Driving off when Luke took over for his shift, I made my way to the precinct. Charlie had called earlier to tell me that he had some new information that he’d been given and to meet him there when I got the chance. I hadn’t managed to get back to him until I was about to finish my shift because Daley had been out and about all evening. I was getting really fed up of watching him eat in a restaurant while I was sat in my truck with nothing.
After shooting a text off to Charlie, telling him I was on my way, I pressed the buttons on the steering wheel to dial Kay’s number, the sound coming through the speakers in the car.
“Hello?” Her soft voice sounding across the line made my lips lift into a smile.
“Hey, sweetheart.” Stopping at the lights, I checked my mirrors for any cars, always aware of what or who was around me, it was essential.
“Oh, hey.” I frowned at the tone of her voice, immediately on alert.
“What’s up?” I asked, turning right when the lights hit green.
“I…Well…Eli asked me something today and I wanted to see what you thought?”
“Hit me with it.” I smirked as I pulled up to the precinct, leaving the car running.
“I was doing some training with Evan,” she started. I knew that he had planned to do some training with her, Evan was one of the best people for her to do it with. I mean, sure, we all had combat and fighting skills but he specialized in women’s self-defense.
“Uh huh.”
“And when I took a break, Eli asked if he could learn how to do it.” I heard her big intake of breath over the line before she continued. “I mean, I know he’s not your responsibility, but I just thought-”
“Kay, its fine. I like that you want to discuss this with me. What is it that he wants to learn?”
“I don’t know,” she huffed. “I didn’t think to ask that. I’d just been doing glove work.”
“Ah, so he wants to learn how to box?” Noticing Charlie standing outside, I unfastened my seat belt and leaned forward. “How about this? I’ll pick us up something to eat on my way home and we can talk about it then?”
“Are you sure?” she whispered down the line.
“Of course I am, sweetheart. I’ll be home in about an hour.”
“Okay, see you in a while,” she mumbled, the line going dead before I had a chance to respond.
Turning my truck off, I pushed out of the door and made my way to Charlie.
“Hey.” I nodded.
“One of Daley’s guys have come forward.” He grunted as a greeting, and opened the door.
“Hello to you too.” I smirked.
“Yeah, hey.” He nodded, putting the pass code into the door that separated the front desk from the rest of the precinct.
“So, what’s this guy sayin’?”
“A shit load, we’re gonna get this motherfucker.”
Nodding, I tried not to let anything show on my face. It sounded too good to be true but if he was who he said he was, then we’d finally be able to take this guy down and find those girls. Following Charlie into his office, he pointed to his chair indicating for me to have a seat.
Furrowing my brow, I sat down looking at the computer screen. He never let anyone sit in his chair.
“Press Play,” he said.
For the next half an hour, I sat and watched a man, dressed in the same gear that Daley’s henchmen wore, telling them all about Daley’s secret sex slave business.
The more I watched, the more apparent it became that this wasn’t real. He was just saying what he thought we wanted to hear. Feeling my blood boil, I clenched my hands into fists and pushed up out of the chair.
“That’s not fuckin’ real,” I fumed, shaking my head.
“What? It’s one of his guys,” Charlie grunted back, his hands going to his hips.
“No, it’s not.” I said walking past him and to the door. That shit was a waste of my time.
“It is, look, he’s wearing the uniform.”
Turning back to him, I squinted my eyes. “Really Charlie? For a cop, you can be real dumb sometimes.”
“What the fuck?” he growled, stepping forward.
“He ain’t one of his men. We’ve been watching him for weeks now. There’s four different guys and they take shifts in twos.”
“Yeah, and?”
“I could pick each of their faces out of a thousand different people. He. Ain’t. One. Of. Them.”
Furrowing his brow, he flicked his eyes to the computer and then back to me. “So he ain’t one of them?”
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “Someone is trying to stall the investigation. They’re playing us.”
Charlie stood there, his eyes blazing with anger. “Who would-”
“Fuck if I know, Charlie, but I’ve just pulled a shift watching Daley and all I want right now is food and my bed.”
Spinning around, I walked out the door, through the precinct and straight to my car.
Tomorrow, I’d think of what this meant. But for tonight, I was going home, eating some food with my woman and then going to bed.
Driving home from the preschool, I was too occupied with my thoughts from last night. Ty had come home late with food and we sat and ate while discussing the pros and cons to Eli learning how to box. Discussing it with Ty made it so much easier, and in the end, we came to the conclusion that it would be good for him but we were going to ask Evan to teach him. That way we had control over what he did and didn’t learn.
“What’s that mama?” Eli shouted as we were turning into the road that led to the compound.
“What’s, what, sweetie?”
“That, there!” Looking in the rear view mirror, I tried to see where he was pointing. Turning my head in that direction, I noticed what looked like a big ball of fur. So big, that at first I thought it was a bear, then it lifted its head and I realized that it was a dog.
Pulling over to the side of the road, I sat and watched him as he watched our car.
“Is it a dog, mama?”
“I think so.” I pulled my phone out and found Ty’s name, my eyes not moving from the dog.
