The girl nodded hesitantly.
“Good.” Sabrina nodded again, lifting her gaze to make eye contact with the rest of the group. “Good news is I don’t care what’s in your drink as long as you’re 150 feet away from this seal pup.” She projected her voice once more. “Bad news is the police are on their way, and if you don’t leave right now, the police will probably have some questions. Up to you.”
“The fuck we will. Who the hell are you?” A broad-shouldered young man stepped towards Sabrina.
Sabrina didn’t hear Cesare, or even see him move. All she knew was one moment, someone almost twice her size was moving towards her. The next moment, Cesare’s muscled back was all that she could see.
“Do it.” Cesare growled, standing between Sabrina and the aggressive partygoer. “Try it, go on.” He urged, with an audible cut to his words and threat in his tone.
“Whatever, man.” The overgrown student muttered, backing down and walking away with a scowl.
The crowd reluctantly dispersed, and the young girl who had originally called stood fidgeting nervously.
“Thank you for calling us. You’re not in any trouble.” Sabrina reassured. “I just needed to get rid of the crowd as soon as possible.”
“Are the police really coming?” She asked, biting a lip.
The small sea lion pup gave another cry of distress, and Sabrina knelt down beside it to better examine its condition. Despite the report that it had been tangled in netting, it seemed to simply be tangled in ropes of seaweed.
Sabrina looked back up at the girl, then looked around the beach at the rapidly departing students. “I don’t see any reason for the police to come, do you?”
She shook her head.
“My name is Sabrina. What’s yours?”
“Allison.” The girl whispered. “Some of the guys were trying to pick him up, but we told them not to.”
“Is that when you called?” Sabrina asked.
Allison nodded. “The pup was here the whole time. Someone said they saw it on the rocks earlier, but I think it was asleep. It didn’t make any noise until after more people arrived and the music started.”
Sabrina made a humming sound, frowning at the appearance of the malnourished leopard seal. “All right, thank you for your help, Allison. We really appreciate your calling. Is there anything else you may have seen or noticed about the pup that we should know?”
The girl shook her head mutely.
Sabrina gave her another smile. “Thank you. We’ll take it from here.”
Allison hastily left, as neighbors from up the road gathered on a walking trail leading to nearby beach cliffs with a view of the beach.
Cesare stepped forward, kneeling beside Sabrina, examining the visibly weak pup. “What are your thoughts?” He asked her.
The sound of a flash went off behind them, and Cesare turned just enough to confirm it was Travis taking the photo before looking back at Sabrina.
“This fluffy fur, it’s called lanugo, and it’s normally shed before they are born. He’s still covered in it, so he’s likely premature. It may be why the mother left. If he’s been here all afternoon and Mom still hasn’t come back to feed him, it sounds like abandonment is very likely. He doesn’t seem to have any injuries or wounds, but he’s definitely dehydrated and sounds hungry.” She surmised. “He’s probably pretty scared.” Sabrina added, this time with no small amount of empathy.
Travis approached the seal, keeping a few feet away, and took a few photos. “Should I get the crate from the van?” He asked Sabrina.
Sabrina sighed. “Yeah. That would be best. I doubt he’ll make it if we leave him here like this.”
Travis left without a response, moving quickly toward the van.
Cesare furrowed his brows. “What happens next?” He asked.
Sabrina gave him a rueful look. “Premature baby seals have to be fed every two hours, which means I’ll be sleeping at the rescue for the next couple of nights until we can get one of the bigger partners to take him on Monday.”
Cesare gave Sabrina a considering glance before leaning in slightly. “How do I make this easier for you?” He asked.
Sabrina felt her cheeks go pink. He had no right sounding so husky and attractive, or looking so smoldery and sexy out here in the open. “What do you mean?” She asked.
