Dirty Angel-BarbaraElsborg (28 page)

“You should have gone to the police when you were fourteen. As a kid you were easy to mould and he’s had all this time to twist you to what he wants.”

“He needs help.”

He needed stopping. Aden thought of how Matt’s hands had held him under the water. Brody talking to the guy wasn’t going to end this.

By the time Brody pulled up outside the practice, Aden hadn’t come up with any concrete plan of what to do about Matt. The only thing he was determined about was that Brody not go and see the guy on his own, but he knew even managing that was fraught with difficulty. He couldn’t be with Brody every minute of the day.

“You sure you don’t want to go home?” Brody asked.

Home?

Brody must have noticed his reaction because a faint flush coloured the guy’s cheeks. “I can call you a taxi. Or maybe Des or Karen would fetch you.”

“I’ll sit in the waiting room and read the paper.”

Brody had bought the Sunday Times when he’d stopped for fuel.

“Want another coffee?”

“I’m fine.” Aden climbed out of the car.

The practice was a smart new building, long and low with dark wood cladding, a grey slate roof and a lot of glass at the front. Aden followed Brody inside.

“Hi, Maria.” Brody waved to a pretty brunette who sat behind the reception desk. “This is Aden. He’s going to hang around until I’m done.”

“Hi.” She smiled at him.

Aden nodded and headed for the most comfortable looking chair in the empty waiting area. When Brody had asked him what newspaper he’d like, Aden had shrugged. He never read the paper. He had three hours to read this one.

The waiting room quickly filled up with people and their pets. A lady carrying a dog wrapped in a blanket came and sat next to Aden after she’d registered at the desk. The dog, a little grey thing, looked sick and listless. The woman, who was in her forties, kept stroking him but he didn’t respond.

“What’s wrong with him?” asked a small boy on her other side.

“He can’t walk. His back legs have stopped working.”

“My rabbit’s broken his foot.”

“I’m sure the vet will make him better,” the woman said.

A cat that had been hit by a car was carried in and taken straight into a consulting room by its distraught owner.

“Could you do me a favour?” asked the woman next to Aden. “I need to use the bathroom. Would you hold Riley for a couple of minutes?”

“Sure.”

“Thank you.” She lifted the dog and blanket onto Aden’s lap.

Aden stroked him. “Hello, Riley. You not feeling so good?” The little dog quivered under his fingers.

Sitting in the waiting room gave Aden a renewed admiration for what Brody did. Hard enough for human doctors to diagnose illness, but an animal couldn’t tell you where and how much it hurt. Aden tickled the dog behind its ears and he gave a wag of his tail.

“She’ll be back in a minute.”

He kept stroking the dog until the woman emerged from the bathroom. She’d no sooner retrieved her pet from Aden’s lap than her turn was called.

The boy with the rabbit put the carrying case on the empty chair next to Aden. A ball of white fluff with a pink nose pressed up against the grill.

“What’s her name?” Aden asked.

“Chewy. It’s a him.” The boy didn’t look much older than Des’s kids.

Aden put his fingers through the grill and petted the rabbit. “How did he break his foot?”

“Dad stepped on him.”

“Accidentally,” said the man with him.

“I know you didn’t mean to.” The boy leaned against his dad and the man kissed his son’s head. “Chewy knows too.”

Aden kept stroking the rabbit as he thought of his father. It was a good thing Aden had never been allowed a pet. One annoying incident, his father would have snapped and that would have been it. Even when there’d been a chance to bring the school pet home for the holidays, Aden had never put up his hand. Everyone else clamored to look after hamsters, fish and stick insects. Not Aden, even though he desperately wanted something to take care of.

The woman who’d been sitting next to him came out walking Riley on a lead, a smile on her face. Henrik stood at the consulting room door watching her and the dog that now looked perky and alert. Henrik’s gaze slid to Aden and he gave a small nod to acknowledge Aden’s presence.

A dachshund on the other side of the room suddenly lunged away from its owner and ran to Aden, jumping at his legs to be picked up. Its owner rushed over, full of apologies and Aden picked the dog up and tried to hand it over. Aden and the owner both laughed as the dachshund did its best to cling to Aden and lick his face.

“Sorry. He’s not usually so affectionate with strangers.”