“Hey,” he answered.
“Hey, erm…I think we’ve found a stray dog?” I squeaked down the line as the dog moved closer.
“A what?”
“A dog? But it’s like…really big.” I watched as it came even closer, pawing at the door. Unbuckling my belt, I leaned over the seat and met his eyes. They were so sad, and as soon as I saw them, I knew I couldn’t leave him there. Not like this.
He was holding his paw in the air so it was obvious that he was injured.
“Kay? Kay!” Ty shouted down the line, whatever he had said, I hadn’t heard a word of it.
“I’m gonna let him in,” I said to Ty.
“No, Kay don’t-” Pressing the end call button, I turned to Eli and took in his excited face.
“Don’t make any sudden movements or noises,” I said, turning the engine off and pushing my door open, the dog moved back cautiously.
I stepped out and walked slowly to the dog. “Hey, there,” I cooed. He wined and hobbled closer to me, sensing I wasn’t a danger to him. “What’s wrong?”
He whined louder as I moved closer, lowering his head, but still watching me with his eyes. Holding my hand out, I let him sniff me, letting him know that he was safe now.
I moved my hand closer, stroking his head. “That’s it, I won’t hurt you.”
Tilting my head, I tried to get a better look at his paw. All I could see was what looked like dried blood, matted into his fur and he looked way too skinny. Made even more obvious by the fact that he was such a big dog.
Still stroking him, I looked up to the passenger window and saw Eli’s face pressed against it, his nose squished to the side of his face. I chuckled, the noise startling the dog, I looked back down to him so that I could settle him and found him staring at Eli, his head tilted to the side.
It may not have been the best idea but my gut told me that he wasn’t going to hurt us so I made a snap decision.
“Get back in your seat, Eli.” I watched as he scrambled back over the seats and sat in his booster seat.
Walking around the back of the truck, I pulled the tailgate down and waved at the dog.
“Come on,” I urged him. He limped around, looked at me and then at the truck. “Up you go.” I waved.
Whining again, I went closer to him and tried to help lift him. Even though you could see that he was underweight, he still weighed a ton. I didn’t know what made me think I’d be able to lift the giant thing, but I put all my strength into it and didn’t even manage to lift him an inch off the ground.
“Kay!” I startled at Ty’s voice, the dog turned around and growled, bearing his teeth. “Whoa!” Holding his hands up in the air, Ty stopped where he was with Evan behind him.
“He’s fine,” I said to them and turned back to the dog. “It’s okay.” Holding my hand out to him again, he let me stroke him.
Trying to keep the dog calm, I kept my hand on his back and turned to Ty. “He’s hurt,” I said. “I need to get him to a vet.”
“And you were just gonna lift that giant dog all on your own?” Evan laughed.
“I was trying,” I huffed and stood up straight. “I didn’t think he’d be so heavy?”
“Here.” Ty moved forward, holding his hand out to the dog in the same way that I did. “Come here, boy.”
“How do you know it’s a boy?” Evan asked, his eyes wide. He hadn’t moved from his spot from over twenty feet away.
“Can you not see that?” Ty shook his head and moved closer, his hand stroking the dogs head. “Help me lift him up and we’ll go and get him checked out.”
“You want me?” Evan pointed to his chest, his eyes wide. “To help lift that mammoth?”
“Just get over here,” Ty grunted.
“Nope.” He crossed his arms over his chest and looked away.
“Come on, Uncle Evan!” Eli shouted from the truck.
“Fine!” He threw his hands up in the air, shuffling forward. “But if he eats me, I’m gonna sue your ass.” He pointed at Ty.
“If he eats you, you won’t be here to sue me.” Ty smirked.
“So, you want him to eat me?”
“Jesus, Evan, just help me lift him.” Rolling his eyes, he waited until Evan was closer and together they lifted him into the back of the truck.
Once I knew he was safely in the back, I walked around to Eli’s door and strapped him in. “Is he hurt, mama?”
“I think his paw is, sweetie. We’ll go and get him checked out. Okay?”
“Okay.” He turned in his seat, looking into the back of the truck.
Shutting the door, I got in the drivers’ side, did my belt up and turned the engine on.
“Let’s go,” Ty said, jumping into the passenger side.
“Huh?” I looked at him confused.
“To the vets?” I just sat there and stared at him. He was coming with us?
“Yeah,” he said with raised brows.
“Oh, right.” Clearing my throat, I wiped my hands on my jeans and did a U-turn. I’d never drove with Ty sat in the passenger seat and it made me nervous. Made me more aware of how I drove, I felt like he was watching my every move.
“Where’s Evan?” Eli asked.
“He’s gone back to the warehouse, bud.”
“Oh.” Looking into the rear view mirror, I watched as Eli turned in his seat trying to see the dog again.
“Will he be okay?”
“He should be, bud, let’s get him to the vets and they will know,” Ty told him.
“Where is the vets?” I asked, not knowing where I was going.
“Take the next left and go to the end of the road and then take a right,” he said, waving his hands about in the air. Why do people do that? They could never just say it, they always had to act it out with their hands as well.
