Page 44 of Collateral Claim
I check my watch: two thirty. Correction. Scarlett is making me wait for two and a half hours. This means the phone meeting between her father and me is also going to be late. Her father called three times. Wilfred called twice.
I have a team of hackers in seven different locations around the world waiting for my call after the meeting in case Scarlett’s father gives up my brother’s location. They’ll activate the nearest rescue units.
Cass better not be dead.
If he is, Scarlett is never leaving this town. Ever.
I run a hand through my hair. I can’t even rush her because she’s providing medical services to the locals, who will, in turn, remain healthy and happy, which means fewer problems for me to deal with. Not to mention, she’s taking care of Marquis.
When she’s working, Scarlett is professional and no-nonsense. Today, she didn’t allow any visitors besides Marquis’s husband, who asked to sleep the night next to Marquis. Philip is beside himself with worry.
This is all Daniel Pembroke’s fault. Wilfred’s too. I’mthisclose to calling in a hit on them.Thisclose.
My phone pings a message.
It’s Declan.
We’re on our way.
Today?
Haha. Fair warning. She has a dog.
What? Who gave it to her?
Larry came in to have his pain meds refilled. Scarlett found nothing wrong with him and sent him home without meds. As a thank-you, Mirna gifted her a puppy.
Larry’s wife, Mirna, breeds small dogs, so the dog must be cute. I doubt Scarlett could resist. But the thing about dog breeders like Mirna is, they don’t give away puppies that sell for thousands of dollars to just anyone. She must’ve seen something in Scarlett she liked. Or Mirna gave Scarlett a puppy to keep the doctor around. People with dogs usually have a home.
I knew the town was desperate for good medical help, but gifting someone a dog is too much. Next thing you know, people will start naming babies after Scarlett.
I order a bottle of white wine and fried calamari for starters, and by the time Tom delivers the calamari, Scarlett is walking up to the table. Dec’s behind her, carrying a terrier puppy.
I kick her chair away from the table so she has space to sit down.
“Hey,” she says as she sits down with a smile. “I’m so hungry.” She forks up a calamari and pops it into her mouth, then chases it with a glass of wine. “Lunch on a boat, huh?”
“Uh-huh.”
“You can be really thoughtful when you want to be.” She snacks on the calamari and looks around. The beach is quiet at this time, and we’re the only people at the restaurant.
“Is that your dog?”
Scarlett’s shoulders slump. “I didn’t want a dog, but I folded when I saw how cute she was. I’m used to flowers or a box of chocolate, so when Mirna thrust a puppy into my arms, I was thrown off guard. Utterly helpless, faced with her cuteness. Look at her.”
I glance at the puppy. “What are you going to do with her?”
“Not sure.”
“You could keep it.”
“I would, but she needs care.” Scarlett pauses for another bite of calamari. “And I have a six-month assignment overseas.”
I doubt Scarlett will ever make her dream of working in her mother’s old country come true. Her father has plans for her.
“I’ll keep it, then,” I say.
“You will?”
