Cruelty Page 5

  He shook his head. “But you didn’t ask me to stay and rub your aching feet, canceling all my other appointments that day.” He did have a point. He had made jokes about my feet smelling most of the time though.

  “Okay fine. That’s one. I said a couple.”

  He thought again, then smiled. “That one time you accidentally ran over that cat. You called me crying, so I rushed over to where you were, helped you wrap the poor thing up, then buried it in the park under a tree because you said cats liked trees. Then I held you as you cried. I’d never seen you cry so hard before. Took a lot to not cry myself because you were so heartbroken. I hated seeing you like that.”

  Theo’s voice became thick and solemn. I glanced over and saw his brows pinched together, as if he were reliving that day. Honestly I was surprised he remembered it so clearly. That had happened right after we met years ago. Seeing him look so sad at the memory made me feel like an asshole. Theo was really good at making you think he didn’t care for much of anything, but deep down, he had a good heart.

  We walked in silence for a bit, the sound of our shoes scuffing against the dark sidewalk. But just as I was about to apologize for being the one lacking sensitivity, he suddenly halted mid stride.

  The abrupt stop had me doing a double take.

  “Do you still care about them?” he asked me, his eyes not lifting to meet mine, but instead just staring at his feet.

  The question sent my mind reeling with confusion. “What? Who?”

  He finally looked up at me and clarified, “The brothers. Your exes. Do you still care about them?”

  My eyes widened in surprise. Why was he asking me that? The desperate way he looked at me had me choosing my next words carefully. I didn’t know why I had to be cautious, but something about that look warned me.

  “It’s been a long time. I honestly don’t know how I feel about them anymore,” I admitted. “Why do you want to know, Theo?” The question slipped from my lips with an air of curiosity—and suspicion. Zoe’s earlier words about thinking Theo liked me as more than just a lay replayed in my head.

  Theo closed the distance between us in the blink of an eye, causing me to jump back in surprise and bump into a car parked next to where we stood. There was barely a foot between us and the smell of his wintergreen gum hit my senses.

  “Because they don’t deserve you, Ella,” he said to me, his eyes flicking between my eyes and my mouth.

  My heart thudded violently in my chest, wondering where he was going with this. Wondering why he was acting so strangely. And finally, wondering what exactly he knew to make that assumption.

  “You don’t know what happened. What would make you say that?” I asked.

  “I heard you and Zoe before I came into the back room. I pretended I hadn’t, but I had. You loved them and they left you out of nowhere. They broke your heart, Ella. Anyone who does that doesn’t deserve you.”

  His admission hit me like a weight straight in the middle of my chest, knocking the wind out of me. And it made me angry. “That conversation wasn’t for you to hear. You don’t eavesdrop on your friends.”

  “And you don’t let your friends make stupid mistakes either,” he countered sternly, pushing even closer into my personal space and practically pinning me against the car.

  “I’m not doing anything, Theo! Who are you to tell me what I can and can’t do?”

  He dropped the bag of food in his hands and brought his hands up to frame my face. “Wake up, Ella! In case you haven’t noticed, I give a shit. I give so much shit about you that it drives me insane because I know you’ll only ever see me as your friend, the playboy, the guy who jokes about everything. Not the man who would give you anything you wanted, if you only asked it of me. You have one of the best talents for seeing the tiniest details in everything you create, yet you are so blind. So fucking blind! Wake the hell up.”

  Quicker than I could really react, he kissed me. Hard. It was a possessive kiss. He didn’t move; I didn’t breathe. He poured everything he had into it, sending a tingling to my toes.

  But just as quickly as it started, it ended. Without another word or glance at me, he grabbed his food from the ground and walked back in the opposite direction away from me.

  I had no words. He’d sucked them right out of me with that kiss. Zoe had been right. Theo was jealous about Luca and Rollins appearing back in my life, yet nothing had even happened. It was like their arrival had snapped something inside of him. He’d never talked to me like that before, let alone admitted anything like what he just had.

  And it left me more confused than I’d ever been in my life.

