Free The Pet Shop by K. D. Grace

little whooshes against her neck. The light from the off licence across the street caught the glint of metal in his hand.
    She froze. Her stomach lurched threateningly. ‘I’m not alone.’ She forced the words up through her tight throat, amazed that she could actually speak at all. ‘I’m with my boyfriend.’
    ‘Oh right. Watshe, then, the invisible man?’ The thug tightened his grip and slid his other hand inside her bag, which was still unzipped after her efforts to clean Tino and herself before they left the cinema. ‘Whacha got for me, hon? It better be good, or you’ll havta pay me some ovver way.’ He thrust against her lewdly. ‘Fact, I’m feeling a bit frisky tonight. I might just ’ave ... gaak!’ He finished his sentence with a choking rasp microseconds before his body heaved violently backward, releasing her with an involuntary shove as the knife skittered on the cobbles to land next to the nearest dumpster.
    She yelped and scrambled to regain her balance. Through the electric buzz of fear still hammering her ears, she heard the scuffle, the flurry of grunts and hard breathing. Then suddenly Tino stood bathed in the diminished light towering over the thug he now held expertly in a choke hold. He cranked his grip until the man stopped struggling and went limp against Tino’s body. Then he shoved him to the ground.
    Stella’s stomach threatened to rebel. ‘Oh dear God, Tino! You didn’t ... He isn’t ...’ But to her relief, she could already hear the man choking and sputtering as he regained consciousness. Working silently and with steady hands, Tino took off the man’s shoes and socks and tossed them hard in opposite directions then he did the same with the knife the thug had been sporting. That finished, he grabbed the man by the throat in a grip that could have easily crushed his trachea. He put just enough pressure on to leave the man breath to whimper. Then he shook a finger from side to side as though he were disciplining a misbehaving child. The man whimpered again, raised both hands palm up and shook his head, at least as much as Tino’s grip would allow.
    Tino gave him a debilitating belly punch and a hard shove. Then he bounded to Stella’s side, encircled her in a strong arm and half dragged, half carried her away from the alley. He had her safely settled into a cab headed back to her flat before it hit her that in the midst of all the chaos Tino hadn’t uttered a single word.
    Then the shakes took over. She tightened her grip around him and buried her face against his chest relishing the strong steady beat of his heart next to her cheek. He laid a warm kiss on the top of her head and pulled her closer.
    The ride home didn’t take long. There wasn’t much traffic. Tino held her possessively as they climbed the stairs. Not entirely sure her shaky legs would hold her upright, she was thankful for his support. Inside the flat she made straight for the kitchen and a G&T, then decided to skip the T. She filled Tino’s bowl with fresh water, but he only sat listlessly on the floor staring into it.
    ‘Darling, you should drink something. You’ll get dehydrated, and I can’t have that.’ She plopped down on the floor next to him, slopping her gin. He licked the droplets from her fingers, and his eyes locked on her. ‘You need something stronger than water too, after tonight, don’t you, sweetheart?’ He continued to lick her fingers then flicked his tongue up the edge of the glass still holding her gaze. She pressed it to his lips, tipped, and he drank. He drank until it was gone.
    She stood long enough to grab the bottle off the counter and refill the glass then dropped down next to him, sipping, and alternately holding the drink for him. ‘I know it’s against the rules. But I think our little outing calls for an exception to those rules. Just this once, don’t you? She sat the glass down and pulled him close until his large body curled around her. ‘I’m so sorry