Page 232 of Love Me in the Dark

“I learned to mind my own business in that regard.”

“How much are you getting for me?” she asked, surprising me.

“What?”

“How much are you getting to train me to be a little puppy for some sick fucker who will probably rape me over and over and over again until he’s sick of me and then kills me?”

“No one’s going to do that to you,” I said, blocking out the reality that she was completely right to be worried about it. I had no idea what happened to the girls once they left my property. I’d never allowed myself to think about it.

She turned to look out the window.

“Gabby, that’s not going to happen.” I’d have to make a few calls to track down who the buyer was. It wasn’t something I’d ever concerned myself with before, but I wouldn’t allow her to be handed over to anyone that would mistreat her. Just thinking of handing her over at all made my insides twist together.

“If it doesn’t to me, it will to the next girl or the next,” she said softly, leaning her head against the window.

I flipped on the radio, turning the volume up. There wasn’t any reason to continue the conversation the way it was headed. She’d only get more worried and tense and there wasn’t shit I could do about it anyway.

I parked in the back lot of the clinic and turned off the ignition. “Before we go in there.”

“I know. I know.” She put her hand up. “Don’t try to do anything that might actually get me out of this mess, or you’ll do something awful to me.”

I grabbed her wrist and put it back in her lap. “I’m serious, Gabby. I’ve never brought a girl here with me before, Cherise—the manager—will probably be all over you with questions. Be good.” I pointed a finger at her, pressing the tip to her nose.

“I won’t say a word,” she whispered. Her shoulders dropped. “I promise.”

I pressed a kiss to her cheek, then released her.

Cherise greeted us at the back entrance to the clinic. The sharp barks of the dogs in the boarding kennels echoed behind her.

“Thank you for coming down,” Cherise said. “Oh, lord, did I interrupt something?” she asked, glancing at Gabby.

“Cherise, this is Gabriella. An old friend.”

“You don’t have on any shoes!” Cherise pointed at Gabby’s bare feet. “You can’t walk around this place barefoot. Let’s find you something.” She pulled on Gabby’s arm. “Scott’s in exam two.” She waved a hand in the air at me as she took Gabby into the staff room.

I watched them go, unsure of what to expect next. Cherise would probably think Gabby was out of her mind if Gabby decided to tell her the truth of what was going on. But that didn’t mean she wouldn’t believe her. I’d lived here for five years and had no real friends to speak of, for such a small town that was strange.

“David, thank god you’re here!” Scott waved at me from the exam room he’d been stashed in to wait for me.

I gave another quick look down the hall, waiting to hear a scream of alarm or something telling me Gabby was making a run for it. Laughter floated into the hallway. Whatever they were talking about, it wasn’t me.

Or it was.

“Okay, Okay, Scott. Let me look at the X-ray.” I focused on getting Scrappy back to health so I could get my puppy back home and safe, tucked away in the cabin.

I shouldn’t have been so reckless bringing her down to the office. She could get away. It could cost me, but it wasn’t the cash I worried about anymore.

12

Gabby

Spendingtime with Cherise at the clinic while David worked with the sick puppy gave me an opening to find freedom. She’d taken me to the little kitchenette the staff used and found me a pair of old flip-flops that one of the techs had left behind. I tried to explain that I’d been screwing around in the truck on the way over and my sandals fell off, but she only laughed and shook her head. She hadn’t bought it, but she hadn’t pushed for the real story either.

“Look. David is one of the best vets we’ve had in this clinic since we opened,” she said. She looked to be in her late fifties. The roots of her hair were bordering gray, a stark contrast to the deep brown of her locks and she had a pair of reading glasses hanging around her neck. “What he does when he’s not here is his own business. I’ve never seen a man so caring when it comes to these animals or their owners. He never gets short with them, no matter how annoying they get.”

“The pets or the owners?” I asked, wiggling my toes into the sandals. A little big, but better than his shoes had been.

“Both.” She laughed. “Take Scott. That puppy of his is just fine. It takes a week sometimes to get over kennel cough, but he’s a worrywart. Does David get mad that he has to come in on his day off? No. He just picks up and comes down to make sure the dog is doing okay, and to calm down Scott.”