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I pull up to the front of the house, where Paolo has the Range Rover ready for me. It’s the car the dogs fit into. I walk into the house to find a flurry of activity, a sight I’ve not seen in too long. Lois and several of the staff are gathered around the little puppy who is putting on a show as they ooh and aah over her, petting her, and taking turns cuddling her. Even Pestilence is nudging the little Doberman with his nose, wanting to play.
“Judge,” Lois says, looking up at me from her crouched position. “She is too sweet by far!”
I have to admit, she is charming as she comes over to sniff my shoes, Pestilence settling at my side as I bend to pet her, turning her face up to mine to get a look at her.
“Does she have a name yet?” One of the girls asks.
I lift the puppy and straighten. “Not yet.” I’ll leave that to Mercedes. “Is the car loaded?” I ask Paolo.
“Yes. Mercedes will have enough supplies for a week, and I’ll drop by with more then.”
“Thank you,” I say and whistle for Pestilence to follow. Outside, I open the back of the Range Rover, and Pestilence jumps in. I set the puppy down beside him and watch Pestilence nudge her backward as I close the hatch.
Right now, given what’s happening with Vincent Douglas, I’d like nothing more than to drag Mercedes back to the house and lock her in my room to keep her safe. Well, Douglas is one of the reasons. This puppy is my effort at giving her the space she is asking for. But I’m not above a little emotional blackmail to get Mercedes back here of her own free will. I’ll take what I can get, any scraps she’ll offer me.
How the tables have turned, I think, as I climb into the driver’s seat and head to the condo.
When I arrive, I’m glad I don’t see Solana’s or Georgie’s cars in the lot. Two Rolls Royces are parked side by side, watching Mercedes’s house. I open the hatch of the Range Rover, and Pestilence jumps out. The puppy tries to follow suit but hesitates at the high drop, whining. She sits and looks up at me, her little tail wagging.
Oh, yes. Blackmail.
I pick her up, nod a greeting to the guards, and head to Mercedes’s front door. Pestilence sniffs everything in the front garden before coming to stand by my side as I ring the bell and wait for her to open the door.
Her steps falter when she sees me through the window but then Pestilence barks, his tail wagging as he sees her, and she hurries to open the door. She doesn’t greet me, doesn’t even smile, and before she can say a word about the puppy in my arms, Pestilence is nudging his nose against her, demanding all her attention.
“Hey you,” she says in a warm tone she uses with the dogs. She crouches down and lets him lick her face as she pets him. “What are you doing here?”
I clear my throat and invite myself in.
“Oh,” she says, tone cooler as she looks up at me. She straightens.
“They can’t drive themselves,” I say.
“Hm.” Her gaze moves to the puppy, whining to be free of me, and she smiles wide. “Who are you?” Mercedes takes her from me. The puppy instantly loves her, her little butt wagging along with her tail as she licks Mercedes’s face while Pestilence demands more attention.
“Do you like her?” I ask. Closing the door, I get a look at her belly in the T-shirt she’s wearing. It’s clearly not a maternity shirt because it hugs her tight, leaving a strip of skin exposed above her leggings. It takes all I have not to reach out and touch her stomach, lay my hand over my babies inside, wondering if they’ll recognize my voice, my touch.
When I meet her eyes, she’s watching me. “What is this, Judge?”
I raise my eyebrows, suddenly uncertain of my plan. “You don’t like her?”
“No, it’s not that. I love her.” She says the words so easily, so honestly. Have I ever been so easy with those particular words? Never. “But what are you doing?”
“Well, I thought it was time to get a new puppy. Keeps the boys on their toes.”
It’s her turn to raise her eyebrows. “Really? Because four giant Dobermans aren’t enough?”
I clear my throat. She sees right through me. “She’s for you, actually. I thought since you love the boys so much, you could have your own. The condo is too small for four grown dogs, obviously, but one, perhaps… I thought…” She isn’t going to make this easy. “Paolo will train her, don’t worry. She’ll stay with me until she’s fully housebroken. But I thought Pestilence could stay with you in the meantime.”
Her eyes narrow. “So she’s for me?”
I nod. “If you want her.”
“Like a gift?”
I notice she’s not wearing the necklace, but I bite back my comment. “Yes.”
“What’s her name?”
