Page 23 of Wrong Turn

Lei had never felt as safe and comfortable out in the world as she did with Keiki by her side. The connection she’d felt as soon as their eyes met only got stronger.

Back at the house, Aunty Rosario and Lei established a bed for Keiki in the living room, a good spot for the Rottweiler to keep an eye on the premises.

“Do you think we should also put in an alarm system?” Aunty asked. The worry lines between her brows had relaxed a bit since Keiki arrived, but they weren’t yet gone.

“It’s up to you, Aunty. There will be times when I have her away from the house, and if you want it to be watched, we can always do that.”

“Let’s wait and see how she does. When we’re both at the restaurant working, or you have your classes, Keiki will be here alone, guarding the house.”

“I think I would much rather face an alarm system if I were a burglar than Keiki.”

Aunty nodded. “Me too.”

Lei ran Keiki through her commands twice a day, and three days went by as they settled into a nice rhythm. When they left Keiki in the house alone, she barked when they first came home, a scary sound, but quickly quieted when she recognized their voices or footsteps. Her whole body wagged in greeting when they opened the door, and sometimes she whimpered with happiness.

That was a wonderful feeling that Lei hadn’t expected; Keiki’s joy in the simplest things made Lei happy, too.

What if the adoption service wanted to take Keiki back for some reason? Lei couldn’t handle the stress of that idea, so on the morning of their fourth day together, she called up the trainer.

“We absolutely love her,” she told Josh. “Whatever we need to sign, send it over. I can’t stand the thought of anyone taking her away.”

Josh laughed. “I thought I saw that spark between the two of you when you met,” he said. “I’m happy to hear it. Your aunt has completed all the necessary paperwork. We will just check Kali off as a successful adoption. I will still leave it open for the ten days, in case you change your mind.”

“I’m not going to change my mind,” Lei said. “And her new name is Keiki.”

* * *

Lei’s classeswere about to resume, and other than a few texts, she hadn’t heard from Kelly. How was her friend doing after their ordeal in Mexico? Kelly would make light of it if Lei asked her directly—she had to see her friend to really know.

Lei called Kelly. “I have a surprise,” she told her friend. “Meet me at the county park near the bridge.”

“What is this? Please tell me you’re dating someone.”

Lei laughed. “You could say that. But it won’t be what you’re thinking.”

“This I gotta see. Meet you in an hour.”

Lei and Keiki jogged down to the county park—a small, tidy expanse tucked inside a redwood grove beside the stores and restaurants of old town San Rafael. Spreading maple trees over the sidewalk were just beginning to fully leaf in with the changing of spring into summer, and the flower beds were filled in with bright blossoms as they arrived at the little park.

Kelly jogged up to meet them and clapped her hands to her cheeks in surprise. “Omigosh, Lei, what a beautiful dog!”

Keiki sat when Lei gave her a hand signal, but her tongue hung out in a big happy grin as she gazed at Kelly. Lei was becoming attuned to the way Keiki communicated with her expressive face and clear body language. “She likes you,” Lei told Kelly. “You can pet her if you want.”

“I’m not sure. I’m a little scared of dogs, and she is so big.”

“Keiki’s a sweetheart. She can be a fierce guardian, though we haven’t seen that side of her yet. We’re really glad to have her since those break-ins started in our neighborhood.”

Kelly approached as Lei directed, with her hand down and in a fist held out for Keiki to sniff. The dog gave her fingers a lick, and Kelly giggled; but as Lei peered at her friend, she spotted dark circles ringing Kelly’s eyes, and her friend had lost weight.

“Let’s sit on the bench,” Lei said.

Kelly sat beside Keiki and petted her chest and ears. Keiki leaned on her legs the way she did when she liked someone.

Lei frowned. “You don’t look like you’ve been sleeping well.”

“I haven’t been.” Kelly shook her head. “It’s like everything that happened to us in Mexico has caught up with me. I thought I was fine when we were at the resort . . . but I’m having all sorts of bad dreams and flashbacks. I was even paranoid jogging down here to the park.” She patted her pocket. “I have a big pepper spray in there, and a shock device in my other pocket.”

“I’m not saying it’s not a good idea to have a few weapons on you, especially after what we’ve been through. But I hope you’re getting some professional help, too.” Lei had considered it herself but running and channeling her memories into the little rock that she always carried in her pocket had seemed to be enough for now.

---