“Okay.” I followed his directions and looked at him confused when we got there; thinking that was the end of his directions.
I was wrong, so wrong.
Fifteen minutes later, we finally got there after many, many more directions. I should have just let him drive, it would have been so much easier.
“I’ll go inside and get someone to help us,” Ty said and pushed out of the car as Eli undid his belt.
“Can I go see him, mama?”
“Yeah.” I nodded.
We got out and walked around to the back of the truck, pulling the tailgate down. The dog hobbling closer to us and lay down.
I stroked the dogs head when he moved closer, trying to comfort him as he whined. It broke my heart to see him in so much pain. Looking down at Eli, his face marred with a frown, I said. “It’ll be okay.” Not knowing whether I was talking to Eli, me or the dog.
Ty came back out a couple of minutes later with someone following behind him. Stepping back, I pulled Eli with me while we waited for them to get the dog down, before following them inside.
They went straight into a private room so we stayed back and waited in the reception area. Picking Eli up, I sat him on my lap and we waited.
I could hear his whines from out here and each one was more upsetting than the last. Finally, they stopped and that’s when I blew out a relieved breath, hoping that he would be okay now.
It was dark by the time Ty came out of the room, he stood with his hands on his hips and I watched as his chest moved on a deep exhale. Lifting his head, he met my eyes and smiled gently.
“He’ll be okay,” he said to me as he moved closer, then crouched down to Eli. “All stitched up.”
“He better now?” Eli asked wriggling in my arms. Letting him down, he sat on Ty’s knee and wrapped his arms around his neck.
“Yeah, bud.” He smiled.
“What happens now?” I asked.
“He’ll probably go to the nearest animal shelter when he’s better.”
“Oh.” I frowned. “Can I see him?”
“Sure.” Ty stood up, taking Eli with him. Following behind, we walked into the room. My eye scanned the space looking for the dog and found him laying down in the corner, his paw bandaged up, and a bowl of half eaten food next to him.
Going straight over, I leant down and stroked his head. A lump formed in my throat, for some reason I felt sad at not being able to see him again. I’d only found him at the side of the road a couple of hours ago but that didn’t stop the connection that I felt with him.
“He’ll be right as rain in no time,” a soft voice said from behind me.
Standing up, I spun around and faced the voice. “He will?” I asked.
“Is he your dog, hon?”
“No,” I said shaking my head. “We found him at the side of the road.”
She walked forward, her chocolate brown eyes looked so familiar. She was dressed in a white coat with scrubs underneath. She pulled the hair tie out of her light brown hair, the silky strands flowing down her back.
“I think he likes you.” She nodded over to the dog and smiled. “Elena,” she said, holding her hand out to me.
I placed my hand in hers and replied, “Kaylee.”
“Ah.” She turned to Ty and then back to me. “You’re the infamous Kaylee”
“I... erm…” I looked to Ty for some kind of sign as to what to say.
His eyes flicked to her, “Ma,” he huffed.
“What?” she asked, letting go of my hand as she smiled wide.
“Kay, this is my ma.” He rolled his eyes and placed Eli on the floor.
His ma? He brought me here, knowing that we’d see her? Dammit, he should have prepared me. I twisted my hands together and shuffled my feet on the spot, feeling the nerves flow through me.
“You’ve made her nervous now,” he said to Elena, walking toward me.
“Ah, hush now, boy. I’ve been asking you to bring her around for ages.” Turning back to me, she said. “It was about time we met.”
“I…” Clearing my throat, I closed my eyes trying to get myself together. “Nice to meet you.” I finally said.
“It’s okay, sweetheart. Just breathe.” Ty’s hand rubbed circles on my back, in what I think was an attempt to be soothing but him touching me had the opposite effect. Especially in front of his mother.
“Nice to meet you too, hon.” She walked past me and Ty, straight to where Eli was sat stroking the dog.
“Monty,” he said looking at each of us in turn. “Can we call him Monty?”
“I don’t know if you can name a dog that you’re not going to keep, sweetie,” I said.
He frowned and turned back to Monty then started to talk with Elena.
Nudging Ty in the ribs, I tilted my head to the door and walked out, feeling him behind me.
“What’s up?” he asked when we were alone in the corridor.
“What’s up?” I huffed. “You could have told me.” I said pointing back to the room.
This wasn’t how I wanted to meet his mother, I wanted to impress her the first time I met her. Maybe bake her a pie and bring her some flowers. Not turn up at her place of work, not having a clue who she was and covered in dog hair.
Way to make a first impression.
“If I would have told you,” he said, stepping forward and framing my face with his hands. “You would have freaked out.”
“I-”
“Just like you’re doing now.” He smirked, bringing his face down and brushing his lips against mine.
“Now, what do you say?” he said, his lips only centimeters from mine. I frowned up at him, completely distracted by his soft but firm lips. “Shall we keep him?”
“Who?” I asked.
“Monty.” He laughed, planting another kiss on my lips and turning around and going back into the room. Why did he always do that?
He could distract me so easily and I both hated and loved it at the same time.