Chapter 19
ZINA
I took tentative steps forward, walking toward the place I’d called home for the past four years.
The front picture window had been smashed in.
Just broken glass. That I could live with.
It could have easily happened from a baseball that went too far.
Didn’t mean I was the target of some underground dog-fighting ring organizers.
Bodie had his back to me as I came up the walk. He was talking into the walkie clipped to his waist. I must have scuffed my boots on the sidewalk, because he turned.
“I’ll be in touch.” He clipped the mic to his belt and raised his brows. “Lacey get ahold of you?”
“Yeah. What happened?”
He moved toward the front door and I followed. “Best I can tell, someone threw a brick through your front window.”
“You sure it wasn’t a baseball?” I asked, futile hope making my voice come out an octave higher than usual.
He grimaced. “Pretty sure. We found the brick.”
“Oh.”
Bodie pushed the door open and entered the house first. Shattered glass covered the floor and spread over the couch. The couch I probably would have been sitting on if I hadn’t spent last night with Alex.
“There was a note tied to the brick. I need to take it into the lab and dust it for prints but wanted you to see it first. Maybe you recognize the handwriting?” He picked up a clear baggie from the table and held it out to me.
A creased piece of paper filled the bag. I glanced to Bodie as I took it. “‘Forget about the dogs or else’?”
“I guess they didn’t want to waste any words. Do you recognize the handwriting at all?”
I shook my head. It looked like a first grader had gotten ahold of a black Magic Marker. It wasn’t so much handwriting as it was thick black letters scrawled across a standard piece of notebook paper. “How are you going to figure out where it came from?”
Bodie took the bag back. “Like I said, we’ll dust it for prints. The guys were out here earlier looking for tire tracks and footprints. I’m not hopeful anything will come of it. You must have had a ton of visitors lately.”
“Hardly anyone ever comes out here. What makes you think otherwise?” That didn’t make sense. The only people that had been to my place lately were me and maybe Lacey.
“You’ve got a bunch of footprints around your house.”
“The only people who’ve been around my place are me and Lacey, and I guarantee she hasn’t been casing the joint. Not since she’s supposed to be on bed rest.”
“Hmm. Interesting.” Bodie tipped his cowboy hat back and scanned the interior of the house.
“What’s interesting?”
“Means we’re probably not dealing with an individual.
There are probably a few of them. I’ll need you to check your belongings and see if anything’s missing.
Then you can grab what you need. I’ll have to mark this off as a crime scene since it’s pretty obvious we’re not dealing with a standard act of vandalism. ”
“Sure. Whatever you need to do.” I tried to seem agreeable on the outside but inside I was everything but.
How dare someone think they could scare me away from my own home.
I rummaged through my stuff, checking to make sure my mama’s wedding ring still sat in my jewelry box and my .
357 was still hidden in its case under my bed.
Bodie waited out front while I packed up what I’d need to be away for who knew how long.
He’d better hope he found the people responsible.
Because if I figured it out first, I’d just as soon wring their necks for the pain they’d caused me, not to mention the animals I spent my days and nights trying to protect.
“Got what you need?” He pushed off from where he’d been leaning against the side of his truck.
“I think so. Any idea how long I’ll need to stay away?”
He shook his head. “I wish I knew. I’d say plan on at least a few weeks. If you need to come back for anything, just let me know and I can meet you out here or bring it to you.”
“Okay.”
“Hey”—he reached for my hand and gave it a squeeze—“I’ll figure out who’s behind this.”
“I know.” I held the emotion at bay, not wanting him to see me break down.
“In the meantime, you’re welcome to stay with Lacey and me. We’d love to have you.”
I nodded. “I’ve already had this conversation with your wife. I’ve got to be closer to the dogs. Y’all live too far away.”
“She told me you’d say that. But the offer stands, okay?” He gave me a half-hearted smile. “I’ll call you if I hear anything.”
“Thanks.”
He waited while I tossed my bag in the back of my truck. My tires spun on the gravel as I executed an awkward three-point turn and hightailed it down the drive, leaving my home behind me.
By the time I got back to the warehouse, I only wanted for one thing . . . a shower. I parked in front of the Phillips House and entered the first floor, calling out for Alex or his grandfather. Neither answered.
Alex wouldn’t be happy about giving up his room, but he was staying for free, so he didn’t have a choice. I pulled out a fresh change of clothes and locked the bedroom door. Then I turned on the hot water and prepared to wash away the stress of the day that had barely started.
While the warm water flowed down my body, I considered my options.
Stay at the Phillips House until everything blew over and Bodie figured out who was behind the threats.
He’d been working on this case for over a year already.
The likelihood that he’d be able to bust up the dog-fighting ring and put an end to the threats seemed about as likely as the odds of me settling down with Alex and starting a brood of our own.
I could stay at the Phillips House as long as I needed. Lacey wouldn’t rush me to find a new place. But I had to move the dogs as soon as possible since Alex’s precious penguins would be arriving soon. Which meant I needed to come up with a different temporary solution.
By the time I’d rinsed off, towel dried, and pulled on a fresh pair of jeans, I had a plan.
First step, get through the adoption event this afternoon.
I had twenty-eight dogs I needed to rehome.
It was time to get the word out. And the best person to work with me on that was Lacey.
Whether she liked it or not, I was about to do whatever it would take to get her to put that circle of influence she’d been curating to good use.