Chapter 24
"J ust where are you taking me?" I look at Abigail with a smirk, unable to contain my excitement about the surprise I've planned for her. I also can't wait to have her arms wrapped around me, clinging on for dear life.
"I told you; it’s a surprise. Trust me, you’ll love it." I pass her a helmet and guide her out of the house towards the garage, skilfully dodging her barrage of questions. Some surprises are best experienced firsthand.
"And I told you that I don’t like surprises. How do I know if I’m dressed appropriately for a start, never mind the risk of not liking it and having to quickly fake a positive reaction."
“You’re dressed like my wet dream, and I promise you, you’ll love this.” Abigail, in her leather trousers and biker boots paired with a white corset and leather jacket, definitely stirs the biker in me as I help her onto my bike.
My Fat Boy 114 was the first big purchase I made as a middle finger to Angus after he tried to have me assassinated. He’d always been vocal about how trashy he found motorbikes and my love for them, so as soon as it became clear that Alex and I wouldn’t get very far on foot or in stolen cars, we hightailed it to a dealership, maxed out our credit cards, and never looked back. Part of me wishes I’d had the chance to see his reaction when I pulled up on it.
“Hold on tight.” Once I feel her arms tightly wrapped around my waist and her body pressed firmly against my back, I rev the engine and peel out of the compound.
The adrenaline rush of pushing the bike to its limits, feeling the wind whip against my face, is a sign of freedom. Abigail laughs behind me, her hair whipping around us, and hearing her sound so carefree and happy strengthens my resolve to do whatever it takes to preserve her innocence. It's a miracle she’s managed to hold onto it this long, and over my dead body will I be the one to take that away from her.
The drive passes all too quickly, and before I know it, we're pulling up to the side street where Perfect Paws' back entrance is located. Dismounting the bike, I hold her steady as she steps off and looks around with a puzzled expression.
“What are we doing here?”
“We’re gonna pet some strays, come on.” I tug her by the hand towards the door, pulling out my set of keys to let us in, ignoring her questioning look for now. She'll understand soon enough why we’re here.
“Logan. We weren’t expecting you today, is everything okay?” We’re barely through the door when Anna, the older lady I hired to run this place, stumbles into the hallway, freezing when she sees us.
“Everything’s perfect, Anna. We’re just here to give the strays some love, if that’s okay?”
“Of course it is, help yourselves.” Anna gives us a warm smile and grabs the printer paper she must have come back here for before heading back to the reception area.
“Lo, what’s going on?” Abigail asks, her hair shaken out from the ride, her expression a mix of confusion and curiosity.
“I’ll tell you once we have some puppies in our laps, and you can't get mad at me,” I say with a smirk, pulling her along to the back room.
“You’re really reassuring me here.” Her eye roll would typically earn someone else a harsher reaction, but with Abigail, it just makes me want to tease her even more.
“I’m glad to hear that. Now, come on, what pup would you like first?” Ignoring her sarcasm, I push her into the room ahead of me and watch as the puppies all dive straight for her with excited yaps and tail wags. If I ever had any doubts about her true nature, this scene would dispel them instantly. Animals are the best judge of character, and it’s clear they adore her. As she settles on the ground with a swarm of puppies fighting for space in her lap, I join her and pick up my own furry bundle.
Never thought I'd be so jealous of dogs, but here we are.
“Time to spill your guts, Viking.” Abigail pins me under her stare with a quirked eyebrow, looking expectant as she scratches one of the puppies behind the ears.
“You know, considering I own this place, you should be careful with that sass unless you want to lose your job.”
“Excuse you? What do you mean you’re my boss, Anna’s my boss.”
“Anna is your manager, but she answers to me. I opened this place a few years ago but quickly realised I didn’t have the time needed to run it myself but also couldn’t stomach closing it down or selling it so…”
“Enter Anna. But why open it in the first place?”
“Because animals are the purest souls and don’t deserve to be abandoned on the sides of streets. If opening this place can help even one animal, it’s worth it. I’d adopt them all if I could, but up until recently, I shared a small apartment with Alex and was constantly on the move.”
“In other words, you’re a big softie behind that tough mafia man exterior.” She nudges me with her shoulder, laughter in her eyes.
“Shh, not so loud. It’s a secret.” I make a show of looking around us as if anyone else is here to overhear her reveal my secret and am rewarded with her laughter.
“I guess I should feel lucky to know about this place, huh?”
“Extremely, even Alex doesn’t know.”
“Considering I get the impression he knows everything there is to know about you, and then some, that says a lot. How can I ever repay you for this honour?”
“He pretty much does. We’ve been more or less on the run together for the past decade after all. Hmm, you could tell me a secret no one else knows?”
“I hope you know we’ll be circling back to that remark. As for a secret, I don’t know if I have any, um... oh! I used to dream of being a baker with a cat cafe. I thought the idea of incorporating two of my favourite things would be perfect but then life got chaotic, and I stopped baking and focused on volunteering when I could.” If the birthday cake she made me on such short notice is anything to go by, then her talents are wasted if she never does anything about it.
“You can ask me anything, anytime, Princess. And I for one, think you shouldn’t give up on that idea so quickly. You could even take some of the cats from here and we could use that as a way to filter people towards wanting to adopt them.” Watching the idea light a spark behind her eyes is like watching magic come to life, and as she gets lost in thought, I start running through ways to help her make the idea a reality.
Maybe it’s time to place a call to my realtor guy and see what’s for sale nearby.