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“And you don’t think the new owners are taking care of her?”
He shot me a look over his shoulder, one that made me feel about four years old. “TheScottsbought her. You know them? Dog-fighting cunts.”
I knew them. And yes, they were. They were right at the top of my eviction hit list.
“Have you asked for her back?”
He didn’t even grace me with an answer. “Piss off and see me mam. And get some of those pissing bars she wants on the windows. She’ll need them if anything’s happened to Casey. Tell the pigs all you want, I don’t give a shit. She’s the only reason I’m out.”
“The early release for good behaviour... that’s because of a dog?”
“Never had a dog, have you?”
He was right. I’d never had a dog in my life. Never had a pet, in fact. My parents weren’t ones for mess. I watched with my heart still pounding as Callum Jackson dug around in his bag, returning to wave a picture in front of my eyes: a battered photo of a scruffy black mongrel.
“She’s notjusta dog to me.” He took it away and shoved it deep in his bag. “I’m all she’s got.”
And she’s all you’ve got.I daren’t speak it aloud. “How long have you had her?”
“Few years. She was a stray, like me.” He slung his bag over his shoulder.
“What are you going to do?”
“Whatever it fucking takes.”
I reassembled my phone, weighing up my options. Ishouldcall the police,shouldcall the office,shouldexplain to anyone who’d bloody listen that Callum Jackson was embroiled in his usual round of shit and needed putting away again. Should, should, should, fucking should.
“If you go up there starting trouble they’ll lock you up sooner than you can blink. Who’s going to take care of your dog then?”
His shoulders stiffened. “Got no choice.”
“You could let me call the police, they could get the rescue people out... take the dog away from them.”
“Sure they will, yeah, and then they’ll just hand her back to me, won’t they? No fucking chance.”
“At least she’d be ok,” I tried. “She’d be safe.”
“She wouldn’t get a good family,” he said, sadness etched across his brutal features. “She’s no good inside, not trained.”
I looked over to tower one. The Scotts were on the top floor, flat fourteen. “You’re sure they’ve got her?”
His eyes were black as coal. “Course I’m fucking sure.”
In spite of every shred of common sense in my body, I closed the distance between me and the man they call savage. “I could go up there, see if they’ll give her up.”
His eyes narrowed, searching me. “Why the fuck would you do that?”
Fuck knows.“It’s my patch, I won’t sit by while tenants abuse animals.”
“No pigs?”
“Let me try speaking with the Scotts first.”
“If it don’t work...”
“If it doesn’t workyou’lldo whatever you have to do, andI’lldo whatever I have to do.”
Dangerous. Every inch of him screamed danger. “If you’re fucking with me...”
