Page 24 of Rescue Them

“The police were called to the incident at the grocery store, and Mitchell said the dog involved was put down.”He sighed softly.

“They should puthimdown.”

“Yeah.The lady whose dog was killed can sue him, but by the time the case comes up, he’ll be nowhere to be found.”James hissed and took a drink of water.“Dogs are just property in the eyes of the law, so they have to be handled like any other property loss.It really sucks, but that’s how it works.”He shook his head.“I wonder how we can find out what this guy is up to.”

“Don’t,” Mom told him.“You have no idea what this man is capable of.If he’s willing to sacrifice dogs and maybe other animals, who knows how far he’ll go.Part of this sort of sport is a blood lust.It’s like a modern-day version of the Coliseum, and once people get a taste of that sort of thing, it builds and people don’t know when to stop.”She continued eating, and Lyle wondered where that bit of insight came from.

“But someone has to stop these people,” Lyle said.

“Maybe, but not you.Leave this up to the police.”

Lyle shook his head.“They aren’t looking for him, and they won’t be until he does something to break the law.Right now, his dog was out of control and they put it down, and he may have gotten a ticket, which he’ll pay.I doubt they’re looking for a dogfighting ring.Unless someone reports it, they are going to go on with their work.”

James cleared his throat.“I hate to say it, but it’s true.The police are overworked.Most departments are, so they don’t borrow trouble.Unless someone reports the dogfighting, nothing is going to happen.They have thefts and other crimes that are a higher priority.”

“Lyle, honey.Don’t get involved with this.Promise me.These kind of people are not who you want to mess with.”

Lyle groaned.“Okay.Fine.I’ll do my best to leave this alone.”He rolled his eyes and returned his attention to his pancakes.“When do you leave again?”

“Next week.I have a final doctor’s appointment before I go to make sure everything is ready, and then when I get back, they’ll take care of things.”She had this way of sluffing things off, but Lyle knew it was more important than she was letting on.

“Do you want me to come to the appointment with you?”he asked.

“No, Lyle.This is something I don’t really want to share with anyone.I’ll have it taken care of, then I’ll heal and go back to work and my life.They may be taking out the baby carrier, but they are leaving in the fun parts.”She went back to her eggs, and Lyle ate his breakfast without saying anything more about it.After all, she had made her wishes perfectly clear, and arguing with her was just a waste of air.

“Whatever you want, Mom.I know better than to argue with you.”He ate his pancakes and finished the juice.

“What I’d like is for you to come to dinner later in the week.There are things that you and I need to discuss before I have this surgery.Come on Wednesday.”

Lyle turned to James.“I can come after work.”He didn’t want to speak for James, but he nodded slightly.“Wednesdays are usually our date night during the week, so if he doesn’t have too much work, then he can come too.”

“All right.”

“And I’ll bring the dogs.They can get to know their granny.”He knew his mother was going to hate being called that, but he wasn’t giving her much choice.

Lyle finished his breakfast, and the server cleared the dishes.His mother paid the bill and then stood.“I have a lot of things to get done today.”She kissed him on the cheek and then shook hands with James.“I’ll see you Wednesday.And you two can go back to doing whatever it is you do on Sunday morning.”She grinned and picked up her purse before leaving.She always knew how to make an exit.

Chapter 10

THEY WALKEDthrough the old cemetery on their way back to Lyle’s apartment.It was just on the other side and slightly to the south.“I know you have work to do,” he told James.

“I do.My roommates and I have a study session this afternoon and evening to make sure everyone is ready for classes tomorrow.”He had all his reading down, and his cases were finished.It was tempting to try to pick up where they’d been before Lyle’s mother had interrupted them, but unfortunately there wasn’t time at the moment.

Lyle sighed.“You know.Between my mother and the dogs, I’m starting to think the universe has it in for us.”

James chuckled.“Sweetheart, it will happen.You and I have busy lives, with a lot of commitments and obligations.”God knows he had plenty of them.“There’s no rush.”He tugged Lyle to him and kissed him hard.It may not have been the most romantic place, standing in the middle of a cemetery, but Lyle groaned, and that sound went right to his balls.Damn, he was so tempted to march Lyle back to the townhouse and pull him right up the stairs to that comfortable bed and send them both into orbit.

“Okay,” Lyle whispered as they pulled away.

“What are you agreeing to?”James asked as they continued their walk.

“Anything you want,” Lyle answered in a whisper.

Oh, Jesus.He pulled out his phone and almost texted Anna that he was going to be late but paused.“What I want is to put off what I need to do and stay with you for a while.But….”

“You can’t.The group needs the work you’ve done, and you need to get up to speed on what they’ve worked on.I get that.Me and the dogs will be settled on the sofa watching a few movies and thinking of you.”He waited while James gathered his study materials and then took his hand, and they walked the rest of the way, pausing at James’s car.He kissed Lyle once more and then got in, pulled out with a wave, and headed home.He knew if he didn’t, he wasn’t likely to leave again until the following morning.Sometimes it felt as though the entire world was one giant cockblock.But then he was figuring out that unlike most of his previous relationships, this one seemed to be about more than just sex.

“I HALF FIGUREDyou would blow us off,” Anna said when he hurried inside.She had her books and materials on the table.“The rest will be here soon, so you have time to wash the sex off.”She grinned to herself.