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Her gut clenched. “Tell me what?” Was Tom living with Javier? Had they gotten married in Vegas? If it was that, she honestly didn’t care. There was no point in holding on to bitterness over her ex’s infidelity.
“It’s Kate.”
Sloane’s knees buckled. “What about her?” She couldn’t handle it if something had happened to Kate. Tears welled up in her eyes even before she knew what was wrong.
“That dick you were married to has her chained up in the yard. She’s been there day and night for over a week. I went over the first few days and made sure she had food and water and played with her, but now Tom has locked the gate and I can’t get in. Her water dish was empty both days I got in there.”
Sloane was horrified. “What?” Kate was her baby. The thought of her suffering in any way made her knees buckle. She wanted nothing more than to hop in her car and drive to Tom’s and hug Kate close to her and reassure her. “Oh, my God, why the hell would he do that? It’s probably eighty degrees outside in Minneapolis!” She started pacing back and forth, unsure what to do.
“Should I call the APL? I can’t even get water to her now with the gate locked.”
“If you call the APL will they put her down?” Sloane couldn’t handle the thought of that. “I should be able to contact my attorney and have an investigation opened, right? I mean, he won Kate in the divorce but this is neglect and abuse.”
“In theory, yes. But how long will that take? I’m going to call Tom and try to reason with him. Me calling is different than you calling
him.”
“Thank you,” she said, voice trembling. “And thank you for letting me know.” The words got caught in her throat. “If something happens to her, I don’t know what I’ll do.”
“Let’s touch base later today or tomorrow. Don’t worry, sweetie, I’ll cut the fence with wire cutters before I let anything happen to your baby.”
“Thanks, Maribeth. I can’t thank you enough.”
She ended the call and realized Rick was watching her, concerned.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
Sloane burst into tears.
“Hey, hey, it’s okay.” Rick reached out and pulled her into his arms.
She let him, though she didn’t wrap her arms around him. She just held her hands in an x over her chest, mind racing. “It’s my dog. That was my old neighbor. She said my ex has had my dog outside for over a week solid, and doesn’t appear to be feeding her or giving her water on a regular basis. It’s hot outside right now and there isn’t much shade to speak of. And the bastard has her chained up, which is not something I ever did. The yard is fenced! Why chain her up?”
That miserable fucker. That absolutely horrible son of a bitch. He hadn’t wanted the dog. He had just wanted to hurt her, which made no sense. She had been a decent wife to him. She hadn’t bitched about his hours as a doctor. She hadn’t overspent his money. She hadn’t cheated. What the hell had she ever done to him that she deserved this? Yes, she’d blown up at him when she’d found out he was cheating, which seemed to astonish him. She wasn’t known for sharing her feelings and it seemed like Tom had thought she’d just quietly accept it. Which she had, after one explosion. She’d told him the one good thing she’d gotten out of their marriage was Kate.
Somehow Kate had wound up the pawn because of those words, which made her feel sick and sorry she’d spoken up at all, even in impulsive anger.
Poor Kate. She was a helpless victim and Tom was a stranger to her. She didn’t know this side of him. But then again, maybe he hadn’t just been hiding his sexuality from her.
Rick rubbed her back. “That is a real dick move. Is the neighbor going to call somebody?”
She shook her head. “No. I’m afraid they’ll take her and put her down. She’s seven. I’m going to call my lawyer and see if there’s anything I can do to get her back, and Maribeth said she’s going to go over and talk to Tom and see if he’ll be reasonable.”
“That all sounds like a good plan.” He pulled back and wiped the tears rolling down her cheeks. “Let me know if there’s anything I can do.”
Sloane sniffed, trying to get her emotions in check. She had to call her lawyer. “Thanks, Rick. I appreciate it.” She turned to her boss, stepping away from Rick. “Winnie, is it okay if I call my lawyer? I can still watch the salon while you’re at lunch.”
“Oh, my gosh, sweetie, of course. Rick and I can take a raincheck on lunch anyway. Rick?”
“Agreed. I just had something come up anyway.” He had pulled his phone out of his pocket and seemed to be texting someone.
“Okay, thanks so much. I’ll go in the break room.” She rushed to the back and called her lawyer but he was at lunch. She left a message and came back out, chewing on her fingernail as she fretted.
Rick and River were gone.
Winnie gave her a look of concern. “What did the lawyer say?”
“Nothing. I had to leave a message.”
