Page 13 of When Hearts Surrender

I can’t let him die. I just…can’t. I’m in control of my destiny and I’ve decided.

Dog-napper it is.

Wiping my nose with the back of my hand, I poke my head out of the open cage. Spying no other personnel loitering about, I hastily dart back inside and take out my cell phone from my jacket pocket. I press a button and wait for an answer.

“Belle, this better be good. I’m taking a nap.” Taylor Peyton’s grumpy voice travels across the line.

“Psst. I need help.”

“What? I can’t hear you.” She yawns.

I step to the far side of the cage, away from the hallway. “SOS. I need you at BSUAnow!”

“What? Why?” More yawning. Seriously, the woman has the strangest sleep habits.

“Why are you sleeping at four p.m. on a Saturday?”

“I have a show at the Met tonight. The director has high hopes for my solo. I need my beauty sleep.”

“Can you get your sleep later? I need help and Grace is on her date with Steven and Millie said her brother is in town. I don’t know who else to call.”

She snorts. I can imagine my raven-haired, gray-eyed ballerina friend rolling her eyes in bed. “Gee, thanks for being your last resort.”

I bite my lip and smile. She loves her sister Grace, and our best friend, Millie, as much as I do.

“Fine, Belle. I’m up. What do you need me to do?”

“I’m going to steal him.”

“Who?”

“Little terror.” My voice thickens, but I steel my nerves. “I can’t let him die today. I need you to come and cause a distraction so I can sneak him out.”

“But yours and Millie’s apartment doesn’t allow pets,” she murmurs. I hear rustling in thebackground.

“Fuck this. My year of yeses. You know, this is all your fault for giving me that stupid book last month. Now, I’m thinking I need to have my year of yeses before I turn twenty-five because I can’t be complacent in my life anymore. I need to take control.” Not to mention, with the possibility of an arranged marriage and my new medical diagnosis, I feel like time is really running out.

“Hell yeah, that’s my bad bitch. And you’re going to that street race next week, right?” She cackles.

“Ugh. Don’t remind me. That is so not my scene. And you’re ditching me!”

“Year of yeses, Belle. Last minute practice—can’t be helped.” She sighs. “But to make it up to you, I’ll leave my comfortable apartment and break some laws with you. I’ll even wear my purple devil nose piercing.”

She’s the grumpy rule breaker of our girl group, the dark eyeliner, nose piercing wearing, curse words loving ballerina at the top ballet company in the country. The walking contradiction.

“Be there in thirty.” The phone disconnects.

My pulse races in my veins as a warmth spreads from my chest to my hands. My head feels woozy—fear? Excitement? A middle finger to the world? I have no clue.

I squat down and motion for the little terror to come over, and like the beautiful, perfect dog he is, he trots over and settles in front of me. He delivers a long, wet lick on my cheek, and I realize tears have escaped without me noticing.

Clutching him closely, I whisper, “You’re coming home with me, little guy. You’ll get to go on my year of yeses with me and we’re going to change our destiny. We’re going to show everyone who underestimates us how wrong they are.”

Chapter 4

“Son, it’s time.”

I freeze, my fingers tightening around the crystal tumbler as icy foreboding slithers inside my veins. The silence would’ve been deafening in the study were it not for the loud pounding of my heart.

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