Page 48 of Winning Brynn

"We're not keeping him, Brynn."

She pretends like she doesn't hear me, but I see the flatlining of her lips and the flicker of annoyance in her eyes. Taking Salem out of the highchair, she props her on her hip.

"Brynn," I say loud enough that she has no choice but to look in my direction. "We are not keeping the cat, you hear me?"

"If you take him back, you're basically sentencing him to death."

Fuck me.

I almost laugh at her dramatics, but I'm smart enough to not lose my composure.

"Don't be ridiculous."

"Oh," she snorts, "you think people will be rushing to adopt him?"

I look down at Gordon once more. He's this little silver thing, striped with black and white. A tabby, I think, with white paws that look like socks. He'd be cute if it weren't for the fact that he looks like he’s had a fight with a hacksaw.

"Do you know what happens to animals who aren't adopted, Leo?" she carries on.

"Can't say I've ever put much thought into it," I admit.

She looks me dead in the eye. "They kill them."

That makes me pause, not for long enough that it stops me from doing what I need to, but enough that I feel a tiny stab of guilt in my heart.

"He's not staying, Brynn."

Her foot stomps. "Will you stop using my fucking name?"

"What the hell else am I going to call you?" I shake my head. "And stop swearing around my daughter."

"You just don't have to use it in every damn sentence. And...hey, what are you doing?" Her voice raises as she watches me grab the cardboard box from atop the island, which I assume is what she used to bring the cat here, and walk over to Gordon. "Don't you dare put him in that box!"

I ignore her, swiping him off the floor.

Then I stride toward the door, my gaze focused straight ahead. I can't risk looking her in the eye right now. The shrill panic in her voice is almost enough to derail me completely.

"If you do this, you're killing him!" She's shrill now, nearly screaming.

I make it to the front door and swing it open.

"Where is your humanity, Leo?"

Fuck, I think she's crying.

"I knew you were cold, but I didn't think you'd be a murderer!”

The door slams shut behind me.

"Hello." The woman behind the desk at the animal shelter smiles politely as I approach.

Wordlessly, I set Gordon's box on the counter in front of her, doing my damndest not to look inside of it. I can hear him, though, the shuffle of his claws against the cardboard as he shivers in fear.

If you do this, you're killing him.

Fuck off out of my brain, Brynn. We're not keeping the cat. My building doesn't even allow pets.

"Are you here to surrender an animal?" the woman asks, her eyes soft as she looks down at the quivering ball of fluff.

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