dogs don’t start off that way, but it’s probably too late. We can’t save them all. That’s why I wanted to rescue Pinky so badly. I thought maybe there’d be a chance.”
How often had he uttered condolences to a family member who lost someone? A weak excuse but all he had left to offer. The tightness in his chest eased. In her own way, Arilyn knew the battle he took on every day. So much loss, but you did it for the occasional win.
“Why’d you name that thing Pinky?”
She gave a half shrug. “Knew a Chihuahua with the name. She kicked butt and carried herself like royalty. Thought the poor thing could use a cool namesake.”
“It’s an awful name.”
She grinned, and his heart lightened. Damn this woman and her ability to make him feel good as much as she pissed him off. It was terrible. “Next time you rescue an animal, you can name her,” she said.
“Catching criminals is bad enough. I’ll pass.”
She pursed her lips, and her green eyes sparkled with laughter. His gaze focused on her lush mouth and what he wanted to do with it. She cleared her throat as if she knew. And wanted it, too. “How are you doing with the smoking?” She jerked her head toward his arm.
“Not bad. I’m on the last level, so I’m almost fit for real society now. Still get the cravings, though.”
“Maybe I can help.” She unzipped her small satchel, fished around, and drew out a purple stone. It had a brown cord attached to it. “Here. I want you to wear this.”
He fingered the rock. Shades of violet and white, it was carved into a type of pendant. “What is it? Heart of the newt?”
She snorted, reached over, and slipped the necklace around his neck. The cord was soft, like a moccasin. It hung low enough to hide in his shirt. When her fingers brushed his chest to tuck it inside his button-down Henley, he sucked in a breath. She paused, and that crackle of electricity struck again.
He tried again for humor instead of tumbling her into the grass. “You didn’t put a love spell or anything on me, did you?”
She yanked her hands away as if she’d been scorched and stepped back. “You’re a real comedian, Officer. It’s a crystal amethyst. Wear it against your skin. It’s a very powerful stone and helps smoking cessation.”
He fingered the polished stone briefly before letting it drop back against his chest. “Didn’t see it in the how-to-quit-smoking aisle.”
“You won’t. Amethyst is known as the master healing stone. One of its many uses is to transform addiction.” He studied the high flush on her cheekbones. “Forget it. I know you think I’m crazy; you don’t have to wear it.” She spun on her heel to flounce off, but he grabbed her wrist, halting her retreat.
“No,” he said softly. “I’ll wear it. I need all the help I can get.” She lifted her gaze and suddenly they were drowning in each other. He suddenly felt like one of those testosterone-ridden chumps from the teen movies. Completely smitten by a girl’s eyes. Ugh. “Thanks.” Better. His voice sounded stronger.
“Welcome.” They stared some more. If a guy saw them, his man card would be officially pulled. “Can I ask you to do something? I wouldn’t ask anyone else, but I trust you.”
He tried to ignore the pleasure that raced through him at her comment. “What?”
“Pinky’s here. She was deemed unfit to be in the kennel with other dogs. She’s completely comatose most of the time, but if she gets close to another dog, she goes berserk. Anthony may not be able to keep her, since they’re too short staffed to give her the proper amount of therapy, plus they need to keep her isolated. People don’t scare her, so she was probably used for bait.”
“You mean bigger dogs attacked her?”
Arilyn nodded. “They try to spur on the bigger dogs. Usually bait dogs are other pit bulls meant to antagonize, but sometimes they’ll use a smaller dog and keep them away to taunt the dogs. She was probably never mauled but consistently threatened and frightened on a regular basis. Something may have snapped.”
“Sons of bitches,” he muttered. “The house is on my radar, you know. I called in a few tips and we’ve got the place being watched. Any more dogs that go in will be caught immediately.”
Her face softened. “Thank you. If you’d just sit with Pinky, it would be a great help. Talk