Chapter 3 #2
Lucky smiled. He moved his head without picking it up and saw Angel had shifted so she could get a bit closer to him. Her dark brown eyes were focused on him, and she’d actually put her head on his hand.
“You like that, girl?” he asked. Using his thumb, he gently caressed the side of her muzzle. It was the only thing he could reach. Amazingly, Angel didn’t move.
The cat, which had been nestled between Angel’s legs, seemed to want in on whatever her adopted protector was getting, and she inched her way forward as well. Her head butted against his other hand, and Lucky smiled again.
The cat looked like she was in as rough shape as Angel.
Her tawny-colored fur was matted in places, but she had the most beautiful and expressive green eyes he’d ever seen.
“Hey. I have no idea if you’re a boy or a girl, but you’re awfully brave, aren’t you?
And look at those long whiskers,” he crooned.
“How about if I call you Whiskers? What do you think of that?”
The cat butted its head against his fingers again, demanding pets.
Lucky didn’t dare laugh out loud, in case that would startle his new friends.
He acquiesced to the cat’s demands and used his fingers to pet its head as well as he could in his prone position.
He could see the cat was older than he’d first thought, making it obvious the pair had been together for longer than just a few weeks.
“So, Angel and Whiskers, you think you might want to come home with me? I promise, if nothing else, it’ll be a hell of a lot quieter than it is in here.”
Whiskers began to purr softly, Lucky could feel the vibrations against his fingers, and Angel actually closed her eyes as she lay on his hand.
Thirty minutes later, Rebecca appeared at the front of the kennel. She stared at Lucky in disbelief.
He’d changed position and was now sitting with his legs crossed, both Angel and Whiskers in his lap. The dog was probably about twenty pounds and the cat wasn’t much more than five, if he had to guess.
When he’d sat up, both animals had scurried back into the corner. Lucky had pulled the blanket in the other corner onto his lap and kept talking to the pair, low and easy.
Whiskers had been the first to move, stepping closer to him and eventually climbing onto the blanket on his lap. Angel had become distressed, and had quickly joined her friend, probably wanting to protect her. But after a few minutes, and more pets, both had relaxed.
“Holy shit,” Rebecca said softly. “If I wasn’t seeing this with my own eyes, I’d never believe it.”
Lucky smiled. “I’ve got a way with animals,” he told her.
“Yeah, I can see that,” she retorted. “You think you can pick them up? Or will they freak?”
“I’m not sure I can even stand,” Lucky admitted. “I think my legs are asleep.” They smiled at each other. “But yeah, I’m thinking I can probably carry them.”
“We’ve got a crate you can put them in to transport them home,” Rebecca said. “I just ask that you bring it back; we need all the supplies we can get.”
“No problem,” Lucky told her.
Thirty minutes later, he was in his Sierra with two very scared animals in a crate in the backseat.
Lucky sighed. He hadn’t planned well. He needed food and beds and leashes and collars.
He’d kind of thought he’d pick out a cat, stop at the store real fast on his way home, and be good to go.
But there was no way he could bring Angel and Whiskers into a store, and he wasn’t going to leave them alone in his truck either.
Both animals needed a bath, badly, and they needed to be examined to make sure they were healthy. The shelter had given them shots, and even had both animals spayed, but he still worried about their overall health.
“Don’t worry, guys. I’m going to call somebody, but she’s good.
She’s gonna love you, and she won’t hurt you.
” Lucky wanted to laugh at himself. He was talking to the dog and cat as if they could understand him.
But a part of him believed they could. At least in theory.
Animals were very good at picking up nuances of the human voice.
If someone was upset or mad, they knew it.
If they were relaxed and happy, they reacted accordingly.
He clicked on the Bluetooth in his car and selected Devyn’s number. Grover had told him that Devyn had the day off today.
“Hello?”
Everything about Devyn appealed to Lucky. Even her husky voice. “Hey. It’s Lucky.”
“What’s up?”
“I need your help. But I want to make things really clear from the start—your brother told me to do this as a way to manipulate you. To give me a way to spend more time with you and to make sure you’re all right. But that’s not what this is,” Lucky said.
Devyn chuckled nervously. “Oooookay. That sounds ominous.”
“I just didn’t want Grover to say something later and have you misconstrue it. I mean, I don’t think it’s a secret that I want to spend time with you. That I like you a hell of a lot. But I didn’t do this as a way to force you to hang with me. I want you to want that because you like me back.”
“You’re making me very nervous,” Devyn said. “But I appreciate your honesty. And while we’re being honest, I like hanging out with you already, you don’t have to come up with fancy excuses.”
“I appreciate that,” Lucky said, although he was afraid to ask if she liked hanging out with him as a friend of her brother’s, or if the possibility for more existed. He was too much of a chicken at the moment to even go there.
“So…what do you need me to help you with?” she asked.
“I kind of adopted a dog and a cat, and I have nothing for them. No food, no litter box, no beds. And I need it all. But I don’t want to leave them alone in my townhouse while I go out, and I can’t bring them into a store with me.
