by Dale Mayer
Danny looked at Greyson and yawned, rubbing his eyes. “Hi,” he said, in a bright little voice.
Greyson hopped to his feet, walked over to the boy, and shook his hand. “Hi back.”
Danny giggled and hung on to Greyson’s finger. Then, in a surprise move, he reached up his arms.
Jessica looked at Greyson in surprise, as he easily slipped the toddler from her arms and walked with him into the kitchen. “Did you have a good nap, young man?”
“Seepy,” he said and dropped his head against Greyson’s shoulder. Greyson looked over at Jessica, who just stared at them in surprise.
“He doesn’t take to strangers normally,” she said.
“Maybe I’m just a comforting presence somehow,” he said.
She walked into the kitchen. “Danny, do you need a bite to eat?”
He looked at her and nodded, reaching out a chubby hand.
“If you could put him in the high chair, I’ll get him a snack before we go out.”
Greyson settled the boy in the high chair, and very quickly she had little crackers with peanut butter, cheese, and apple slices for him. Because they’d had the bacon and eggs earlier, Greyson was fine. Yet she pulled out the materials to make a big sandwich. He looked at her, surprised.
“Oh, I’m hungry,” she said, “so I just assumed that you are also.”
“Well, I can always eat,” he said, “but I could have done without, if need be.”
“No need,” she said with a smile. “There’s plenty of food.”
“Glad to hear that,” he said and watched in amazement as she made a mean sandwich.
She built it up, full of all kinds of vegetables, meats, and cheese.
He could feel his stomach standing up to pay attention. “This looks amazing,” he said.
“It’s just a sandwich,” she said with a smile. “Anybody can make one of those.”
“Well, there are other sandwiches,” he said, “like what I’m used to, with just ham and cheese, or there are real sandwiches that are completely loaded, like this.”
“This is my favorite kind,” she said. She cut the sandwiches, passed him a plate with his, then sat down beside Danny at the island. They all proceeded to eat.
He looked at his watch when they were done and said, “Wow, it’s after one already.”
“I know,” she said. “I’ll fade early tonight for sure, but maybe I can catch up from the lack of sleep last night. I figured that, once we’re done eating, we can go out and do some shopping.” She looked down at Kona, who was sitting nearby, staring at Danny’s food hungrily. “Kona really needs some dog food,” she said with a frown. As soon as she finished her sandwich, she got up, walked over to the refrigerator, and pulled out the last of the fatty ham and cheese and gave it to Kona.
Greyson shook his head. “This dog is getting spoiled,” he said with a smile.
“We have to feed her something,” she said with a smile. “I’d give her a steak for rescuing us if I could afford to. She deserves any treat I’ve got.”
“Well, let’s clean up the kitchen,” he said, “and then we’ll do some shopping.”
“Let’s take my car,” she said. “It’s got the car seat and all. The police delivered it home for me.”
He frowned, looked at Kona, and said, “I wonder if that’ll work with the dog.”
She nodded. “I wondered that too.”
“The only other option,” he said, “is to transfer the car seat to the truck, but then Kona and Danny still have to be together in the back seat, so maybe the car will be okay at that.”
“I’ve got some old blankets,” she said. “I figured I could put them on the seat and maybe Kona could lay on them.”
“Well, let’s give it a try,” he said.
Chapter 11
When Jessica pulled out of the driveway twenty minutes later, she felt an odd sense of family because not only were she and Danny in her car but she also had Greyson and Kona. She chuckled. “It feels like my numbers just doubled.”
“They did,” he said cheerfully. “Kona makes probably two and a half times you guys though, based on her appetite alone.”
“It’s not about the food,” she said with a smile.
“Well, it isn’t until it is,” he said in a cryptic remark.
She just smiled at him. “You can help with the groceries, if it bothers you.”
“I plan on it,” he said, chuckling.
“But that’s another stop,” she warned. “And the number of stops is always somewhat dependent on Danny’s level of patience,” she said.
“Good point,” Greyson said, “so let’s get the dog food first.”
She drove to one of the large name-brand pet stores. “Will this do you?” She looked up at the storefront and chewed on her bottom lip.
“It’ll be just fine,” he said. “I don’t know this company, but Kona won’t know the difference.”
“I suspect Kona’s used to good food,” she said.
“Well, she was,” he said, looking to Jessica, still sitting behind the wheel. “But remember. She’s been eating your neighbor’s pizza too.”
At that, she laughed. “I’ll come with you,” she said, as she hopped out, opened the back passenger door, and took Danny out of the car seat. Which made Kona take notice, and she jumped from the vehicle.
“Do you want the stroller?” he asked.
She shook her head. “No. We’ll get a cart in the store. I think they may have small pets and fish that Danny can look at.”
Inside the store, she and Danny veered off to where the pets were, while Greyson and Kona walked to the aisles of dog food. Picking up a couple twenty-pound bags of good quality food, he loaded them into his own shopping cart. When he found Jessica again, he smiled to see Danny reaching for the glass aquarium, looking at the fish on the other side.
