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She looked over her shoulder, licking her lips, and I barely bit down a groan. If she did that again, I was liable to kiss her.
"Why?"
"It's dark. You shouldn't be alone on the streets."
She laughed as we walked out of the room. "You think something's going to happen to me? I don't think there's anyone at all on the streets, let alone anyone who could cause trouble."
"I'm a gentleman."
"All evidence so far points to the contrary."
"All the more reason I should come with you, to prove I am."
She laughed. "Okay. Steve will be happy to have a visitor. I think he's getting quite bored with me.”
Chapter Four
Travis
She took me throughthe back of the Oceanwell Rescue building, opening a door that was locked in two places. It was a pool area, and it smelled like salt.
"Is this saltwater?" I asked.
"Yes, it's very important to keep them in their natural habitat."
"The pool is huge."
"Sometimes we have more than one animal—always from the same species, of course—but it becomes a bit complicated to keep them from attacking each other. But right now, Steve is the only one here." She turned on the lights, going straight to a cabinet in one corner of the room, next to a door. After taking off her coat, she took out a syringe. I looked at the water and saw Steve was flipping around the length of the pool. He'd been silent when we came in, so he was obviously reacting to our visit. Or to the light.
Bonnie knelt at the edge of the pool.
"I've never actually done this without getting into the water, but I don't want to hop in right now. It's always such a drag putting on the neoprene suit."
"Is it really that cold?"
"Oh yeah. Besides, there's no hot water at this hour, so I can’t shower off, and the saltwater is so bad for my skin. The boiler only works until 7:00 p.m. Come on, Steve." He came up to her, resting his beak in her palm. He was surprisingly calm when she stuck in the needle near his fin. "That's it. You're a very good boy. I know this isn't pleasant, but it'll help you recover. I promise you'll be healthy in no time, and then you can go back into the ocean and have fun, maybe swim back to your family if you have one. You just have to be very careful with the fishing nets or you'll be right back here, okay?"