I was hoping maybe you wouldn’t mind picking up some stuff and bringing it to my place?
And when you get there—if they’re okay with it—maybe taking a peek at them to check them over? Health-wise.”
There was silence on the other end of the phone for a long moment.
“Devyn? Are you still there?”
“I’m here. You kind of adopted a dog and a cat?” she asked.
“Yeah,” Lucky sighed. “Grover suggested that it would help me get in your good graces, but honestly, I’ve been thinking about getting a pet for a while.
I grew up with animals, and with everyone getting married and having babies, we’ve all been hanging out a lot less outside of work.
And I’m not afraid to say it—my place is lonely.
So I thought I’d get a cat. Except, then we walked by a kennel with a dog and a cat.
A bonded pair. They were scheduled to be euthanized later this week. I couldn’t leave them.”
“Holy shit, Lucky’s a total softie,” Devyn murmured.
“Shhhhh, don’t tell anyone,” he joked. Then he sobered.
“They’re scared to death, Dev. Skittish as hell.
It’s breaking my heart to think about why they’re so scared of people.
I got them to trust me at the shelter, but I have a feeling they’ll be completely freaked out when I get them home. I just…I need help.”
“I can be there in forty minutes or so,” Devyn said without hesitation. “Do you have their records? Did the shelter give them any medical care?”
“Yeah. They’ve both been spayed, so they’re both female. They’ve got mats in their fur, and I think they’re both underweight, but the shelter gave them all the required shots…rabies, parvo, kennel cough, that sort of thing.”
“Okay, that’s good. You know I’m not a vet, right?” she asked.
“I know, but you’re a damn good vet tech.
I realize I need to bring them in for a complete workover, but I can’t do that when they’re so scared.
They need time to relax. To see that they’re safe with me.
That I won’t hurt them. And shoving them back into this crate and hauling them off to be poked and prodded isn’t going to do a damn thing to make them trust me. ”
“You’re…This is a side of you I haven’t seen before,” Devyn admitted.
“What, a Delta Force Operative can’t be concerned about two helpless animals?” Lucky asked, a little snappier than he probably should’ve.
“It’s not that. It’s just…most people wouldn’t care this much about a stray dog and cat.”
“I’ve seen a lot of shit on missions—animals being abused in the worst ways—and I haven’t been able to do a damn thing about it. But I could do something for Angel and Whiskers.”
“Do you have a preference for food or anything else?” Devyn asked in a tone Lucky couldn’t interpret.
He mentally kicked himself for talking about abused animals.
“No. Although neither are really young, so don’t get kitten or puppy food.
Oh, and I’m thinking a pink collar for Angel; she seems as if she’d like that.
Don’t get retractable leashes, those are dangerous as hell.
And get Whiskers a harness so she can go on walks with us.
I have a feeling she won’t be happy if I take Angel for a walk and she doesn’t get to come too.
And the dog bed should be really fuzzy. Big enough for a thirty-pound dog and ten-pound cat, because they’re inseparable.
They don’t weigh that much right now, but I’m sure I’ll overfeed them when they give me the pathetic dog and cat eyes.
Oh, and toys! Get some harder ones Angel can chew on, and some of the stuffed ones.
We’ll have to see if she destroys them to get to the squeaker inside or not. And catnip stuff for Whiskers—”
Devyn burst out laughing.
“What?” Lucky asked.
“Nothing. So you want me to get half the store then?”
Lucky chuckled. “I’m being ridiculous, I know. But you didn’t see them, Dev. They need pampering more than anyone I’ve seen in a very long time. You’re gonna fall in love the second you meet them.”
“I’m sure I will,” Devyn said quietly. “Okay, I’m out of here. I’ll be at your place as soon as I can. I’m not sure how much stuff will fit in my Mini Cooper though. Do you need a crate?”
“Yeah, I think I do. They’ll feel safer in there.
I need to bring the one the shelter gave me back to them.
It’ll be a place they can hide in if they need to.
I’m thinking a plastic one. Medium. I can call Grover or one of the other guys to pick it up if it won’t fit in your car.
You really do need something bigger, Dev. ”
“Nope. I love my Mini. It’s old, but it runs great and it’s not boring, like a sedan would be. I’ll see what I can do about the crate. I agree with you that if Angel and Whiskers are already skittish, having a crate for them is a good idea.”
“Thanks for helping me out,” Lucky said.
“Of course. See you soon.”
Lucky clicked off the phone at the same time he pulled into the parking space in front of his townhouse.
He lived in an end unit in a row with five others.
His neighbors were mostly military families, and he’d never had any issues with anyone.
He had no idea if Angel was a barker, but he hoped not for his neighbors’ sakes.
So far he hadn’t heard the dog make a sound, so he hoped that boded well for his future relationships with his neighbors.
“We’re home,” he told his passengers. “I know this is all very scary, but I promise your lives will be smooth sailing from here on out.”