12. Chapter Twelve
Chapter Twelve
Torrent hadn’t been able to sleep last night after he got back. He’d held Cecilia and Calliope as they slept, thinking through ways to make this easier for them. He couldn’t take away the nightmares, but maybe he could make them feel safer.
“Where are we going?” Calliope wondered, reaching for another donut in the box Torrent had bought at the drive-thru. He’d lured them out with the promise of caffeine, sugar, and a present.
“Next town, fifteen more minutes,” Torrent answered.
“And?” Calliope prompted.
“Surprise,” he said.
Calliope sighed loudly from the back seat. “Has anyone told you that your one-word answers are annoying?” she teased, leaning back in her seat.
“Flappy Lips,” Torrent muttered.
Cecilia smiled at his response. “When did you start calling him that?”
“High school,” Torrent replied.
“I’ll wait to ask what started it because I don’t think I want Calliope to learn what you and Maverick were up to in high school,” she reasoned.
“Probably not,” he conceded.
He and Maverick had been little shits, pushing boundaries and thinking they could conquer the world. When they went to jail the first time, they’d had to toughen up fast.
He took the turn into town, heading toward his surprise. He hoped it was a good one. He’d texted Sally to get her opinion, and she’d agreed it was a good option. As he pulled into the shelter parking lot, Calliope gasped.
“Are we?” she asked softly.
He turned to look at her in the back seat of the club SUV he’d brought.
“Are we what? Anybody tell you incomplete questions are annoying?” he countered with a smirk.
A huge smile spread across her face. “Very funny, Torrent. Are we getting an animal?” she asked.
“Okay with you?” he checked, waiting for Cecilia’s response.
She sniffed and nodded. He hoped it meant she was happy about it.
Besides Sally, who’d become the mom he’d always wanted, he’d never cared about what women thought or their emotions.
He’d just enjoyed the Whispers. He got out of the truck, walking around to open the doors for Cecilia and Calliope. Calliope skipped ahead of them.
“Are you sure about this?” she ventured softly.
“Want to make you feel safer,” he reassured her. He held his hand out to see if she’d hold it.
“Okay, let’s find a pet,” she agreed, taking ahold of his hand. Calliope was holding the door open and motioning them to hurry. He guessed by their responses that he’d done okay.
Cecilia watched Calliope fall in love with another animal.
The shelter was so full of them. Being a nurse in a city with long hours, she’d never considered having a pet.
It wouldn’t have been fair to leave them alone for hours, and living in an apartment would have presented its own share of issues too.
“This all of them?” Torrent asked the shelter worker.
Calliope had assured them that she would know who was supposed to go home with them as soon as she saw the animal. Torrent had suggested a big dog that could sleep beside her in bed when he was gone. He thought it might help her nightmares, and Cecilia could see the benefits.
“All except the group that we’d prefer were all adopted together,” the worker explained.
“Story?” Torrent prompted.
“They’ve been raised together, and the owners were killed in a car wreck. No family or friends who want them,” the man shared.
“Show us,” Torrent ordered.
The man led them to an enclosed back area. Cecilia couldn’t believe how quiet their pen was because there were four animals in there but no barking.
“Dog is some type of mix. We’re thinking Doberman, Mastiff, and maybe a little Golden Retriever. The little one is a French Bulldog. Cat is a Maine Coon and…”
“Is that a raccoon?” Calliope interrupted, her eyes widening.
“Yes, the owner found it by its dead mother when it was still a baby. He bottle-raised it. It’s litter box trained just like the cat. The only bad habit it has is collecting trash. If you leave anything lying around, he’ll take it to his bed,” the man warned.
The large dog stood up and walked slowly over to the chain-link gate keeping them in. Calliope put her hand up flat to the mesh. The large dog nuzzled her hand and then licked it, making her giggle. The smaller dog came over and sat down by the large dog.
“Can we go in?” Torrent requested.
“Sure. I’m surprised at them. Usually, they are barking at people,” the worker admitted, unlocking the latch. Torrent walked in, followed by Calliope and Cecilia.
The cat and raccoon immediately came over to Calliope.
She sat down on the floor, crisscrossing her legs.
They both crawled into her lap and lay down.
The large dog came over, nudging Cecilia’s hand.
She bent down closer, scratching behind his ears.
His eyes closed as he scooted his head closer.
Torrent bent down to pet the Frenchie. Although the Frenchie was a little chunky, Torrent picked her up and cuddled her against him.
“Aren’t you a good girl,” he asked the dog softly. The dog licked his neck, cuddling closer.
Cecilia smiled at his behavior. The large dog nudged her, wanting attention. She knelt so her face was even with the dog, wrapping her arms around him. The dog sighed after it placed its face on her shoulder. Maybe having a dog would help, but how would they decide which one?
The shelter volunteer walked back over. He’d left to give them time with the animals.
“What do you think?” he asked.
Torrent looked at Calliope, then at her, cocking his eyebrow. She nodded because how could they break up this family, and she felt calm having the dog’s head on her shoulder.
“We’ll take all four,” Torrent declared. Calliope’s yells of delight disturbed the animals on her lap, and suddenly all the animals were making noises. Cecilia didn’t care about the racket. She loved seeing her sister so happy, and Torrent even had a little quirk to the side of his mouth.
It seemed the shelter was ready to have these animals find a home.
It was less than twenty minutes, and they were taking the animals out to their vehicle.
They’d decided since the animals had been together for so long that they weren’t renaming them.
Of course, when they’d found out the previous owners had loved Halloween and named them with names that fit the Grave Prowlers MC perfectly, it seemed meant to be.
The large dark-colored dog was Monster; the Frenchie was Shadow.
The raccoon was Beast, and the black cat was named Reaper, which she could see was perfect.
If she saw the cat for the first time in the graveyard, she’d be running away because it would scare her.
Seeing the cat cuddling with Calliope, though, had her excited for having animals.
She also learned the value of Prospects.
The last thing she’d wanted to do was go into the store for all the things the animals needed.
Torrent explained that they didn’t have to.
The Prospects would pick up the food, litter boxes—because she and Torrent thought there should be at least two, one in their suite and one somewhere on the main floor for the animals.
He’d let Calliope make a list of the things she thought the animals might need, and the Prospects were shopping for those too—dog beds, a cat tree, toys, and treats.
She glanced to the back seat where Shadow, Beast, and Reaper were sitting with Calliope. The black Maine Coon cat was a tad bigger than the raccoon, but they seemed to be close friends the way they were all cuddling together.
They did have leashes for each dog and a crate for the raccoon and cat if they wanted. Torrent just said he’d carry them into the clubhouse.
Being in the vehicle on the way back gave Cecilia entirely too much time to think.
Torrent was fine with silence, and Calliope was focused on the animals.
Monster’s head was lying on her knee, his soulful eyes staring up at her.
It was getting closer to when Police Chief Eustace Fink would be returning from the conference.
What would the Chief do when his brother was nowhere to be found?
Had he already started calling and not getting an answer?
Torrent reminded her that he would keep them safe, but she worried that it wouldn’t be enough.