Page 81 of Hiss and Make Up
“Well, she doesn’t live here if that’s who she is.” Sierra dug through his open closet. “Not one piece of women’s clothing. Hey, if Adrien has a girlfriend, that means he could be keeping the snakes at her place. Or maybe it’s some weird business partnership. Or a cousin. Do Adrien and Chloe have any cousins in town?”
“I don’t know.” Marc stared at the screen, unsure what to do next. He’d found his proof about the email, but now they had even more questions.
“Satisfied?” Sierra asked, leaning over his shoulder again.
“Not at all.” Marc shut down the computer, not wanting to stick around any longer and risk getting caught. They’d pushed their luck enough for one afternoon. “But let’s get the hell out of here anyway.”
Sierra nodded.
He followed her out, locking the door behind them. As soon as he hit the first step, the dog came charging out of his house again and barked like he wanted to eat both their faces off. It couldn’t get past the length of heavy chain around his neck, so Marc safely headed toward his car.
When he opened the door, he realized Sierra was nowhere around him, and the barking had stopped.
Marc spun around and found her inching toward the dog, while the dog lowered its head and tail.
“Sierra,” he hissed.
She ignored him and continued toward the dog.
He remembered watching her do this same thing with countless strays when they were kids. But this wasn’t some hungry, frightened stray, and Sierra didn’t have beef jerky to feed it.
If this dog attacked and they needed an ambulance, they’d get police and questions and trespassing charges along with her injuries. But the thought of a single scratch on her bothered him more than any potential arrest.
“Dang it, Sierra. We have to go!” he whisper-shouted at her, knowing his pleas were pointless.
Sierra spoke sweetly as she approached, and the dog wagged his tail at the sound of her voice. He was dark brown, thick, and low to the ground. Some kind of pit bull mix, Marc guessed. Sierra held out the back of her hand, and after a quick sniff, he licked it.
Marc shook his head. He shouldn’t have doubted her. Not on this.
She knelt in the mud, rubbing the dog’s happy face and scratching his ears, but Marc knew she wasn’t just making a new friend. She was checking him for signs of injury and neglect.
Marc tried to approach them, but the dog let out a low growl when Marc took more than a couple steps. “You cannot take this dog.”
“He shouldn’t be chained up like this.”
“It’s not illegal,” Marc said. “How’s his skin?”
“A few flea bites, but not too bad.”
“No sores from being in the mud?”
“No. It’s dry in his house.”
“Good. Is the chain too tight?”
“No. And it isn’t irritating his skin.”
“Water? Food?”
“Full water bowl, and he’s well-fed.”
“Good,” Marc said. He waited for a few moments, but when she didn’t stand, he said, “Sierra…”
“I know, I know.”
“You legally cannot take this dog.”
Her back raised and lowered with a huge sigh. She pet the dog a bit more, then let him lick her face as she said goodbye.
