no indication if she is going to talk to me or not. “Because bad things happen to creatures that don’t deserve it.”

I narrow my eyes, not understanding.

“I lost a dog tonight. It was painful. He was just a puppy. He didn’t deserve to die, but there was nothing I could do.”

She drinks the rest of the tequila. She shakes the glass, listening as the ice rattles around.

“I’m sorry,” I say because that’s all I can say.

“Life sucks.”

I nod and walk back to the kitchen to get the tequila. I grab the bottle and bring it back to her. She takes it from me and pours herself easily three more shots’ worth. She’s drunk already and getting drunker by the minute.

I don’t stop her. She needs the distraction. And, since she won’t take me up on my offer to let me fuck away the pain, the alcohol is the only thing that will do.

She keeps talking about how the poor puppy didn’t deserve to die. That he didn’t deserve the life he was given. But, as sad as it is that she lost the puppy, it’s not what she’s really sad about. There is still something that she isn’t telling me. Something that I’m desperate to know. Because the only way I’ll get to fuck her again is if she gets past whatever darkness is currently consuming her.