  The drive to Zoe’s parents to drop off the truck was hard. I bit at my lip and wrestled with whether I should tell her about what happened with Theo the night before. I couldn’t bring myself to do it before we left earlier in the morning, and even after over an hour of following her in the truck, I still couldn’t come to a conclusion.

  On one hand, she was my best friend and I told her everything. On the other, I wasn’t sure if Theo wanted her to know what happened. What the hell had he been thinking kissing me like that then just storming off? I understood he was jealous and upset, but was it really my fault I hadn’t even fathomed he cared about more than just sleeping with me? How could I have predicted that? Other than his usual friendliness, he’d never said a thing or made a move until someone else appeared in my life.

  But that didn’t make sense either. I’d had boyfriends since meeting Theo. None of them were ever serious, but he’d met them and got along fine. Why did the brothers popping back into my life mean anything? They weren’t even on my radar to pursue.

  Who are you kidding, Ella? my mind shouted at me. I might not have decided outright about doing anything about them, but that hadn’t stopped me from thinking of the possibilities. Yes, I was still angry about what they’d done, but again, that was years ago. Zoe was right in saying they weren’t the same people. Hell, I wasn’t either.

  My musings had me so zoned out, I nearly zoomed past the gravel driveway Zoe had pulled into. I quickly cut the wheel and followed after her, flinging poor Pretty—who had been blissfully asleep beside me in the passenger seat—almost to the floor. I snagged her collar just in time to steady her. That didn’t save me from the grunt of disapproval from her.

  “Sorry, girl,” I apologized, giving her all the love I could as I slowed the truck along the drive.

  When we came to a stop in front of a sweet looking country cottage, Zoe hopped out of her car and ran to my door, opening it and looking up at me with concern.

  “Geez, chick! You whipped this beast in. You okay?”

  I nodded, jumping from the truck and allowing Pretty to follow after me before shutting the door. “My mind is just a million places right now. I wasn’t paying attention.”

  “I can tell. What’s got you so zoned?”

  Before I had to decide whether to just come out with the truth or lie, a feminine shriek came from the house.

  “Zoe! My baby!” Grace, Zoe’s mom shouted, wrapping her sweater tightly around her as she rushed off the porch to grab her daughter into a loving embrace.

  “Hey Mom,” Zoe said to her with a broad grin, hugging her back equally as hard.

  I swear, it was like looking at a mirror image of the two of them. Zoe looked almost exactly like a younger replica of Grace. They both had the same eyes, nose, and mouth. The only real differences were Grace’s laugh lines around her eyes, her greying black hair cascading in long, flowing waves down her shoulders, and her dark caramel skin a couple shades darker than Zoe’s.

  Zoe favoring her mom was exactly why figuring out who her birth father was was so hard. They were all three white men with various shades of brown eyes and brown hair. It was safe to say Grace had a type.

  “Oh, Ella! I’m so excited you’re here too!” Grace exclaimed excitedly.

  After releasing Zoe, Grace quickly swept me up in the same fashion she had her daughter, surprisi
ng me by how her tiny frame could be so strong. She’d been the mom I never really had, so she always treated me like I was her own. I loved her for that.

  “Missed you,” I said to her softly.

  She let go and placed a hand on each of our cheeks lovingly. “You girls are getting more and more beautiful every time I see you.”

  Zoe chuckled. “Mom, you saw me last week.”

  Grace leveled her with a stern look, “And you got more beautiful in a week. Take the compliment and shush.”

  Pretty whined at my feet, pawing at Grace’s linen pants. She was clearly affronted she hadn’t been greeted.

  “Oh, now you’re just gorgeous!” Grace said to Pretty, kneeling to give her a bunch of kisses and rubs. “New one I’m guessing?”

  “Yep! Just rescued her.” The amount of irony in that statement was baffling.

  “Well, she is most welcome. I think I have some leftover salmon I bet she’d enjoy. Come on in, girls. I just baked some cookies.”