“They’re pretty colorful, aren’t they?” he asked Jessica, unloading the dog food into her cart, leaving his behind.
“They’re beautiful,” she replied, “but not something I’ve ever wanted to have as a pet.”
“No,” he said. “I like pets you can touch and cuddle.” He reached a hand down to Kona, who was in the store with him, something that apparently was completely okay with management. And that was a blessing because he didn’t think she would take kindly to being left in the car while the three of them strode off. “If you’re okay here, I’ll take Kona to check out collars and leashes.”
He walked Kona over and looked at the collars, settling on a good-size collar that was adjustable and would fit nicely on her neck. Leaving it on, he looked at the leashes. He tested the weight on several and chose one, connecting it to her new collar, then removed the rope from around her neck. He looped it up and put it around his arm so he had a way to carry it, then walked back to see that Danny and Jessica were now in front of a big toy house full of kittens.
“Now those are adorable,” he said with a laugh. “I don’t know what Kona would think of them though.”
“And that brings up a really good point,” she said. “What will you do with Kona?”
He looked at her with surprise, then looked at the dog and shrugged. “I don’t have a clue yet,” he said. “I was told to come here and track her down, to make sure she was okay, having a good life, and, if she wasn’t, to see that she was removed, so the government could provide her with a better life. I believe the Denver couple adopted a different K9 dog instead.”
“Well, I hope you don’t take her away just yet,” Jessica said. “At least not until we find the kidnapper.” She reached down and gently brushed the top of Danny’s head. He had a few tufts of pure white hair and was completely fascinated by the kittens. He clapped his hands together, desperately wanting to hold one.
One of the staff came over and said, “Are you guys looking for a kitten?”
“No,” they both said. The woman looked at them in surprise. They smiled. “Kona is already a relatively new adjustment to the famil
y,” Jessica said, pointing to the dog.
The staff person nodded, smiled, and said, “All pets are an adjustment.” She looked down at Kona and smiled a little more. “She’s beautiful. I love her unique markings.”
“It’s the Malinois in her,” Greyson said, and she nodded and left. “If you’re ready to go,” he said to Jessica, “let’s buy this stuff and get going.” He walked to the cash register, pushing the shopping cart with Danny and the dog food, a few treats for Kona, who was even now sporting her new leash.
Up at the front, the cashier quickly rang up their items. Once he paid, they headed back outside to the car. He loaded up the dog food in the trunk, as she buckled Danny into the car seat. Loading Kona into back seat beside Danny, they both looked happy as Danny babbled away in a cheerful voice, his hand patting Kona on the head. The big dog seemed completely content to lie there beside him. The two adults got back into the car, and she pulled out of the parking lot. “Where to?”
“Well, that was what I needed,” he said. “So how about people food?”
“Yes, we could use a bit more,” she said. Down the opposite side of the block was a large grocery store. She pulled in, and he hopped out with Kona once again.
“Now Kona’s not likely to be allowed in the grocery store,” he said with a smile. “So why don’t I walk her around the parking lot, while you go in and get a few groceries?”
“Oh,” she said, “I should have thought of that. An outdoor market is over there that’s open now.”
He walked around the corner and saw a large outdoor store that had wide aisles up and down it and big orchard boxes full of vegetables. “Well, this works,” he said. “What do you need?” He pushed a small shopping cart and loaded up on the vegetables, as she called out what they needed for the next few days. “But surely you need things like eggs and bacon and meat, right?”
“Inside,” she said. “Let’s just walk in with the dog and see if anybody says anything.” They went in and, sure enough, found a section with fresh eggs and dairy, plus all different types of sliced meats, including bacon. He found a butcher counter on the side as well. There he ordered several steaks and quite a few links of sausages.
She smiled at him. “You’re such a guy,” she teased. “It’s all about the meat here.”
“Well, I’d be good with fish too,” he said. “I didn’t see a barbecue grill or pit at your place though. Do you have one?”
She shook her head. “Nope, I don’t.”
“We’ll have to change that,” he said. He went over to the deli counter and ordered some cheese to be cut up as well.
She pulled him off to the side and pointed at the fruit. “We didn’t get to this section yet. Did you want any fruit?”
He walked over and smiled, immediately filling up the loose spaces in the cart.
She stared at the groceries and said, “This will be hundreds of dollars.”
“Good,” he said. “I’m paying anyway.” He pushed it up to the front, still hanging on to Kona’s lead. She was extremely well-behaved, always standing aside at a proper heeling position.
At the front counter, the teller commented on Kona and how well-behaved she was. They quickly processed the order, bagged it up, and, with Kona still behaving like a dream dog, they returned to her car.
As Greyson loaded up the groceries in the trunk, on top of and around the dog food, Jessica held Danny and looked at Kona and said, “I would never have thought a dog like this would be so well-behaved.”
“I’ll just say that we’re blessed at the moment,” he said, “because we’re all trying to get to know each other.”
She nodded. “I guess that makes sense.”
“Kona has to figure out her new world too,” he said.
