I had the driver take me to a pet store, where I bought Pepper a replacement leather leash and matching collar, plus some dog treats and a little bowl. The clerk stared at me as I put everything on my charge card.
“What?” I snapped.
“Your dog,” the clerk said timidly. He put a hand up to his face and hid his zit-covered chin. “Your dog is a girl dog.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Yeah, so?”
“So, it’s a her, it’s not an it?”
I rolled my eyes as Pepper barked. “Shut up, you,” I told her, leaning over the counter. “Don’t try to tell me what my fucking dog is, asshole. Right now, I’m dealing with some serious shit.”
The clerk shrugged. “I just think she would appreciate not being called it,” he said as he handed me the bag with Pepper’s new leash and collar.
Pepper whined as I put the new leash and collar on her neck, leading her out of the store. The dog didn’t seem to know that I was a friend of her owner, yet she was going with me all the same.
“Some loyal man’s best friend you are,” I said, reaching down and ruffling her ears in the same way I’d seen Audrey do. Pepper whined and rubbed her head against my hand. She barked once, and I shook my head.
When we got back in the car, I directed the driver to take me to Audrey’s ruined apartment. Part of me was nervous that Hodges would be inside, but I knew that I had to look for Audrey. Pepper seemed to know the way—as soon as we were within a few blocks, she barked and pawed at the window until the driver rolled to a smooth stop outside of Audrey’s dilapidated building.
Leaving Pepper in the car, I leaped up the flights of stairs and pushed my way into the ruined kitchen. It smelled horrible in the apartment, and it was freezing cold. I realized that whoever had broken in had left food all over the kitchen floor and living room, as well as breaking every window in sight.
Nice place for Audrey to come home to, I thought as I pushed my way into the bedroom. That is, if she even comes home.
Shaking my head, I grabbed a pair of leggings that were draped over the back of a chair. I ran back outside and darted into the back seat of the car. Pepper leaped all over me and licked my face until I pushed her away in disgust.
“Don’t you know when you’re not wanted?”
Pepper whined.
“Smell these,” I ordered, holding the leggings under her nose. “Then we can find Audrey.”
Pepper sniffed obediently, then looked out the window and started to bark. I called up front to the driver: “Keep driving around until she stops barking. Then I’ll get out and look.” I knew it was a harebrained scheme, but right now I was desperate.
After O’Brian had told me that it could be up to a week before they started looking for Hodges, I knew I had to take matters into my own hands. Audrey wouldn’t be alive in a week. She only had a few precious hours left to go—that is, until I showed up and saved the day. I grinned, imagining Audrey plastering her soft body against mine and thanking me with a passionate kiss.
Pepper barked louder, startling me out of my daydream. I stared at the dog. For once, I could tell that she was as stressed out as I felt myself. “Pepper, it’s going to be okay, we just have to find your mistress, okay?”
Pepper whined again. My stomach twisted into a knot of anxiety. This was a stupid idea; we weren’t going to find Audrey because of her dumb mutt. If I wanted to find her, I was going to have to take action.
“Never mind what I said earlier,” I called up front to the driver. “Take me back to LennoxCo. I need to call on a few friends for some help.”
As the driver turned in the opposite direction, Pepper crawled over me and lay her head in my lap. She looked up at me with big, dopey brown eyes and I felt a sense of calm come over me. I frowned down at the dog.
“Is this why Audrey keeps you around?” I asked as I reached down to scratch her ears. “Do you keep her chilled out?”
Pepper whined in response, closing her eyes and nudging my hand with her big head.
I let my head flop back against the seat as I sighed. “I don’t know what we’re gonna have to do, Pepper, but we’re not letting that asshole take Audrey. You got that?”
Pepper didn’t respond. She closed her eyes and let her head rest in my lap, drooping her body on the floorboards of the car. I looked down at her and shook my head.
“You have it pretty fuckin’ easy, you know that,” I said as I scratched her neck. “If only we could all be so lucky.”
On the inside, thoughts of Audrey were slowly tearing me apart.