Page 46 of Backlash

“I don’t know. He’s acting oddly,” Sterling says, his voice coated with worry. “I can barely get him to go out on a walk.”

“What?” I knew his adopted dog for months before Sterling adopted him from the shelter, so I know exactly how odd that is. Zeus loves his walks.

“Look, I know you’re avoiding me, but could you could come over here and see what you think? You know him better than I do,” he says.

“I’m on my way.” I don’t bother to say goodbye. I wipe the creamy mask off my face and begin searching for my purse. “I need to go.”

“How did he finally hook you?” Kai’s tone sparkles with laughter.

“Something is wrong with Zeus,” I explain to them. I grab a pair of jeans and a shirt from the dresser drawer and dash into the bathroom to get dressed.

“I hope everything will be okay,” Poppy calls after me as I run toward the door.

“Me, too,” I say as I leave.

I can almost swear I hear her whisper to Kai as the door swings closed, “He used the dog. Brilliant.”

Poppy’s theory has me thinking. By the time I arrive at Twelve and South, I’m sure she’s right. I’m already prepping my lecture for him on using an innocent animal when I reach the penthouse. Sterling opens the door before I can knock. “He’s in here.”

He doesn’t bother to linger. He barely looks at me. Instead, he heads straight back to the living room. Sterling disappears, and a few steps later I realize he has laid down on the floor next to the dog, his dark head resting on him like he’s listening to his heartbeat.. Zeus is in the middle of the floor, barely moving. He lifts his head when he sees me and lets out a small whimper.

“How long has he been like this?” I ask, dropping to the floor beside him. Something shifts in Zeus’s demeanor when I reach to scratch behind his ears. He’s not his usual playful self, but he moves closer, almost climbing into my lap to kiss me on the face. After a few seconds, he practically vibrates with joy. Maybe Poppy was right. “Did you train him to do this?”

“Honestly, I would have shamelessly used the dog if I had known it would work,” he says, exhaling in relief. He props his head on his elbow and watches us.. “He just misses you.”

“What’s up, Zeus?” I continue scratching behind his ears before leaning down to whisper. “Did he talk you into this?”

“I can still hear you.” He sounds happy, and my heart skips.

“Okay,” I whisper, “nothing is wrong with your dog.”

When I glance over, Sterling is studying him with concern. “I still want to take him to the vet.”

“Hey, I really do think he’s okay,” I say, finding myself wanting to reassure him.

“I’m supposed to take care of him.” The statement is loaded with self-recrimination.

“And you are,” I promise him. Something sticking out from the seam of the couch catches my eye. I point to it. “Is that my phone?”

Sterling tears his eyes from us, rolls to the side, and pulls it out. “You mean, this whole time you haven’t been answering because your phone was here? I thought you were avoiding me.”

“Trust me, I was.” I reach and grab it from him.

He just stares dumbly at his empty hand. “You really were,” he says quietly. “You didn’t even come for your phone.”

“I didn’t need it.” I do my best to sound casual.

“What about your job?” He looks up, concern deepening the blue of his eyes.

“It’s fine. I haven’t started yet.” I console myself that it’s not really a lie. I scratch Zeus on the chin before pushing to my feet. “I should go.”

Sterling gets up and blocks my clean getaway. “Let me buy you dinner.”

“It’s two o’clock,” I say, crossing my arms and trying to look disinterested in the offer. “that’s hours away.”

He stalks a few steps closer. “If only we could think of something to do until then…”

“Like talk about your mysterious friend Noah?” I ask pointedly, trying to ignore the tingles breaking over my body.