Page 29 of Darling Beasts

“Oh, thanks, that’s so nice.” I wiped the sweat from my brow. “But I’ll figure it out on my own—”

“Classic Gabby,” Talia piped in. “Squirrelly.” I whipped in her direction. “Doesn’t let other people behind the curtain. But we’ll fix her.” She passed me a wink. “You and I are going to be besties by the end of this, and that’s a promise.”

Besties?What was she talking about? Was the room spinning right now?

“Er. Cool,” Ivan said. “I’ll just call my friend—”

“Wait! I did chat with...” I checked my notes. “Kyle Sperber atThe North County Intelligencer? She might be interested in covering him at some point.” I didn’t mention the “if he does anything interesting” part, or that the overall tone was “eat shit and die.”

“The Intelligencer?”Ivan grinned, showing his pointy incisors to maximum effect. “That’s awesome!”

“She didn’t make any guarantees,” I added quickly, my stomach plummeting to the ground. “What even isThe North County Intelligencer? Sounds lame.”

“Oh, they’re terrific,” Ivan said. “Their under-forty audience is huge.” It wasn’t the mainstay but still a perfectly legitimate news source, he explained. They had millions of social media followers and multiple media properties, including a YouTube channel and podcast about San Diego–based true crimes.

“Wow. So great,” I said, pulling my sweatshirt away from my body.

Ivan blathered on about how they often appeared on the nightly news to report on local scams, but I only heard every third or fourth word because I was too focused on my skin, which was starting to burn.

“Gabby?” Squinting, Ivan walked all the way into the room. “Are you okay?”

“Yes. Of course.” Now my throat was scratchy. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

An acrid scent filled the room and Frosty hopped to his feet. He stood at attention beside me, staring up with his soupy brown eyes.Shit, I thought as my mind whirred with an inventory of animals that might show up. Grackles or flamingos or wolverines, it was anyone’s guess.

“Gabby?” Talia said, craning.

“I have to go. I’m not feeling well. Ivan, can you watch Frosty?” I shoved the leash into his hand. “Be careful. I read online that Jindos are runners.”

“Where the fuck are you going?” Talia demanded. “Did you not hear what Ivan said about the dinner?”

“Sorry,” I said, grabbing my phone, my ChapStick, what else did I need? “I’ll try to be back in time but I’m sure you can handle it on your own.”

Chapter Seventeen

Talia

“Gabby!” Talia yelled, jogging out of her office. “We’re not done!” But it was too late. Her sister was gone.You can handle it on your own.Exactly what Talia had been doing since forever.

“Huh,” said a voice. “What’s this?” Talia looked to her left, to where Ivan lingered outside her door, hands on hips, peering at a pile of something on the ground. As Talia walked closer, he announced, “It’s poop. Fresh, from the looks of it.”

“IVAN!” Talia screeched, jumping back. “Why are you standing so close to it? That’s disgusting. God. Is the Jindo even potty-trained?”

“It’s not Frosty’s,” Ivan said. “This has berries in it. Believe me when I say the dog eschews anything healthy. I’m very familiar with the consistency and makeup of his poop.”

“I wouldn’t go around bragging about that.” Talia glanced over to where the dog stood in the open doorway, an utterly blank expression on its face. Gabby disappeared and left a pile of shit in her wake. There was probably a metaphor in there somewhere, but Talia refused to look.

“I’m serious,” Ivan said. “He’ll spit out the smallest speck of carrot.” He pulled out his phone. For a brief and horrific moment, Talia thought he was about to snap a picture.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?”

“Sheesh. Calm down. I’m texting Mindy to send someone to clean it up.”

Talia sighed. The meeting with Dad was already going to be a disaster. She’d managed to check a few items off her list, but they were piddly, inconsequential things. Highlighting these “accomplishments” might kill five minutes, perhaps seven, but Gabby’s absence would be hard to explain.

“I’m on it!” Mindy shouted, rushing into the barn, a plastic shield covering her face. She held paper towels and trash bags in one hand, a shovel and some sort of spray in the other. “Everyone stand back!”

Talia bent down to retrieve Frosty’s leash.

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