“We’ve got a safe house you can use,” Ink said. “I don’t know how animal appropriate it would be, though. I’m toying with another idea too.”
She stared at Matthieu’s hand and then at Ink.
A safe house? She needed a safe house . . . because Vince had attempted to kill her. Why had he escalated like that though? Why go from spray painting the garage door to attempted murder? What the heck had she ever done to him?
“Spitfire,” Matthieu murmured. “Take my hand. We have to go have a meeting and then you can rest.”
Rest?
How was she meant to rest? There wouldn’t be any rest for her. She would be lucky to ever sleep again.
But she let him take hold of her hand. The one that wasn’t bandaged.
She glanced down at Tank. But he didn’t stay with Big Berry, instead he followed her.
She stilled and Matthieu turned back.
“Tank wants to come.”
Matthieu glanced down at the dog and then nodded. “Let him come. Big B, too, if she wants.”
That’s how they ended up walking into the conference room with Tank and Big Berry. Her brother and Detective Reeves were already standing in the room. There was another man sitting at the table, staring down at his laptop screen. He seemed vaguely familiar but she couldn’t think of where she would have seen him before.
Detective Reeves gaped at them. “Is that a pig?”
“This is Big Berry and Tank,” Matthieu explained. “Two of Maya’s babies. Tank is feeling protective, I think, and Big B is his best friend. Tank was abused before he came to live with Maya, and he feels more comfortable with Big Berry around.”
Detective Reeves stared at Tank, then Big B. “Then, of course they should be here too.”
“This is the first time he’s really acted like this,” she said. “He would let me touch him, but he never really even looked at me. He’s been so depressed.” She sat in the chair that Matthieu pulled out and then carefully placed her hand on Tank’s head.
He accepted her scratches.
“How did you come to have him?” Detective Reeves asked. “An abused dog that big might not be safe to be around. How are you going to control him if he tries to attack you?”
“Attack me? Tank can barely look at me. And I just . . . I adopted him.”
Her brain was too fuzzy to make up any lies. She didn’t really think she wanted to tell a cop, even if one of them was her brother, that she belonged to an underground animal rescue group.
“Maya collects animals that others have hurt and abandoned,” Matthieu explained.
“That still doesn’t sound safe,” her brother said.
“Shouldn’t you know that about her? Aren’t you her brother?” said the familiar guy with the glasses.
She glanced over at him.
“Well, yes, of course I am,” Marlin said. “But I haven’t been around.”
“So what? Out of sight out of mind?” the guy asked, fiddling with his glasses. Why did he sound so upset? He didn’t even know her.
“Brody,” Ink warned.
“What? Don’t tell me you’re not wondering how he doesn’t know this. I haven’t even met her until today and I already know she’s amazing.”
What? How could he know that? How could he think that? She wasn’t amazing.
“Of course I know my sister is amazing,” Marlin said.
