SWNOVELS Brutal Savage: Chapter 9
“I have a surprise for you,” I tell Brody the following day after school, but he doesn’t even look up from his book.
I don’t even know if this is a good idea. Pretty sure it’s the worst one I’ve ever had.
Just thinking about the mess. The chaos. All the cleaning…
But if it helps him talk or finally be happy here, I’ll try anything.
“I thought we could go to the shelter and you can maybe choose a dog.”
That gets him looking up at me from below his long dark lashes, and I swear there’s a glimmer in his green eyes.
Wasn’t my idea, though. It was the therapist’s. He said Brody may benefit from a dog. So I thought I’d take him to the shelter and have him pick one. Maybe that’ll make him smile again.
“So, you wanna go?”
He nods.
“Go get changed.”
While he runs into his room, I stare at my phone, wondering if something is wrong with it.
Why the hell hasn’t Elara called or texted me about the job offer? Doubt my cell is broken. I press a few keys, checking for issues. None that I can see.
Just to be sure, I call my brother Fionn.
“Hey, what’s up?”
“Can you shoot me a text?”
“Something wrong with your phone?”
If I tell him the real reason, he won’t get off my ass.
“Just want to make sure it’s working right.”
He laughs. “Why? Has a girl not called you back?”
“Shut up and do it.”
“Oh, damn. Did she ghost you?” He keeps chuckling, and I’m about to strangle him through the phone.
“I’m hanging up now. Do what I said.”
His laughter dies when I end the call, and seconds later, my cell pings with a text.
Fionn
Pretty sure your phone works just fine.
Tynan
Fuck you.
Fionn
Buy her some diamonds. Women love them.
Tynan
I don’t need advice from you.
Fionn
I think you do. When women say they’ll call me, they actually do.
Tynan
It’s not like that. Was hoping Brody’s teacher could give him extra lessons after school and she still hasn’t given me an answer.
Fionn
Ask her if she’s available for some lessons for you. You need them more than Brody does.
Tynan
Fuck off.
The phone rings a few seconds later, and it’s him. Of course my phone’s working.
“Don’t say it.”
He’s laughing again. “Give her time to consider it. You’re a lot to handle.”
“I don’t have time. He doesn’t have time.”
The air grows solemn. “He’ll talk. You’ll see. It’s still hard on him. When we lost Ma, that was…”
“Yeah…”
“And he has had it ten times harder.”
“I know, damn it. I just wanna help him. I just want him to be like he used to be. Just say one damn word. Give me something to hope for.”
He sighs. “You did what I could never do. You took him in without hesitation. You love that kid. You’re his father figure now, and you’re wearing that badge like you were meant for it. Aiden would be proud.”
“Yeah…” Pain bites at my center. “Anyway, gotta go get a dog today.”
“Wait, did you say a dog? Since when do you want a dog?”
“Since now. Let’s hope the kid picks a good one.”
“This I’ve gotta see.” He chuckles. “Meet you at the shelter.”
Just then, Brody returns.
“See ya there.” I stuff the phone into my pocket. “Alright, kid, let’s go see what we can get.”
Hopefully Elara likes dogs.
He strides ahead of me, glancing from crate to crate, and I’m close to giving up hope that he’ll actually pick a dog.
I really thought he’d like this, yet he hasn’t even wanted to hold a single puppy. Not even the damn cute beagles the woman from the shelter showed us.
She struts beside him, keeping a small distance between. “We just got three German shepherd puppies you might like.”
He simply shrugs as she leads him toward the far end.
She peeks back at me with a sympathetic smile, and I want to punch the nearest fucking wall.
Why can’t he just talk to me? Hell, even to curse me out. I’ll take anything at this point.
As we pass the last crate on the left, he stops in place, glancing down in concentration at the small dog barking and wagging its tail at him. He kneels and sticks a finger into the slot, and the dog excitedly licks it.
It’s easy to see there’s something wrong with one of its eyes. The pup paws the crate, as though trying to find an escape. Don’t blame him. A cage isn’t a life.
Then again, we’re all in a cage one way or another. Some of us just don’t know it.
“That’s Bubbles.” The woman squats beside him and opens the door, and the pup doesn’t retreat, practically jumping out.
“I know you’re excited to meet my friend Brody here.” She scratches the dog on the ear and gathers it in her arms. “She’s a Havanese and only one year old. We got her when she was around six months.”
I stand behind them, watching his eyes light up at the sight of this shaggy black-and-white dog, maybe weighing ten pounds.
“Did something happen to her?” I move in closer, taking a good look at the pup.
“Yeah, she had a rough start in life. Lost her vision in one eye, and unfortunately, she gets passed on a lot for that reason. But she’s a great dog and very sweet and playful.”
I’m waiting to see what Brody thinks.
“Wanna hold her?” She grins at him.
After spending forty-five minutes with us, I think she’s relieved he’s finally gravitating toward a dog.
He nods.
Halle-fucking-lujah.
Brody tentatively stretches his hands out for the dog, and the woman places her in his arms.
As soon as she does, the dog gets even more excited, licking his face, practically leaping all over him.
He doesn’t smile, though something in his eyes says he wants this one.
I can tell.
Bubbles.
Shit.
