Page 64 of Three for a Girl

Chad smiled. “Only to me.”

“Jess can’t get enough of fuss. She’s everyone’s best friend…”

Chad believed it, she was taking fuss from him, but side-eyeing everyone in case they could offer her more.

“I drove to the woods to walk her. The pavements are too hot for her paws, and it’s shaded here. She ran off ahead of me, I thought she’d caught the scent of a rat or something, never in a million years did I think…”

Kyle’s voice trailed off, and Chad didn’t press for more information. Jess’s big black eyes connected with his again, and a memory came to the surface.

To a rat a dog was a monster.

He’d spoken the words to Romeo in the visiting room.

He’d been trying to explain that he wasn’t afraid of the monster, he just didn’t understand him. Like he didn’t always understand Toby, but that was okay. It didn’t matter. It made their bond stronger. He could look past it and love Romeo anyway, but maybe that was the problem. He shouldn’t have been looking past the monster, he should’ve faced it before the attack in the outhouse.

“My Toby hunted rats, too.” Chad whispered.

He smoothed his fingers over Jess’s ears. “He’d go all still, have this look in his eye, then launch after them, and when he caught them, he was so happy, would drop them at my feet for praise.”

At first Chad hadn’t been happy about it, but over time, when Toby’s ears pricked, and he stood statue still with his eyes on his prize, Chad encouraged him. Chad wasn’t repulsed by the dead rat at his feet, or Toby’s blood-stained tongue. He focused on Toby’s ecstatic tail, and his pupil blown eyes.

Toby had never looked so pleased, and his pleasure and pride had been infectious.

The tension in the air as he stalked.

The excitement when he pounced.

The elation when he killed.

The pride when he presented his vermin.

“Chad!”

“Sorry, miles away.”

Jess turned away from Chad when Ally came over. She begged for fuss, but Ally shooed her away, told her no until she went back to Chad.

Toby had been loyal to him.

He would’ve killed for Chad.

He shivered, and covered the bumps at the back of his neck with his hand.

“You better not be getting a fever.” Ally said.

“You’ve got eyes like a hawk.”

She narrowed them. “You better believe it. So … I’m thinking strawberries and cream.”

Chad frowned. “Huh?”

“The Frappuccino you owe me. I’m physically melting in this heat. We’ll go to the drive through on the way back.”

“Are we done here?”

“They’re ready to move him. We’ll find out more when Kerion’s in the mortuary.”

Chad petted Jess, flicking his gaze to Kyle. “She got the collar off.”

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