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“Where you at?” Rook called out, looking around for the black-and-tan beast.
Since that day the dog had curled up in Rook’s lap outside the garage bay, the little shit had only snapped at him twice. However, barking was a different story.
He refilled the water bowl, the food bowl and whistled for the dog to let him outside.
When he opened the rear door that led out to the storage yard, Rook heard tiny feet scrambling. He held the door open and waited. The dog sprinted toward freedom, then slammed on the brakes at the edge of the door frame, staring out at all that white bullshit covering the ground.
“Get out there and do your thing.”
The shaking dog’s front foot was held high in the air and he turned big brown eyes up toward Rook.
“Yeah, snow blows. I feel ya. But the shop ain’t a toilet, so get your skinny ass out there and take a piss and a dump.”
The dog glanced back outside, then took two steps backward and sneezed before once again turning his eyes up to Rook.
“You’re shittin’ me. You won’t go out in snow? You that much of a pussy?”
Asshole yipped sharply at him.
“I get it. Your feet are the size of the tip of my finger. It’s gotta be freezin’ but that don’t give you the right to shit and piss inside. A pit bull wouldn’t be a pussy.”
Three distinct yaps and a sneeze.
“Don’t like me callin’ you a pussy, do you?”
Yap. Yap. Yap. Sneeze.
“Then stop fuckin’ bein’ one!” Rook yelled impatiently, took his boot and scooted the three-pound rat out into the snow. “The faster you go, the faster you can come back in.” Rook slammed the door shut before the dog could run back inside. “Hurry the fuck up,” he yelled through the closed door.
Silence.
Thank fuck.
He pulled out his cell phone and double-checked the time. He needed to get out of there soon for his plan to work.
“You done yet?” Rook yelled.
Yap. Yap. Sneeze.
Rook cracked open the door and pressed his eye to the opening. The dog was out there shivering like crazy. But there was a yellow dot and a couple brown M&M’s in the snow. Success.
He opened the door and Cujo ran back inside.
Cujo.
Yeah. He liked that. He reached down, scooped the dog up in one hand and only got a half-assed nip for his effort. He lifted the Chihuahua up in the air and turned him until they were eye to eye. “Cujo. You like that? Better than me callin’ you Pussy. It’s a tough name. A good name. Worthy of a little asshole like you.”
Grr. Sneeze.
“Glad you’re happy with it. But one more fuckin’ bite and your name will be Mud.”
Huff. Sneeze.
He pulled Cujo into his chest and the dog immediately tried to burrow into his jacket where he had the zipper pulled down partway.
“Don’t got time to hang right now, Cujo. Gotta go do somethin’ important. Promise to come back for you later and take you back to the farm with me.”
As long as his plan didn’t get him arrested first.
Jet inserted the key into the lock and turned it. Once the deadbolt clicked, she pushed open the door to her basement apartment.
She sighed, relieved to be home. First stop, shower. Second, her damn bed for some much needed sleep.
She had to work another midnight shift tonight but before that she needed to head over to her aunt and uncle’s farm to hang with the fam for Christmas. And stuff her belly with good, homemade grub until she fell into a food coma.
While it would be more ideal if she didn’t have to work tonight, as low woman on the seniority list she got stuck working the shitty shifts.
She shut the door and engaged the deadbolt again. After dropping her backpack on the floor at her feet, her fingers worked the large buttons free on her black wool coat.
Once it hung open, she reached for the light switch so she could put it away in the little closet. Her electric bill was high because it didn’t matter what time of day it was, living in a converted basement, the place tended to remain dark. She needed to buy her own place, that was what she needed to do. With lots of windows and light. And space.
Buying a house was an investment, paying rent on a shitty apar—
Before her fingers could flip the switch, she froze as a rush of air and a rustle, along with the heavy boot steps, was heard before a hand came out of the dark to grab her neck and fling her off balance.
The oxygen fled her lungs and her heart jumped into her throat as she bent over to grab for the .38 on her ankle. But before she could get to it, the big hand grabbed her neck again and pushed her against the mirrored closet door and squeezed.
