Free Covert Identity by Maria Hammarblad Page B

in pain. Maybe it had been easier to say that than tell the truth, and he knew she'd come for him.
    "Did you win?"
    He smiled at her question. "It doesn't matter."
    Only now did she notice a thin red leash attached to his belt. Her eyes followed it down to the ground. A cute brown and white puppy sat on the ground behind him, peeking up with big brown eyes. The leash looked brand new, and so did the collar.
    "That's a dog."
    How observant. She was really a genius with taking in her surroundings and speaking in complete sentences.
    Jimmy fumbled out a can of dog food from a pocket.
    "They were gonna use her for a bait dog, but she's so fucking cute. The bike scares the bejeezes out of her. I got her water inside, but she'll need more."
    What's a bait dog? I probably don't want to know.
    "You stole a dog and got into a fight over it."
    "Yeah." He sent her a goofy glance, peeking out under his hair. It always seemed just long enough to fall into his eyes. "Can we keep her? I mean, I can take her to the pound, but they'll just kill her."
    He said we.
    The idea made her feel warm inside. They would have something together, care for a living being together. He stepped up for an innocent life in need. It confirmed what she already thought of him: in spite of the company he chose, he was a nice guy.
    "Of course we'll keep her."
    He bent down to lift the dog up, and held a hand against his chest. For a moment she thought he would topple over, so she grabbed the back of his jacket.
    "I'm not that drunk. Bastard came at me with a tire iron. I think he broke a rib."
    They made their way the few steps to the truck. When he opened the door, the bright compartment light shining on his face made her gasp.
    "I guess you won the fight since you have the dog, but I'm sure glad I wasn't around to see it. Do you need to see a doctor?"
    "Don't worry."
    He cursed under his breath when he climbed into the truck. How on Earth had he managed both the bike and the dog? She wanted to ask if the bike would be okay, but it was a moot point. They couldn't bring it.
    The dog on his lap yawned. Jimmy ran a hand over her and was rewarded with a lick from the small, pink tongue.
    Leaning his head back, he mumbled, "She'll need a name."
    "Tiffy. Because she'll be spoiled and get all sorts of bling from Tiffany's."
    She expected him to laugh and say she was silly, but he just nodded. "Tiffy it is."
    Now she's really ours. We named it, and once you name something, you have to keep it.
    Only one problem. "I don't know anything about dogs."
    He smiled, and it looked so painful with the split lip that she averted her eyes and looked at the puppy instead.
    "I'll teach you, and we can go shop for her tomorrow. She needs to go out often. After she sleeps, after she eats, after she plays... Tell her she's good if she does something outside. If she has an accident, carry her outside and praise her when she does it right. Feed her, play with her, love her..."
    He was drifting off, and she closed the door quietly. Neither the man nor the dog stirred as she drove home.
    *****
    S haron woke from a soft whimpering. The little dog stood up against the bed and wagged her tail. "What's wrong, baby? Do you need to go out?"
    Taking the puppy out didn't stop the whimpering, or the tiny paws scratching at the side of the bed. "You're a cute little thing."
    She lifted Tiffy up and the puppy curled up on her pillow. "Don't tell your daddy I let you sleep in bed."
    The puppy licked her hand, and she interpreted it as agreement.
    You're ours. He fought for you, to bring you home.
    She whispered, "I love you, Tiffy. And, I love your dad."
    The next time she woke, Jimmy sat on the edge of the bed. He held his chest and muttered, "Fuck."
    Good thing they didn't have human children. She could imagine their language on the first day of school.
    "What are you doing?"
    "Nothing. I need to take the dog out. Go back to sleep."
    For a moment, the thought of laying back down and closing her eyes