Page 36 of Interference

Anthony smiled. “She really seems like a great fit for you.”

“Oh, man, she is the perfect dog for me.” I tousled her ears. “I wasn’t sure about a Doberman, but the organization told me they make great service dogs. Especially since they get very attached to their people.” I chuckled. “The trainer said they get called Velcro dogs sometimes because of how close they stick.”

“Aww, that’s really cute. And yeah, I’d never heard of one as a service dog, but she’s obviously good at what she does.”

“She is.” I patted her, then sat back on the couch. “I was a little worried they were going to put me with a Shephard or a Malinois, to be honest. I was hoping for a Lab or something.”

“You don’t like Shepherds?”

“No, I do. But we had several with us in my unit when I was in combat. So waking up from a combat nightmare with that kind of dog right in my face…” I grimaced.

Anthony tensed. “Oh. Shit. I never thought about that. I’m glad they found you a different breed.”

“Me too. Fortunately they were great about screening people for their specific needs.” I swallowed. “Sometimes I wish I’d gotten something with a thicker coat, though.” I turned to him. “That’s why I was freaking out so bad the night I met you—she’s got such a thin coat to be sleeping outside in the winter, you know?”

“No kidding.”

“It was easier when we had a tent and blankets, but…”

“What happened to those?” he asked. “You said they were stolen, right?”

“Well…” I made air quotes. “‘Stolen’.”

Anthony raised his eyebrows. “What does that mean?”

I focused on petting Lily to keep my blood pressure from spiking the way it often did when I broached this subject. “It’s not technically theft when the police do it.”

“When the—holy shit. The cops took your stuff?”

I nodded, running my thumb along the silky fur of Lily’s ear. “I’m usually pretty good at avoiding them, and I got lucky that I was never in a place they were ‘clearing out.’ But that luck ran out, and they got everything except my rucksack and my dog.”

“Jesus Christ,” he breathed. “What’s the point of that, anyway? Like, do they think if they confiscate your stuff, you’ll just… magically not be homeless anymore?”

“Well, I can’t prove it, but given the attitudes people have toward us—including the cops—I think the idea is just that if we don’t have shelter or blankets, especially this time of year, we won’t be anyone’s problem for much longer.”

“Anyone’s—” He tensed enough to startle Bear. As he petted the cat to settle him back down, Anthony murmured, “Are you serious?”

I shrugged tightly. “Like I said, I can’t prove it. But after spending a few months out there and seeing all the ‘solutions’ for homelessness in action?” I nodded sharply. “Yeah, I’d bet money that when they talk about reducing the homeless population, they don’t mean relocating or housing us.”

“Holy shit,” he whispered, and he shuddered. “God, I never realized it was that bad.”

“Neither did I.” Silence hung between us for a moment, and I regretted bringing it up. “I’m sorry.” I shook my head. “It’s a shitty subject, and—”

“No, don’t apologize. I really never knew how bad it was. I don’t like to be ignorant of things if I can help it, you know?” He scratched behind Bear’s ears. “I, um… I can help you get some of the things you lost. A tent, blankets, all of that.”

“What? No, you don’t have to do that.”

“I want to,” he insisted. “There’s still a lot of winter left. You and Lily shouldn’t be out there with nothing.”

“I…” It took a second for me to find the words. “I appreciate that. I really do. Just… you don’t have to do that. You don’t have to do anything you’ve done for me.”

He was already shaking his head. “I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if I knew you and Lily were out there with nothing.”

I swallowed, not sure what to say.

“If you’d rather not,” he went on, “I won’t force you. But if you’ll let me, I’d be happy to take you shopping for the things you need. Whatever we can’t find, we can order.”

It was hard to put my finger on any one emotion rolling through me right then. Gratitude, yes. Shame, because I hated that I needed to accept to his offer. There was even a subtle spike of adrenaline not unlike when a mortar had landed close to my position, but far enough away to spare me any injury—that oh shit, I could’ve been so fucked feeling. What if I hadn’t walked into that particular vet clinic on the night this man happened to be there? What if I’d talked myself out of it like I almost had twice on the way up to the front door?

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