I can’t own a dog named Bubbles. Just imagining myself introducing a dog named Bubbles to the heads of the Mafia… We’ll have to change her name.
“She’s a very happy dog. Aren’t you, Bubbles?” The lady scratches the pup’s ears, and I groan internally at the name.
Brody runs a palm down its head, and the dog burrows her face into his chest. His eyes close, and I swear he smiles.
Fuck me.
Bubbles is coming home with us.
“We’ll take her.”
“Great! How about we head to my office so I can get the paperwork started?”
I motion for Brody to follow me, and as we start after her, another employee named Bill stops her.
“Uh, I’m so sorry.” He grimaces, looking between me and the woman. “But someone actually just got approved for Bubbles an hour ago. I forgot to put it into the system.”
“Oh, no!” Her brows rise as she smiles nervously at me. “I’m so sorry about the mix-up. I’m sure we can find another dog he loves just as much.”
One look at Brody’s eyes watering and his bottom lip jutting out with a pout, and I’m ready to do anything to make Bubbles ours.
I grind my molars. “A word. In private.”
“Umm…sure.”
Bill makes his escape, glancing behind his shoulder at her before he completely disappears.
“Brody, stay right here. I’m going to talk to the nice lady about Bubbles.”
We move a little distance away, where I can still see Brody with stars in his eyes as he pets the dog and hugs it tight.
And the dog? Well, she no longer wants to escape. She found someone she wants to escape to, and I’ll do everything to make that happen.
If she thinks someone else is going to get this dog, she doesn’t know me.
“You’re gonna make this right.” My voice simmers, and she scratches her neck.
“Look, sir, I can see you’re in a difficult position, but—”
I can’t believe I’m about to fight for a dog with such a horrible name. Who picks these names?
“How much?”
“What?”
“How much to make that dog ours? I’ll write a check to the shelter right now.”
“Uh, we don’t do—”
“Everyone has a price, Miss…” I glance down at her name tag. “Nancy.”
“We have never had someone offer money before. I…I just don’t know.”
She’s considering it. Of course she is.
“How’s one hundred thousand?”
Her eyes pop. I’m afraid they’ll fall out. Nancy has never seen money like that. If she had any business sense, she would’ve countered. I was ready to offer a million if it went there.
“Are you sure?” she whispers.
“For him, yes. Now, do we have a deal?”
She nods. “I’ll let the other family know after we’re done.”
“Great.”
“You two may follow me so I can get the papers in order for you to sign.”
“I’ll go tell Brody the good news.”
I head back to him, and he doesn’t even look up at me.
“Hey, bud. Bubbles is coming home with us. But I have to sign some papers before we can take her home.”
He starts walking beside me, holding on to the dog even tighter.
“I think we have to have a talk about that name, though,” I tell him as we enter a small corridor.
With a sharp look, he eyes me and slowly shakes his head.
Oh, hell no.
“You mean you like the name?”
He nods.
Jesus Christ. I guess we’re gonna have a dog named Bubbles.
We finish the paperwork while Brody kisses the top of the dog’s head, and I know instantly I’m making the right decision.
After my check has been written, we are good to go.
The woman gives us a collar, a leash, and a small bag of puppy food.
I plan to head to the store and buy some toys and treats for her.
As we start toward my SUV, I take the dog from him so Brody can get into the booster, but when I do, the dog growls and barks at me.
I narrow a glare in her direction.
Really? The dog doesn’t like me either?
Wonderful. What else is new?
“Okay, Bubbles, you can relax. I’ll hand you right back to Brody in a second.”
You little shit.
Her tail wags as soon as I say his name, like she committed it to memory the moment she heard it back at the shelter.
Brody straps himself in, and once he’s good, I give the tiny terror right back to him and get in.
“You know, having a dog is a huge responsibility. You will have to make sure her water and food bowls are cleaned and filled, that she’s brushed every day, and we have to take her on walks together. Think you’re up for that?”
He nods, almost enthusiastically.
I hide my smile as I start the car, knowing that the therapist was right. This was a good idea.
Now I just have to figure out how to get the kid and the dog to like me.
Maybe Elara too.
We make it to the pet store in thirty minutes, and the cart is full of too much crap. Food, bowls, treats, a pink doggy bed Brody picked out, and a bright purple collar.
I strap it around the dog’s neck to make sure it fits. “What do you think?”
Brody inspects her as I slip on the black leash. No way was I going to be caught dead walking her with a purple one he originally chose. Luckily, the kid didn’t object.
He gives me a thumbs-up, and I swear this is the most he’s communicated with me since I’ve adopted him. Maybe I should’ve gotten the dog sooner.
“Alright, let’s go pay.”
We head for the cashier, who starts scanning and bagging all of the stuff while I remove my black card and pass it to her.
She gives me a curious glance, then proceeds to hand me the bags. They all know my family in these towns. How could they not? We practically own it all. Restaurants, bars, stores. We have our hands in everything. Makes hiding the dirty money much easier.
“You’re good with walking her to the car?”
The dog stares up at me and barks with her dissatisfaction. Like she’s offended I’ve even spoken.
Kinda starting to regret this decision right about now.
But seeing how happy Brody is makes the dog hating me worth it.