Page 88 of Vetted for Vengeance
I'm not scared of dogs.
I've got the scars on my left knee from a chow-chow who took a chunk out of me to prove it.
But I'm not going anywhere near Whittle without a solid plan in place first. I won't rush this.
Men like Whittle don’t get second chances.
You either do it right…
Or you don’t walk away.
My fingers hover over the keyboard as I open a new file.
Not accounts.
Not transactions.
A plan.
Because if this leads back to Noah again…
I won’t be the one being watched.
Chapter forty-two
Noah
Weighing Honey's puppies is less heartbreaking now she only has eight left. With her extra food rations, and each of her tiny pups getting a supplementary bottle every day, they're putting on weight slow and steady.
“No one is taking you away from me, ever. You're mine.”
She licks my hand as I return the last pup.
“Yeah, you're a good girl, aren't you? And I promise, you'll see your other pups again. I'm taking good care of them for you. Me and the others.”
She has no idea what I'm talking about, but her tail wags anyway.
As I'm finishing up, the barn door opens quietly, then closes.
I smile at the thought of Rhys slipping in. No one else moves as secretively as he does.
When I leave the kennel, he isn't there. No one is.
I move suspiciously down the kennels to the kitchen. I'm overreacting, but the phone call today has me extra jumpy.
“Hello?” I call, praying Chloe is just being silly, or has sleeping pups in her pocket she needs to return to the incubator.
My feet move in short, quiet steps towards the kitchen area. I don't know what I'm expecting to find; the man from the restaurant just standing there looking at me? It's stupid, I know I'm wrong even before I can finally see into the kitchen.
The empty kitchen.
My shoulders relax a little; I'm worried about nothing…
Something flashes in front of my eyes, a blue dog leash snapping over my head. The slip-lead tightens before I can grab it.
My hands raise, fingers trying to grab at the hands holding the leash tight.
I can't breathe.
