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Opening the door to the small conference room, Pork was immediately taken aback by the beautiful woman seated at the table. Her hair was cut short around her ears, a beautiful silvery-white color. No box dye jobs for this woman. She was au natural. Her pretty brown eyes smiled up at him, the soft pink of her skin giving way to a small amount of modesty.
“Ms. MacAfee?” he said in a low voice.
“Please, it’s just Katherine,” she said, extending her hand. He gripped her small hand, a wave of pleasure and heat gliding over his body.
Fuck me.
“Pork. I mean, my teammates call me Pork, but my name is Forrest Milner.”
“So, what should I call you?” she chuckled.
“Anything you like, ma’am.” Behind him, someone cleared his throat, then walked into the conference room.
“Forgive our friend,” said Dex, followed by Parker and Jean. “He doesn’t spend a lot of time around the fairer sex.”
“I’d say that’s a vote for him,” smiled Katherine.
“I’m Dex. This is Parker and Jean. We’re part of our animal rescue and training team,” he said. “I understand that you bought a dog that was pretty sick.”
“That’s not the half of it. When I returned to confront the men, they threatened me and tried to grab me. Two young men, who said they knew someone here, helped me.” Jean nodded.
“Yes, they knew my great-nephew from high school,” said Jean. “Good kids, both of them.”
“They were very nice. So was the police officer and the man from animal control. Apparently, they’re seeing a lot of this,” she said nervously. “The dog I bought was supposed to be a purebred German Shepherd. I took him to my vet right away to get a good physical on him. She said he was covered in fleas, he had heartworms, and his leg was messed up.” She wiped her eyes as the men watched, disgusted by what they were hearing.
“Are you alright?” asked Pork.
“No. I’m sorry. When I was driving over here, she called to tell me the puppy had to be put down. I’m out five hundred dollars, not that I care about the money. It’s just that we’re talking about a defenseless animal. He was just a puppy.”
“Did they give you any papers? Anything to indicate the dog’s breed, where he came from?” asked Dex.
“Nothing. It was stupid of me. I know that now, but the only other dog I had was given to me as a gift from my father.”
“What made you want to get a dog now?” asked Parker.
“I’m a middle-aged woman who lives alone. I divorced about eight years ago, but my ex seems to want to annoy me on occasion. I thought the dog would help deter that.”
“We understand,” said Dex. “Although it seems right, you should never buy a dog expecting it to protect you or save you. It doesn’t work that way. Buying from reputable dealers and breeders is always preferred. It costs more, no doubt, but in the end, it’s worth it.”
“Yes, I’ve learned that painful lesson,” she frowned.
“You know,” said Jean, “my niece is the veterinarian out at the animal center. I think she mentioned that we had a few dogs that were brought in. Adults, already trained. Someone had to give them up due to a move.”
“Really? Would they sell one to me?” she asked excitedly.
“I think we could work something out,” smiled Dex.
“What about those men? I want them punished and stopped. They’re going to keep selling to other unsuspecting people. It’s just not right. Plus, those poor puppies were in cages too big for them. One of the young men who helped me said the dogs’ paws and legs could slip through the mesh and get damaged.”
“That’s probably what’s happening,” said Dex. “Unfortunately, it’s something we see all the time. Our team tries to rescue animals that have been abused. We even had an elephant here for a while.”
“An elephant?” she asked, surprised. The men chuckled, nodding their heads.
“My niece and my mother have hearts as big as Louisiana. They don’t turn away any animal, and my mother seems to have a particular fondness for dogs three times her size.”
“I love that,” smiled the woman. “May I see the dogs?”
“Yes. We’ll take you out there in a minute. I think we’d like to get whatever information was filed with the police so we can let them know that we’re looking into this as well. Then, we’ll get another statement from you and see what we can find out. We’re going to stop these men. I can promise you that.”