“Don’t worry.” Aden stroked the dog’s head and finally the owner was able to pull it away.

The boy with the rabbit went into a different consulting room and Aden returned to the paper. There was an article on the massacre at the Octoplex in the review section. Aden read it carefully, but it was as if he was on the outside looking in, as though he’d never been there. Nothing flashed into his memory. He pored over the stories of those who’d looked for relatives and friends, lovers searching for their partners, people who’d had narrow escapes from the gunmen, tales of those who’d not escaped told by others. There was a page of photos of everyone who’d died. Aden wasn’t among them. He examined each image to see if he remembered anyone, but he didn’t.

“Sorry,” said a guy who’d nudged his paper as he sat next to him.

The dog he had with him was holding up a front leg.

“Lie down, Sylvie. Good girl.” He turned to Aden. “Been waiting long?”

“I’m not in the queue.” The dog shifted so that she was lying on Aden’s foot.

“Sylvie. Move.”

“She’s fine.” Aden reached down to pet her. “What happened to her leg?”

“Caught it in a hole when she was running after a rabbit. I’m pretty sure she’s broken it.”

The dog pressed her muzzle into Aden’s hand. He wasn’t usually so attractive to animals. Maybe because they were hurting, they were looking for reassurance. Or maybe it was eau de dinosaur.

“Aden?”

Brody was beckoning him, and Aden pushed to his feet.

“Five minute coffee break?” Brody smiled at him.

Aden had just reached him when he heard a loud exclamation and spun round.

“You little fraud!”

The guy with Sylvie was staring at her as she trotted across the floor toward Aden, no sign of any problem with her leg.

“What was all that about then? Fear of the vet brought on a miracle cure?” The man laughed and scooped the dog into his arms.

Brody frowned. “Don’t leave without us checking her out.”

The guy nodded and Brody ushered Aden through the door and into an open area with tables and sinks, other rooms behind glass partitions and closed doors.

“This is where we do most of the treatment,” Brody said.

At the far end, behind a glass screen, Henrik and two nurses were working on a cat. Aden wondered if it was the one that had been hit by the car. He followed Brody in the opposite direction to a room with a coffee machine and easy chairs and Brody poured them both a drink.

“You don’t let owners in the back?”

“Not usually. They get stressed, which stresses the animal and makes everything more difficult.”

“You need any dogs walked?” Aden asked.

“Finished the paper? I did warn you that you’d be bored.”

“I feel like I need to help. Christ, I can’t believe those words came out of my mouth. I must be sickening for something.”

Brody grinned. “I’m sure we can find one or two you can walk. Or you can sit in a cage and cuddle those that aren’t allowed out. There might even be a puppy that needs feeding. You told me you were good with puppies.”

Aden sipped his drink. “Everyone’s good with puppies.”

“And spiders?”

Aden winced. “I just don’t kill them, that’s all. I catch them and drop them out the window.”

“Me too.” Brody finished his coffee and put the mug in the sink. “Come on, I’ll introduce you to Cindy.”

A few minutes later Aden found himself dressed in scrubs and sitting in a cage with a sick dog called Odin. The Great Dane draped itself over his thighs and Aden gently petted its back, careful not to touch the IV line in its front leg.

“Good boy,” Aden said. “You not feeling well? You just lie there and dream about all the things you’ll do when you’re better.”

He caught Cindy’s eye and she pressed her lips together and shook her head.
Ah.

“You like running, Odin? Or maybe lying in front of the fire on a cold day.” He kept stroking the dog and talking to it quietly.

Aden had moved into his third cage when he looked up to see Henrik crouching in front of him. A Staffordshire bull terrier with pins in two legs was snoring on Aden’s lap.

“Were you just in with Odin?”

Aden extricated himself and climbed out of the cage. “The Great Dane. Yeah.”

“My dog.”

Shit.
Had something happened?
“I was with him for a bit.”

“What did you do?”

Aden straightened. “Nothing. I just petted him and talked to him. Why?”

“Because he’s on his feet for the first time in a week and wagging his tail. Thank you.” Henrik beamed at him. “Plus, Brody has a smile on his face this morning. I don’t want to thank you for that because I wish it was me that had put it there but…yeah well, it wasn’t. I’ve been worried about him. You’ve only just met him so I know you weren’t responsible for the bruises.”

