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Grant checked the security gates, quickly looked around the perimeter, checked the security logs, and when he was happy, he stepped into the kennels and looked in at the dogs. The moment he opened the door, like so many times before, the dogs moved to the front of their kennels. He had attempted to take them all for a walk at the same time, but that hadn’t worked. So, he managed about three big dogs at a time, or four small ones.
Walking down the main aisle, he talked to each of the dogs, wishing them a good morning. When he came to the last kennel, he paused. Wanda, the big German shepherd with a heart of gold, was curled up at the back of her kennel. Not even on the bed he’d gotten for her.
“Wanda, girl, what’s the matter?” He didn’t like this.
When he was first assigned to dog duty, he didn’t have a clue what he was doing. He ended up going to Maddie for advice, and she said to constantly pay attention to the dogs. He would eventually learn their habits—what they liked, how they reacted—and he’d know when something was wrong. Something was definitely wrong right now, and he wasn’t happy.
Pulling out his keys, he found Wanda’s key and flicked the lock of the cage. There was no wagging tail. No sign of her even knowing who he was.
His heart raced. This was bullshit.
As per Maddie’s instructions, even though he and Wanda had been getting to know each other over the months, he took his time approaching. The dogs had come from illegal dogfights and he was aware Bull had stuck his neck out to stop them from being euthanized. They had even gotten a dog trainer and were doing what they could to help the dogs.
Grant couldn’t do it. He couldn’t end a dog’s life. It wasn’t their fucking fault. Now, the men who were responsible, most of them, if not all, were fucking dead. Six feet under. And he was fucking glad of it.
Only, on moments like this when one of the dogs was not acting their usual way, he wanted to raise them back up from the dead and kill them all over again. Now that would be fun. A lot of fucking fun. He could totally handle that kind of death and torture.
Wanda didn’t sniff his hand, didn’t come to him. He had no choice but to shuffle forward on his knees and as he did so, he started to feel fucking old. The cold floor on his knees was not a fun experience, not by a long shot.
“Hey, girl, come on, are you going to give me a smile?” he said.
Nothing. Wanda kept her head on her paws and didn’t move.
Gritting his teeth, he cut the crap and went to her. He ran his hand down her back and she did nothing. That was it. He was taking her to the vet. He had no choice.
He pulled up Bull’s number on his cell phone but then hesitated. Bull was an irritating bastard and would tell him he was worrying for no good reason.
“Fucker,” Grant said.
There was one person who would understand his issues, and as soon as he dialed Maddie’s number, he felt a million times better. He did so with a smile.
“Grant, what’s up?” she asked, her voice low.
There was so much he could say to wind her up but Wanda was the priority right now.
“Wanda’s acting strange. I don’t like it. I need to take her to the vet. Can you phone Bull, get him to send a couple of the guys over while I deal with her?”
“Wanda, is she okay? She has struggled over the past few months,” Maddie said.
“I know, and I’m not liking this behavior. She’s never been like this.”
“Understood. Take Wanda to the vet. I’ll deal with Bull.”
“He’s … er, going to be pissed.”
“I don’t care. You’re doing what I’ve asked.”
He smiled. “Love you, Maddie,” he said.
“Shut up, Grant. You know Bull will be pissed with you for calling me. I’m not an idiot. Go and take care of her.”
He said his goodbyes, hung up his cell phone, pocketed it, and then looked at the task ahead of him. Wanda wasn’t going to be helpful. He had no choice but to try and get the dog up into his arms and then out toward his truck. Now he was glad he arrived in his truck rather than his bike.
With Wanda in his arms, and she was fucking heavy, Grant managed to get her out to his truck. He hated the idea of leaving the other dogs, but didn’t have a choice. He locked the doors and pocketed his keys. The brothers all had keys of their own.
There was a new veterinary practice on the outskirts of town, and he had started to use that one rather than calling one of the city vets. The last practice had been shut down years ago.
With Wanda in the back seat of his truck, he climbed behind the wheel and took off, heading toward the outskirts of town where Animal Lovers was. Fucking lame name, but so far he didn’t see a problem with Andy and Phil.
