Page 5 of Second to None
Chapter 3
Emily stood in the middle of the Carver Center’s main room on the second floor, making one last check before she went downstairs to wait for Max. About twenty-five kids were packed into the space, lounging on the mismatched couches and chairs, bending over puzzles and board games, or concentrating on projects in the art corner. She’d already looked in on the third floor, with its computers, desks, and study rooms, where another fifteen children were doing homework or cramming for exams.
The room’s usual decor was supplemented by strings of colored lights draped around the windows, wreaths hung on the doors, and a Christmas tree standing in one corner, adorned with ornaments created by the kids. She hoped the festive additions would put Max in a generous mood.
She had called the kids together earlier to explain that they were having an important visitor and asked them to keep things neater than usual today. The children were doing a pretty good job, although Jackson thought he was hiding the fact that he had smuggled in a candy bar. Food was supposed to be confined to the first floor, where the kitchen and dining room were located.
Emily sighed and walked over to hold out her hand.
Jackson straightened up on the couch where he had been slumped listening to something on his phone. He pulled out one earbud. “What?”
“The candy. You can pick it up from Powell at the front desk on the way out.”
Jackson rolled his eyes but fished the half-eaten chocolate bar out of his sweatshirt pocket and handed it over. “Sorry, Ms. Emily.”
“If you bring it in here again, I’ll hand it over to Nurse. She loves chocolate.”
The boy snorted. “She say ... says my teeth will rot and fall out if I don’t quit eating so much of it. But she eats more than I do, and her teeth are all still there.”
Emily laughed and rewrapped the bar before sticking it in her blazer pocket.
As she started down the stairs to check on the dining room and kitchen, the front door flew open and Diego dashed in, holding something in his arms. Powell, the security guard, jumped up and started around his desk before he stopped with a chuckle. “Diego, what are you doing running in here like that? I nearly tackled you.”
The boy didn’t stop, heading straight for Emily. He held out the bundle in his arms, choking on a sob. “He got hit by a car. Some bad kids was being mean to him, and when I stopped them, he ran into the street. Can we take him to the vet?” His voice was tight with anguish.
Emily hurried down the last two steps to look at what Diego carried. A small black dog, its eyes closed, its head encrusted with blood and dirt, lay wrapped in the boy’s sweatshirt while Diego shivered in his shirtsleeves from the deep freeze outside.
Diego looked at her as he cradled the dog in his thick, muscular arms. The arms his father wanted him to use for intimidation of delinquent customers, while Diego wanted to use them to hold and protect every small creature he encountered. She saw the clash of hope and uncertainty in his brown eyes. He’d been let down—and worse—by so many of the adults in his life. She wasn’t about to add to the list.
“Let me think,” she said. The vet was too far away to carry an injured dog on foot, and everyone at the center either walked or took public transportation to work, so she would have to get a taxi. Which wasn’t so easy in this area.
And what about her appointment with Max? He had made time in his hectic CEO’s schedule to come here. If he liked what he saw, his support could help more than just one boy and one stray dog. She closed her eyes for a brief moment as she made her decision, knowing it might jeopardize the whole K-9 Angelz project. “You stay here. I’ll grab my coat and purse and tell Nurse I’m leaving.”
Diego nodded. Emily was about to head back up the stairs when the front door swung open again.
Max strode through it, his charcoal overcoat flapping open to reveal a dark blue suit and red tie. He looked even more intimidating than he had the day before in his office, maybe because he was frowning.
Inspiration struck her in a blinding flash. She could solve two problems at once and give him a vivid illustration of why K-9 Angelz was so vital to the kids. “Max, it’s so great to see you. Did you drive here?”
He came to a halt, the tenor of his frown changing from irritation to surprise. “Yes. Why?”
“Because we need to take an injured dog to the vet, and we need a car to do it.” She put her arm around Diego’s massive shoulders. “Diego rescued him from being tortured by some kids, but the poor dog ran into the street to escape and got hit by a car.”
Max surveyed the large boy and the small dog, his expression impassive. His gaze flicked to Emily before he turned back toward the door, saying over his shoulder, “Come with me.”
Emily realized she hadn’t been breathing when she sucked in a gulp of oxygen and gave Diego a quick squeeze before releasing him. He started forward while she debated going for her coat.
“Take my jacket, Ms. Emily,” Powell said, holding out a bulky, flannel-lined brown garment with a security patch sewn on the arm.
“I appreciate it,” she said, thrusting her arms into the too-large coat and heading for the door.
She didn’t have her purse, but Dr. Quillen knew her from caring for Windy, so the bill wouldn’t be an issue. Except for having to pay it. She grimaced as she thought of the only spare money she had, a small reserve she’d scraped together to buy a new laptop to replace her old one, which had crashed four times in the last two weeks.
As she hurried out the door, the frigid wind slapped her cheeks and blew open Powell’s jacket. But what made her gasp was the gleaming black limousine pulled up at the curb. Max and Diego had just made it to the bottom of the steps, when a chauffeur leaped out to swing open the back door.
“We have a medical emergency, an injured dog.” Max nodded toward Diego and his burden.
“Yes, sir,” the chauffeur said. “Where are we headed?”
