Chapter 33 #2
I stopped pacing and eyed the door, wondering if I needed to make a break for it. Though I wasn’t exactly on the run, I wasn’t in trouble. It was the mere aspect of being in the same room as Stu that triggered my fight-or-flight response.
"Ma'am?"
My head whipped towards the counter, where a woman was standing with an uneasy smile. She could probably see the anxiousness in my eyes.
"You were looking for the head of stray intake? Did you lose a dog?"
I swallowed, my eyes flickering from the door and then back to the woman behind the desk. "Yes. Do you think we could talk somewhere?"
She nodded, disappearing from behind the counter and reappearing behind a door that read 'kennels.’ The woman pushed it open with a wary smile and waved me through.
I followed her back, my eyes sweeping each kennel we passed by, hoping to see Rookie.
"Do you have a picture of the dog?"
"I– uh– yeah, yes. Just a second." I pulled my phone from my pocket, swiping through the pictures until I found one of Rookie sitting at the foot of our bed, my eyes immediately welling with tears. "It's uh– This is him." I showed her my phone screen, swiping at the tears falling down my cheeks.
"Ah," she sighed, wringing her hands together. "He was brought in last night."
I nodded eagerly. "Yes, can I see him? Please? I wanna take him home."
She chewed on her lip, her shoulders dropping. "It's out of my jurisdiction."
"What does that even mean?"
"The police brought him in; there's a mandatory quarantine. I can't– there's nothing I can do."
My heart sank, "Please, I–I'll pay whatever it takes, please! He was–" I took a slow breath, attempting to control my emotions. "Just– hear me out, okay?"
I rubbed my lips together anxiously; my whole body seemed twitchy and nervous.
"My ex-boyfriend. He–" I gulped, my eyes filling with tears again.
"He was abusive. I finally left him, and I– I moved on with someone who treats me so well, and I'm so happy.
He can't stand to see it. So, now he's taking it out on everyone in my life.
My boyfriend–" my voice cracked thinking about Rhys in jail, "My dog.
I– I want Rookie home. He's completely innocent in all of this, we all are, and I just– I want him home.
I have five thousand in cash I can give you now.
My boyfriend and I have money, and my best friend works for a PR firm.
I can get you sponsored by the Boston Bandits by Wednesday.
Please, just–" I took the cash from my pocket, shoving it at her while tears streamed freely down my face. "Please help me."
Her brows furrowed as she stared at the cash in my hands. "I–" she swallowed, anxiously looking at the camera in the corner of the room. "Come with me." She turned quickly, her short legs carrying her at a surprisingly fast pace as I struggled to keep up in Dom's sweats.
She pushed through another set of doors, leading me through a dim hallway before she reached an office door. She held it open, ushering me inside.
I walked through the threshold, standing off to the side while she closed the door behind us.
"Are you safe from this man?"
I stared at her for a second before my lips started quivering. I'd been so concerned about Rhys and Rookie that I hadn't really stopped to think about myself. "I think so. He seems to– I think he wants me to suffer by taking away the things I love most."
Who knew this damn dog would pull my heartstrings like this?
She nodded. "Okay. I need to– Just–" she sighed, "I was you once. Scrambling to pick up the mess left by an asshole who couldn't take no for an answer. I'm sorry."
I didn't trust my voice, so all I did was nod.
"I'll go get him, okay? I need to shut off the cameras. Give me a second, and I'll have your baby back."
Her words lifted a massive weight from my shoulders, my knees threatening to buckle at the relief that consumed me. "Really?"
She nodded, "Of course." She turned to do something on the computer, her fingers typing quickly. "Okay, the cameras have 'malfunctioned' for about ten minutes. I'm gonna go grab him, I'll meet you out front?"
"Yes, of course," I agreed quickly, hoping she wouldn't change her mind. "Here." I pushed the wad of cash in her direction, but she shook her head.
"No, keep it. Just get me that sponsorship?"
I smiled my first genuine smile since last night. "You got it, I promise."
"Sounds good." She smiled in return, then gestured for me to exit the room. "Just down that hall and through the kennels. I'll have him out in just a sec."
Without thinking, I threw my arms around her shoulders, wrapping her in a tight hug. "Thank you, oh my god! Thank you so much!"
After a moment of hesitation, her arms wrapped around me, too. "I'm sorry this is happening to you."
I pulled away, keeping my hands on her shoulders. "I'm sorry you went through it, too."
It felt like maybe both of us needed that hug.
After a second, she snapped out of the moment. "We only have ten minutes."
"Right, I'll meet you out front."
I worked my way back through the maze of the hallway and through the kennels, pushing through the door to the lobby.
I was getting Rookie back. I wasn’t even remotely close to getting Rhys out, but I got Rookie. A small piece of the man I loved was going to be in my arms in just a few moments.
Even though she declined my money, I still felt obligated to thank her somehow. "Excuse me?" I walked back over to the desk, and the same man was sitting on a stool next to the computer. "Do you have an envelope?"
He nodded, searching through a drawer for a second, pulling out one, and sliding it across the counter.
I thanked him, parting it open out of his sight and sliding the cash inside. Once it was sealed, I set it back up on the counter. "Umm– A pen? And the name of the lady who helped me?"
He slid a pen over to me. "Chrystal."
"Thank you.” I wrote her name across the top of the envelope and slid both objects back toward him. "Make sure she gets this after I leave, please."
He eyed the envelope, then looked back up at me, "Oh.. kay?"
Before I could thank him again, the doors pushed open, and Chrystal walked out with Rookie on a leash. I could tell the second his eyes landed on me, everything about his demeanor changed. Rookie’s ears perked up, and his tail started wagging.
He felt safe again.
I rushed over and fell to my knees, wrapping my arms around him and holding him close while he whimpered with excitement. My eyes filled with tears once again, a small boulder of relief chipping away from the mountain that weighed me down.
I had Rookie. He was safe; I was taking him home.
There was still a myriad of things that I needed to do, but knowing that Rhys’s dog was safe slowed the downward spiral my life seemed to be taking just a little. I had a tiny bit of control back.
"Thank you," I whispered, looking up at Chrystal. Her eyes were glassy with tears, her eyelids blinking rapidly to keep them from falling.
She cleared her throat. "Of course. Be safe." She nodded once with a soft smile on her lips before disappearing through the swinging doors.
I took Rookie’s leash in my hand and led him through the front door, knowing what my next step was going to be.
My staying with Cami and Dom was already a huge imposition, and with Cam's allergies, I would feel horrible if Rookie stayed with me. It hurt to think about not being with him, but I knew the best thing for everyone was to take him to Lisa and Jim’s.
He could stay with them while I tried to get my and Rhys’s life back in order.