  We laughed at Grace’s fiery attitude and followed after her, with Pretty running at full speed ahead, likely hoping she was going to be getting fed something. Grace was the best cook and baker, so we were always in for a treat when we came here.

  The sweet smell of brown sugar and chocolate hit my nose the moment we stepped inside. I breathed in deep and let out a happy sigh, already feeling my mouth salivating to get my hands on one of those cookies.

  Grace led us to the kitchen and had us sit on the stools surrounding a large kitchen island. The cookies were already neatly placed on a plate, allowing us to immediately dig in.

  “So, what brings you girls here? I wasn’t expecting you until Daddy Andrew’s birthday dinner in two weeks,” Grace said as she pulled out a few glasses and filled them with milk. She slid the glasses to us and busied herself cutting up some cooked salmon chunks she’d taken out into a bowl for Pretty.

  “Well, we kind of need to ask you a favor,” Zoe said slowly. “Can we store the truck here for a little while?”

  Grace lifted a perfectly arched brow at us and leaned against the counter with her arms crossed. “What kind of trouble are you two in this time?”

  “What makes you think we’re in trouble?” Zoe asked, offended.

  Grace let out a loud laugh. “Baby girl, you come running home to me anytime you’re in trouble. I’m your mom. I know things.”

  “She’s got you pegged,” I said with a laugh, taking another bite of delicious, chocolatey goodness.

  Grace snorted. “Don’t think that doesn’t include you, Ella Mae.” In pure motherly fashion, she used my middle name much like any parent would while scolding a child.

  Zoe pointed and laughed. “Boom!”

  “Shut up.”

  Zoe responded by sticking her tongue out at me.

  “Out with it you two. What am I aiding and abetting?” A very accusatory stare was aimed at us both and her foot tapped impatiently on the tile.

  Zoe and I looked between each other, silently deciding who should spill the beans. I took the reins this time though, since everything technically was my fault.

  “So you know how we sometimes… liberate the mistreated animals of San Francisco?”

  “Mmhm?”

  “Well, we just hit a pretty influential couple’s shelter and they’ve got the police rallied and on our tail.”

  Zoe and I sat there for a moment in silence as Grace processed my confession. Her eyes flicked between us, but she said nothing. I could hear my heartbeat in my ears as we waited. I couldn’t even fully swallow the last bite of cookie I’d taken, I was so nervous.

  After what felt like ages, she finally replied, “Okay. You can park it beside the garage out back.”

  We let out the breaths we’d been holding and sighed in relief.

  “Honestly, I don’t know why you two were so worried,” Grace scoffed with amusement. “You’re good girls and you do great things for those animals. Besides, I’m not one to judge. If you don’t remember, I was the poster child for scandalous actions when I first married Daddy Carl, let alone started a relationship with two more of their precious white men. Women of color and white men marrying was highly frowned upon in my day. Didn’t give a shit then about much of anything. Don’t give a shit now.” She shot us both a wink, making us both crack up with laughter.

  “Where are the dads, anyway?” Zoe asked curiously.

  “They ran to get some lumber. We’re building a new shed to have more space to store Daddy Andrew’s tools. They won’t be back for a little later I’m afraid.”

  “Damn. Well, give them my love. We need to get back so El can open shop.” Zoe stuffed one last cookie in her mouth, like the whole cookie, then laughed as Grace shook her head in amusement and hugged her.

  “I’ll see you girls at the birthday dinner. Love you,” Grace said, kissing Zoe’s cheek then giving me the same firm hug and chaste kiss on the cheek.

  “Love you too,” we replied in tandem, before leaving the comfort of Grace’s home.

  It was always hard leaving. As much as I loved living in the city, nothing beat coming home to the country and just existing in the blissful silence.

  As we began to load up into Zoe’s car, Pretty was having trouble getting into the car on her own, and ended up giving up and whimpering.

  “Aw, are you okay, sweet girl?” I asked her, leaning down to gently rub her face. I moved my hand down and felt along her protruding stomach. “Maybe we should get you to a vet. You’re not far from giving birth by the feel of your stomach.”

