Page 49 of Ace
“Allow me,” Roger said as he let himself back into the spare room.
Keller had no idea what Roger would do with Galahad and Red, but he’d no more closed himself in with the dogs when the ruckus ceased. No yelling. No swearing. Just silence.
“Shall I serve?” the young waiter asked. Red-headed, stern-faced, and dressed in a short-jacketed tux-like uniform, he stood with a white towel over one forearm, gesturing toward the spread under several silver domed plates.
Keller extracted his wallet, dug out two slightly damp twenties, and handed them over. “No thanks. I’ve got this.”
“As you wish.” The prim waiter pocketed the bills without looking at them and exited stage left, no doubt on his way to alert management they had a pest problem on the ground floor, and it wasn’t bedbugs.
Closing the spare bedroom door behind him, Roger stuck a thumb at the exit. “I’d better get back to parking cars.”
Retrieving another twenty from his pocket, Keller offered his hand. “Thanks for your help. Before you go, tell me what you said to keep them quiet.”
“Thank you, sir,” Roger said as he stashed the bill in his pocket. “I take it those dogs belong to your lady friend, not you.”
“Yes, she runs Sanctuary, a dog rescue east of here. Savannah Church. You ever heard of her?”
“No, but she trained those boys well, I can tell. What’d you call that Pitbull? Galahad?”
“Yes, the other’s Red.”
Roger cringed. “Aw, he needs a better name than Red, but yeah. Those boys know all the basic commands, like quiet, stay, heel, and sit. If you need them to settle down after I leave, just tell ’em ‘quiet.’ They’re good boys. They’ll listen.”
“That’s all?” He just might have to keep Roger around. “Good to know. Thanks again. I owe you, man.”
“No problem,” Roger said as he let himself out. At the open door he paused. “I’ll be back to walk them at oh-six-hundred hours if that works for you.”
“You don’t have to do that,” Keller protested, “but it would sure help. I don’t have any leashes, though. First thing in the morning, I’ve got to contact a pet store, see if they’ll deliver a couple dog crates and—” Shit, this night just kept going from bad to worse.
“Hey, Mr. FBI. Dude!” Roger snapped his fingers. “Cool your jets. I’ve got a couple crates and sturdy leashes I’m not using at the moment. I’ll bring them with me in the morning. Until then....” He offered a quick salute. “You’ve got a midnight snack waiting, and I’ve got work to do. Later.”
Four plates of steak and potatoes were not Keller’s idea of a midnight snack, but he dug in and finished off one serving before he fed the dogs two of the others. Remembering how Savannah kept them separated, he put one plate in the kitchen for Galahad. Once the pittie was noisily slurping his treat, Keller took the second plate into the bedroom. He ducked inside to see whatdamage the dogs had done. Surprisingly, none. Red gave Keller a regal look from where he’d stretched out on the bed like a prince who owned the place.
“Get down,” Keller groused at the smart-aleck setter while he set the food on the floor. “You’re getting steak tonight. Don’t get used to it. Tomorrow you’ll be in a crate and back to kibble.”
Slinking to the floor, Red ignored the food and rubbed against Keller’s leg, his tail wagging, and his snout raised. Keller stroked the setter’s long neck and scratched his ears. “You’re a good boy, you know that, fella? Damn those men for hurting you.”
The dog’s face, ears, neck, and well, most of his skin was knotted and scarred. One long ear bore a ragged notch where it had been bitten. But when Red closed his eyes and groaned at Keller’s touch, Keller kept petting. He could relate to this sleek beast. He knew what it felt like to be unloved and untouchable, ragged on, chewed on, and mistreated. Affection hadn’t been a staple in his childhood, either. Not until Carol Marie came along had Keller known any kind words.
So he poured a heaping dose of empathy into everything he did with this pretty red dog. Overall Red’s coat had come in long enough to cover his scars. Most weren’t visible. You wouldn’t know he’d been badly used until your fingertips encountered the real dog beneath the silky hair. Savannah had worked nothing short of a miracle saving this fellow’s life.
Keller knelt, pulling Red into his arms for a hug. The crazy dog had a way of sliding his muzzle over Keller’s shoulder like he was hugging back. Lifting to his feet,Keller brushed his tears away. They never solved anything.
Once Red settled down to eat, Keller closed him in the bedroom and checked on Galahad one last time. The pittie had finished eating and was now stretched alongside the sofa. He looked comfortable and tired. Maybe a little smug.
“Stay, and for hell’s sake, be quiet,” Keller told him as he walked by on his way to the master bedroom.
Galahad snorted but didn’t budge. If Keller was lucky, the food would make both dogs sleepy, and he’d have a quiet night. Closing the bedroom door behind him, he paused until his pupils adjusted to the dark. The slightest sound of steady breathing confirmed Savannah was still out cold. She hadn’t moved since he’d laid her down.
Stepping into the bathroom, he doffed his dirty clothes and took a quick, hot shower. If he’d thought of it sooner, he would’ve called the front desk and had them order new clothes for him and Savannah. He couldn’t bear the thought of climbing back into his rumpled, smelly shirt and pants. But that was what he did, sans day old underwear. Come first light, he’d hit the nearest department store and make things right.
Finally showered and semi-fresh, Keller pulled the padded chair from the corner of the bedroom over to the bed, where he could see better. Resting on her back with her head turned toward him, Savannah held one hand to her chest, the other hidden under the blanket. The light from the bathroom barely reached through the cracked door, but it allowed him to see enough.
She was by far the most beautiful woman in his world. With his elbows on his knees, he leaned toward Savannah, content to watch her sleep and listen to her breathe. If there were anything better in the world, he didn’t know it. This woman had changed his life in less than a day. Who would’ve thought someone so delicate could be that powerful?
In her sleep, she pursed her lips. With every rise and fall of her chest, a warm glow of satisfaction suffused Keller. It’d been a long time since he’d been privileged to stand guard over a treasure. Yet here he was, the man Savannah Church had accepted as her first lover. The beast she’d allowed to ravage the sweet fruit of her body. Yet he hadn’t felt like a beast when they’d made love. Even then, she’d comforted him in ways he still couldn’t explain. It was as if she’d reached into his psyche and made him a better man. She’d made him feel like he’d finally come home. On what had to be the worst day of her life, she’d done everything she could to soothe a hard, worthless man like him.
Pushing back into the chair, Keller stretched his legs alongside the bed and crossed his ankles. Hell, she’d gentled him just like she gentled her dogs. And that was okay. Keller didn’t mind being lumped into the same category as Galahad and Red. They weren’t so bad once you got to know them.