“I’d never hit him.”

Hurt him yes, but not hit him. The longer Aden stayed with Brody, the worse he was making it.

Brody climbed into the car, fastened his seatbelt and turned to Aden. “Fancy a late lunch by the sea?”

“Okay.”

“Brighton or somewhere quiet?”

“Somewhere quiet. What about buying sandwiches? Having a picnic?”

Brody glanced at him before he turned out of the car park. “You have noticed it’s only February?”

“The sun’s out and we’ve got a blanket in the back.”

“Okay. I’ll stop at a supermarket.”

Brody could barely contain his pleasure at Aden having suggested something to do together. If the guy had said he wanted to go base jumping, Brody might have agreed. He kept telling himself not to like Aden too much, but he couldn’t help it.

Aden reached across and dragged his thumb across Brody’s mouth. “What are you smiling at?”

“I had a great time last night and today, at work, everything just went right. More than right. Half the animals I saw seemed to have nothing the matter with them. Usually, when we’re on call on Sunday mornings for emergencies, we get a few animals we have to put down, but not today.”

“Did you treat the rabbit the guy had stepped on?”

“Yeah, it was fine. Might have trapped a nerve or something because the rabbit was moving its leg with no problem. And Henrik’s dog has perked up which is a fucking miracle. I thought Odin was on the way out, but he’s like a puppy again.”

“Have you told Henrik about Matt?”

One word to dampen Brody’s mood. “Why would I do that?”

“In case he comes to the practice?”

It was a good point. “You’re right, but it’s not an easy thing to explain.”

“All you have to say is he’s an ex who won’t leave you alone. Tell Henrik and the nurses he’s a liar and stalking you, which is the truth. You should warn Des and Karen too. I told Des about that first time Matt came round.”

Brody glanced at him. “Yep, he said. Have you told Des Matt tried to kill you?”

“No. You ought to be keeping a record of every time he follows you or approaches you.”

Brody swallowed hard. “You’re right. I should.”

“If he’s not going to take no for an answer, you might have to go to the police and you’ll need evidence. Does he email you?”

“He did until I changed my email address.”

“The messages can probably be retrieved. Maybe phone calls and texts too. Do you know what car he drives?”

“Can we change the subject?”

“What do you think about pierced cocks?” Aden didn’t miss a beat.

Brody gaped at him, and almost hit the curb. “Were you thinking of getting your cock pierced?”

“No, yours.”

Brody laughed. “Forget it.”

“Okay. Have you ever worn women’s clothes?”

“No. Have you?”

“No. I’ve worn eyeliner though.”

“You don’t need it. Your eyes are gorgeous.”

There was a long pause before Aden spoke. “So are yours.”

When Brody emerged from the supermarket Aden was waiting outside the door and not in the car where he’d left him. Brody had been disappointed Aden hadn’t wanted to do the shopping with him.

“What’s wrong?” Brody asked.

“Can I drive? Are you insured?”

“Are you a careful driver? Hang on, didn’t you say it took you four goes to pass your driving test?”

“But I did pass in the end.”

Brody tossed him the keys. He put the carrier bags in the boot and climbed in the passenger side.

Within a hundred yards of the supermarket exit Aden was ignoring the sat nav.

“You missed the turn,” Brody said.

“I know. Hang on.”

Aden made three sharp turns and swerved abruptly into someone’s drive.

“Aden!”

When Brody saw him turn and look over his shoulder, he had a sneaking suspicion he knew what was wrong.

“You think Matt was following us?”

“Not think. Know.” He reversed out of the drive and took a circuitous route before leaving the town and finally the sat nav stopped trying to correct him.

“You sure it was him?” Brody’s heart was thumping fast.

“Yep.”

“You’ve lost him, right?”

“For the time being.”

“Shit. I’ll…”

“You’ll what?” Aden put his hand on Brody’s knee and squeezed. “Ask him to stop? If he comes up behind us again, take his number and call the police. At least that way you’re registering with them that he’s a problem.”

But there were no cars following them for the next couple of miles and Brody relaxed.

“Okay?” Aden asked.

“Yep.”