things.”
“Like?”
“Like . . . why you come all photo ready to a job you’re obviously overqualified for, wearing designer clothes when you’re going to get dog and kitten hair all over you.”
She shrugged. “I know how to run a washing machine.”
“Okay, so why don’t you date? You’re sexy, smart as hell, and know your way around a good conversation. Yet whenever a guy approaches you, you use cynicism and sarcasm to scare him off.”
“Not my fault if a guy’s scared off by a little attitude.”
She was throwing off some good ’tude right now. “Tell me what scared you so bad you ran from Chicago,” he said. “Don’t you think it’s time?”
She stiffened and turned away. “What it’s time for is to get back to work.”
Eight
T he next morning, Jade arrived at Belle Haven before dawn’s first light for their biweekly vaccine clinic. She sat in her car, eyeing the walk to the front door.
Another vet clinic had been hit in Coeur d’Alene the night before, and it was all over the news. Dell had upgraded the security system, adding cameras at the front and back doors and several panic buttons throughout the clinic with a direct line to emergency dispatch.
His cool, calm, almost ruthless efficiency told her that he was very serious about this. And if Dell was serious, it meant he had a good reason. Dell had a lot of really great qualities, but allowing others to see his weaknesses wasn’t one of them. This place, and the people and animals in it, were his. No sharing. The protective, possessive side of his nature should have threatened her peace of mind but at the moment she was glad for it.
Still, she had to make the walk from her car to the door. “Going to need reinforcements for this,” she told Beans and put in her iPod earphones. She hit shuffle and Eminem came on.
Eminem was an ass kicker.
Still, she kept the volume down so she could hear what was going on around her. Normally she liked to get in a half hour before anyone else to set up, but nerves jittered through her stomach as she headed across the lot.
Inside, past the alarm and behind the locked door, she started breathing again. She let Beans loose, uncovered Peanut, and began to get ready for the mob scene that always occurred on free clinic days.
Because she couldn’t deny the slight nerves still jangling, she cranked the volume on Pink and was singing along, trying to enjoy the solitude and quiet. After a few minutes she felt herself begin to relax at the regular, familiar routine of turning on the equipment, checking the supplies, organizing the files for the day. She walked past the drug cabinet, as always automatically reaching out to make sure it was locked.
It was. It was always locked, but to make sure was a comfort. She went still when the hair at the nape of her neck rose, then tore out her earphones in time to catch a whisper of sound, the soft brush of a man’s footstep. And then another, telling her that there were two of them behind her.
“Do as I say, bitch, and I won’t hurt you. Yet.”
Dark fear as he emphasized the words with the cold muzzle of the gun thrust under her jaw.
Frozen with fear, she tried to turn her head to look at him, but he ran the tip of the gun from her jaw down her throat and over her collarbone to skim her breast. “Let’s go,” came the low, rough voice. “Unless you want to spend some time out here with me first . . .”
She felt the hand on her arm and heard her own whimper.
“Jade. Jade, it’s just me—”
“Man, she’s too far gone to hear you.”
“I know. Fuck—”
Jade felt herself being picked up. She struggled automatically, panic welling, blocking her throat so that all that escaped another pathetic whimper.
“You’re okay. Jade, can you hear me?” A hand rough with calluses stroked gently down her hair. “You’re safe.”
Just a flashback. That’s all. A flashback triggered by the Halloween mask from two nights before, not to
“Like?”
“Like . . . why you come all photo ready to a job you’re obviously overqualified for, wearing designer clothes when you’re going to get dog and kitten hair all over you.”
She shrugged. “I know how to run a washing machine.”
“Okay, so why don’t you date? You’re sexy, smart as hell, and know your way around a good conversation. Yet whenever a guy approaches you, you use cynicism and sarcasm to scare him off.”
“Not my fault if a guy’s scared off by a little attitude.”
She was throwing off some good ’tude right now. “Tell me what scared you so bad you ran from Chicago,” he said. “Don’t you think it’s time?”
She stiffened and turned away. “What it’s time for is to get back to work.”
Eight
T he next morning, Jade arrived at Belle Haven before dawn’s first light for their biweekly vaccine clinic. She sat in her car, eyeing the walk to the front door.
Another vet clinic had been hit in Coeur d’Alene the night before, and it was all over the news. Dell had upgraded the security system, adding cameras at the front and back doors and several panic buttons throughout the clinic with a direct line to emergency dispatch.
His cool, calm, almost ruthless efficiency told her that he was very serious about this. And if Dell was serious, it meant he had a good reason. Dell had a lot of really great qualities, but allowing others to see his weaknesses wasn’t one of them. This place, and the people and animals in it, were his. No sharing. The protective, possessive side of his nature should have threatened her peace of mind but at the moment she was glad for it.
Still, she had to make the walk from her car to the door. “Going to need reinforcements for this,” she told Beans and put in her iPod earphones. She hit shuffle and Eminem came on.
Eminem was an ass kicker.
Still, she kept the volume down so she could hear what was going on around her. Normally she liked to get in a half hour before anyone else to set up, but nerves jittered through her stomach as she headed across the lot.
Inside, past the alarm and behind the locked door, she started breathing again. She let Beans loose, uncovered Peanut, and began to get ready for the mob scene that always occurred on free clinic days.
Because she couldn’t deny the slight nerves still jangling, she cranked the volume on Pink and was singing along, trying to enjoy the solitude and quiet. After a few minutes she felt herself begin to relax at the regular, familiar routine of turning on the equipment, checking the supplies, organizing the files for the day. She walked past the drug cabinet, as always automatically reaching out to make sure it was locked.
It was. It was always locked, but to make sure was a comfort. She went still when the hair at the nape of her neck rose, then tore out her earphones in time to catch a whisper of sound, the soft brush of a man’s footstep. And then another, telling her that there were two of them behind her.
“Do as I say, bitch, and I won’t hurt you. Yet.”
Dark fear as he emphasized the words with the cold muzzle of the gun thrust under her jaw.
Frozen with fear, she tried to turn her head to look at him, but he ran the tip of the gun from her jaw down her throat and over her collarbone to skim her breast. “Let’s go,” came the low, rough voice. “Unless you want to spend some time out here with me first . . .”
She felt the hand on her arm and heard her own whimper.
“Jade. Jade, it’s just me—”
“Man, she’s too far gone to hear you.”
“I know. Fuck—”
Jade felt herself being picked up. She struggled automatically, panic welling, blocking her throat so that all that escaped another pathetic whimper.
“You’re okay. Jade, can you hear me?” A hand rough with calluses stroked gently down her hair. “You’re safe.”
Just a flashback. That’s all. A flashback triggered by the Halloween mask from two nights before, not to
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