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Janine returned with a manky old collar and a bit of twine. “Best I can do.”
I slipped it over Casey’s neck, praying to God she didn’t decide to make a run for it, the twine would cut my hand to shit. Maybe that’s what Janine wanted. “This will draw a line under the incident, I hope I don’t have reason to call again.” I turned away, pulling gently on the makeshift lead. “Come on, Casey, there’s a good girl.”
The dog responded in a flash, jerking into life and setting off down the corridor. I wrapped the twine tight around my palm, trying my best to keep her close. I waited for the lift to open, heart racing, and had only just stepped inside when I heard Janine’s angry voice calling after me.
“How the fuck do you know the name Casey? Her name’s Peaches!”
I jabbed for the ground floor like my life depended on it.
***
Casey moved like a wild thing when we got outside, lurching all over the place. Even with the twine biting my fingers I kept hold, leading her best I could back to the garages. The enormity of what I’d just done came crashing down. I’d broken every guideline. Fabricated complaints that didn’t exist to make threats I couldn’t enforce. I’d stolen a dog from a tenant, used my position as blackmail. Jesus. I was in deep.
“Casey!”
Callum Jackson’s voice thundered loud on sight of us. I don’t know who ran faster, him or the dog, but I was dragged without choice, in danger of toppling straight onto the tarmac. I let go just in time to avoid a collision, breaking to a halt as she flew into Callum’s open arms. He dropped to the floor, slamming his knees onto the ground without the slightest care as the dog jumped all over him. Her tail was wagging so hard it shook her whole body, and she whined with such happiness I felt a lump in my throat, of the kind I’d only really experienced when watching soppy videos on Facebook. But this wasn’t social media, this was a ringside seat, and it felt all the better for it. I stood and watched in silence, unashamedly voyeuristic as they lolled around in play. Maybe, just maybe, the savage had some humanity in him, after all. This was worth breaking the rules for, sure to God it must be.
When Callum Jackson finally looked up at me, the wariness in his eyes caught me totally off guard. “What happened?”
“Does it matter? They gave her to me, end of story.”
“They just handed her over? Doesn’t sound pissing likely.”
My mood was suddenly crushed like a beetle under a boot, ungrateful piece of crap.
“A thank you would be appreciated...”
“I can’t pay you anything...” he grunted.
My heart shrivelled. I’d felt a part of it—their beautiful reunion—as though in some weird way I was included in their happiness. But no. Of course not. I was nothing—just a nosey-parker estate manager, an intruder. It smarted hard, embarrassment burning.
“I didn’t do it for money,” I snapped. “I did it for the dog.”
“She’s grateful.”
“And you?”
He removed Casey’s crappy collar and cast it aside. “And me, yeah.”
I took in Callum Jackson through fresh eyes. A twenty year old thug, dishevelled and wild. Torn jeans, tight to his skin, his baggy hoodie covered in dirt and blood and all kinds of shit most likely. His jaw was swelling, dark eyes sunken into his skull, but despite all that he was still absolutely fucking gorgeous. A gorgeous monster. A savage. An ungrateful, vicious, dangerous savage.
I adjusted my jacket, smoothed down my skirt. “What are your plans now?”
He shrugged. “Carry on like before. What’s it to you?”
“How are you going to take care of her?”
He frowned. “Same as always. We stick together, me and her.”
I folded my arms. “If you care about the dog, you’ll let me take her for rehoming.”
“I’mher home,” he spat. “Ain’t no one gonna be taking her anywhere.”
“How are you going to feed her?”
“We’ll get by.”
“So, you expect me to rescue her from one bad home, and deliver her straight into another?”