  “You think it’ll be safe taking her to any vets near home?” Zoe asked, concern leaking into her voice.

  I shook my head. “Probably not. With our luck, the Darlings will have put it out there to be on the lookout for a pregnant Dalmatian. Can’t risk it.”

  I began to think of my options, but only one really stuck out to me. I needed to take her to the one place that could assist her that wouldn’t raise any red flags. Zoe seemed to be following my train of thought and sent me a not so innocent smile.

  “Baden Brothers it is,” she said.

  I sighed and pulled my phone out of my pocket, taking my sweet time finding their number in my contacts. They had given them to me before I’d left after dropping the animals off. I hadn’t planned to use them, but I guess I needed to. I decided Luca should be the one I called, since he was the safer bet of the brothers to talk to. I could deal with his flirtatious nature far better than Rollins’ burning intensity.

  Here goes nothing.

  It barely rang for a second before Luca’s voice came through. “Well if it isn’t my favorite two-toned lady.”

  Lucky for Pretty, Luca said they could fit her into the clinic whenever I could make it there. Unluckily for me, he sounded way too thrilled about my coming there.

  Zoe agreed to go help Tibby at the shop today since she had the day off to do paperwork for her ongoing case. After taking a quick detour to the apartment to pick up Gus, who I felt bad for leaving alone so much the last few days, I loaded the dogs into my car and headed to the ranch.

  I rarely drove my car, so it was a nice change. I never really needed to in the city, and honestly, other than my dogs it was my baby. I had a thing for the classics and had bought my 1963 Black Mercury Comet with the first big paycheck I got from my shop. It had beautiful chrome rims, a convertible top that Gus loved having down when he comes with me, and cherry red velvet seats. It was well worth the price I’d gotten it for and more. I had to get some work done on it and redo the paint job, but otherwise it was completely intact. A steal if you asked me.

  In true dog fashion, both canines flung their faces into the wind as we rode, not a care in the world and tongues flapping. I laughed at how excited they were. It was such a simple life a dog got to live. I sometimes wished I was as free as those two. This ugly world truly didn’t deserve the pureness of dogs.

  I played some old nineties tunes as we went, enjoying the ride and letting my worries go a
s we closed the distance between us and the ranch. It really wouldn’t be as bad as I kept letting myself think it would be. If I could handle people like the Darlings, I could handle the Baden Brothers.

  Or so I thought.

  Just as quick as the unease had settled, it was back in full force the moment my tires began slinging the dirt of the driveway leading to the guys. It didn’t help that Rollins was outside throwing large bales of hay into the fenced in areas that were now teaming with horses and cows.

  He was in nothing other than a pair of torn, dirty jeans and heavy duty work boots, leaving his tanned, corded torso in full view. The sun was high, licking at his skin and causing a sheen of sweat to glisten across his skin. He caught sight of my car and halted his progress to lean against a wooden post. As I passed him, he tipped his head at me, then opened a large bottle of water and began pouring it over his face and on top of his head. I had to force my eyes away from his now very wet body to keep driving or risk crashing like an idiot.

  He knew exactly what he was doing. He’d seen me watching and was going to play dirty to get my attention. And he’d known he’d gotten it.

  Asshole.

  When I parked my car by the clinic, I wiped at my face to make sure drool hadn’t come spilling out of my mouth. I was here for Pretty. Nothing else.

  Get your shit together, Ella Devlin.

  Doing my best to keep my eyes averted from Rollins, I quickly unloaded Pretty and Gus, leading them into the clinic. I was surprised to find quite a few people waiting in the small lobby area as I entered. I’d seen cars outside, but I assumed it had been staff. It hasn’t crossed my mind they offered vet care here outside of the animals kept at the ranch.

  The part that didn’t surprise me was the waiting clients were all women. Very attractive, well dressed women with hunger in their eyes as they watched Luca talking to one of the vet assistants behind the front counter. Not a single one had looked up when the bell over the door dinged, too engrossed in eye fucking the younger Baden brother until their eyes practically popped from the sockets.