Just as they were about to climb back into the car, Kona bristled. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up. Immediately Jessica hugged Danny tighter in her arms and got closer to Greyson. “What’s the matter?” she asked in a low voice. “What does Kona see?”
“I’m not sure,” he said, as he looked around the area. But it was obvious that the dog was disturbed by something. Her hackles had risen, and she growled in the very deep, dark recesses of her throat.
“Obviously she feels threatened by something,” Jessica said nervously.
He reached out a hand, tugged Jessica closer, and said, “If somebody happens to be out there watching us,” he said, “we’ll let them see that you’re not alone anymore,” he said quietly.
She looked up into his eyes and smiled. “And that’s only true while you’re staying with me,” she said. He smiled, then leaned over and kissed her on the temple, for the second time now. The first time she had let it go by, more surprised than anything. This time she wasn’t sure if it was part of the act or not.
“Still,” he said, “that makes you a much harder mark than as a woman alone with a child. You make for a pretty easy prey, but, if you’ve got a big dog like this and a big man at your side,” he said, “every predator has to rethink their strategy.”
She winced. “That doesn’t sound very nice.”
“Doesn’t matter,” he said. “As long as they’re rethinking, they also stand a good chance of making a mistake.”
“I hope so,” she said.
He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, tucked her up closer, then leaned over and chucked little Danny under the chin. He was all nestled up against her neck. “Looks like this little guy wants to go home again.”
“This is about the extent of his shopping limit,” she said with a smile.
“Perfect,” Greyson said. “Let’s head home.”
And, with her gaze still wandering around, even as she watched Greyson, she realized that he had been quietly taking photos all around them. She hadn’t even considered something like that. But, at least when she got home, they could take a look at those photos. And, for all she knew, he was sending them to other people to check out.
Unnerved and a little bit surprised at the skill level he had displayed since she’d first met him, she buckled Danny into his car seat, and, when everybody was loaded up, they drove home.
“I’ll unload everything,” Greyson said, “but pull into the garage. Then we can close the big door.”
“I guess I should always do that, shouldn’t I?” she said. “But it was easy before, when I wasn’t thinking about being in danger, to just park out front and haul everything into the front door.”
“This way though,” he said, “nobody can attack you while you’re getting in and out of the car.”
She nodded stiffly. “Again I don’t think that way,” she said quietly. “It’s a little unnerving that you do.”
“I’ve spent a lot of years out in the field doing black ops missions,” he said quietly. “Some things you just learn and never forget.”
“In a whole different world,” she said.
“But my expertise is working to your benefit right now,” he said.
“And I appreciate it,” she said, pulling inside the garage and shutting the garage door with a push of a button. “I’ll get Danny settled inside, while you unload things.”
Greyson nodded, then he opened the trunk, grabbed all the bags of groceries, and carried them in, putting them on the table, and then went back out, with Kona following him every step to pick up the dog food. Then, as an afterthought, he brought the rope in with him and slammed the trunk shut.
Back in the house, he looked at her, joining him in the kitchen, and said, “I didn’t buy a dog food dish.”
“Not required,” she said and pulled out another bowl. He quickly filled it with dog food and set it down where the water bowl was, and then gave the dog fresh water. Kona wasted no time, as she went after the dog food like she hadn’t eaten for days.
“Oh, my gosh,” Jessica said. “I feel so bad now watching her.”
“But she has food now,” Greyson said. “She’ll be fine.” He checked for Danny, finding him in the living room playing with block
s, and then Greyson turned his attention to the groceries to put away, while she took off Danny’s shoes and the little windbreaker he had on.
“What do you want for dinner?” he asked.
“I wasn’t sure what your plans were for the things you bought,” she said. “I don’t have any meat thawed yet.”
“Tell you what. Let’s do sausages tonight,” he said, “and I’ll marinate the steaks for tomorrow night.”
“Sounds good to me,” she said and watched while he pulled out the sausages, separated the links, put them on a plate, and then put away the vegetables. He opened up the steaks and seasoned them, putting them on a plate and covering them with plastic, placing them in the fridge. “You obviously know your way around the kitchen,” she said in surprise.
“Absolutely,” he said. “When you like good food, and you’re always traveling, you learn to make it yourself or do without. In my case, I always wanted good food. We had a lot of places where we could have restaurant food, but there were other times when we weren’t allowed to be seen, and we had to look after our own food.”
“Sounds like good skills to have,” she said.
Chapter 12
Jessica realized Greyson was staring out the windows very intently.
“Are you expecting him to be here?” she asked, nervously fingering the neck of her T-shirt.
He looked at her in surprise and shook his head. “I’m not expecting anything,” he said. “The fact of the matter was that Kona was disturbed in the parking lot, but I didn’t see anything. That’s why I was taking the photos. I want to study them on the laptop, where I can make them bigger, so I can see faces in the background.”
“That’s what I thought you were doing,” she said.
He looked at her, smiled, and said, “I haven’t seen any photos of George yet. Do you have one?”
