Rematch (The Reed Brothers Book 22)

2. Frankie

Ihated lying to Scotty, but I knew that if I told him the truth, he’d never agree to help me. “So, do you remember how, back when my father died, my evil step-monster contested his will?” I’d told him all about it on one of our rare phone calls. “She won and she got everything.” Well, except for my trust. She couldn’t touch that.

“Yes.” He folded his hands in front of him on the desktop. I had all his attention. “She claimed he was incompetent when he left you everything, right?”

“Right.” She snorted. “My father was not a nice man, but he was far from incompetent. He’d found out she was sleeping with the guy that ran the stables and he cut her out of his will. Anyway, after he died, she contested it, had it overturned, and she got everything. But I really only wanted one thing. Well, two actually.”

“The dogs?” Scotty asked, intuitive as ever.

My father had two really expensive—and ginormous—Tibetan Mastiffs. The sire and dam were champions, and they’d come from an even longer line of champions. He’d bought them on a whim when they were puppies from two different breeders of championship puppies. They had been born within days of one another. He’d bought them right after he’d had his first heart attack when he couldn’t work anymore, and he thought the dogs would be good company. A new hobby. I’d gone to stay with him during that time, and I’d gotten really close to the dogs. I’d spent almost all my time with them, and every time I saw them it was like I was coming back home again.

I nodded. “The dogs.” I sucked in a breath. “It’s a great big long-drawn-out story that I know you don’t have time to listen to. Yadda, yadda, yadda, whatever.” I made jazz hands in the air. “Anyway, to make a long story short, I have to fly to Australia to pick up the dogs.”

“Um…congratulations?” He sounded skeptical. “And why are the dogs in Australia?”

“After my dad died, the step-monster packed everything up and moved to the estate in Australia.”

“With the horse trainer?”

I shrugged. “How should I know? I just know that’s where they are. That’s where the dogs are.” I leaned my elbows on his desk so I could get closer to him. “Don’t you see, Scotty? I can get the dogs back.” I winced again. “I just need some help.”

His brow furrowed. “What kind of help?”

“Well, they’re Tibetan Mastiffs. And my step-monster only wanted them because they are worth a small fortune. But she took them and put them in a building on the back of the property, where she plans to breed them, and she ignores them, and they’re living in deplorable conditions. She’s abusing them, Scotty. I have to get them back.” I tried not to sound desperate, but it was hard. Mainly because I was desperate.

“So, what do you need me for?”

“I rented a plane coming out of Australia so we can move the dogs back to the States.”

“Why can’t they fly commercial?” he asked. His brow made that little furrow again.

“Because they’re Tibetan Mastiffs. A lot of airlines won’t fly them. Plus, they wanted me to add all kinds of insurance on them.” I couldn’t exactly add insurance on dogs that weren’t mine. I couldn’t get the appropriate vet checks or flight clearance. There were a lot of reasons why I couldn’t do this the legal way, most of which I didn’t want to explain. I patted my hands on the desk, trying to contain my excitement. “So, can you help me?”

He sat quietly and stared at me for so long that I grew uncomfortable. “Frank…” He shook his head and sighed.

“My dad wanted me to have them,” I put in quickly. “Not her. You know that. And now I can get them. I already made the arrangements for the plane. I just need a pilot. So, you and I can go together to Australia on commercial flights, then we can go to the airfield, where they’ll already be loaded on a plane, and you can fly them right back home. With me.”

“Something doesn’t sound right, Frankie,” he said, and he shook his head slowly. “Plus, I have my kids for the summer. I’m sorry, but…no.”

I hated hearing the word no. “You can bring the kids with you! I’ll pay for their flights. Maybe go to the zoo or something while you’re there. Take them snorkeling. An outback adventure. It’s Australia, Scotty! So much to see and do. And I’d love to see your children again. It’s been so long. The years just keep slipping by…”

“I don’t know,” he said slowly, shaking his head.

“We can take the long way back,” I tried. “We can make a stop in England and show the kids all the places we visited that time we went backpacking through Europe. Don’t you remember how much fun that was?” We would have to stop for refueling anyway. We could just go west instead of east.

He still looked skeptical. “What if she won’t give you the dogs?”

I huffed. “Those dogs belong with me. I’d like to see her stop me from taking them.”

“I don’t know, Frankie. As fond as you are of them, those dogs are still property, and those particular dogs are worth enough to make it a felony to steal them. You can’t just take them. Not to mention animal quarantine laws?—”

I waved that off. “I’ve got it all worked out. Trust me.”

He scoffed. “Famous last words.”

I rolled my eyes. “Would I lie to you, Scotty?”

I would, and he knew I would. I knew I would. We both knew I would. I batted my eyelashes at him.

“Frank,” he groaned, letting his head fall back.

“Please, Scotty?” I wasn’t above begging.