You're the One (11 page)

Del’s heart
raced. She couldn’t remember - did you look an aggressive dog in
the eyes? Wasn’t that a sign of aggression in turn? Or a sign of
power? One thing she knew, you didn’t run. That invoked a chase
instinct, and this dog looked like it would happily chase her and
bring her down. Not to mention rip her apart.

Oh shit. Oh
shit shit
shit
!

Frozen in
spot, heart pounding, Del dropped her gaze from the dog’s eyes,
watching its feet instead, needing to keep alert as to its
intentions. If it jumped for her, she was going to start swinging
the bat. Hurting an animal was a no-no for her, but when it came to
vicious dogs and safety, she drew a line.

This was the
line, but only if it attacked.
Please don’t attack, for my sake
and yours
.

Hands shaking,
she licked dry lips.

The dog took a
stiff-legged step forward. Another. Her grip on the smooth wood was
sweaty.

Voices neared,
the sound of boots running down her driveway.

“Goddamn it!
Killer, you bloody dumb bastard! Get the hell back here!” A man
yelled
. “Killer!”

The dog swung
its head around, eyes catching in the light of a torch.

Relief flooded
Del as she saw the leash the man held as he approached the dog.

Immediately
the dog whined, head going down, tail tucking between its legs, the
aggressive creature of seconds ago morphing into a more cowed
animal. The man roughly snapped the leash on the thick, studded
collar, giving the dog a boot in the ribs as he did so.

“Hey, what the
hell?” Frightened of the dog Del might have been, but the man’s
actions were uncalled for. “That’s not the way you discipline a
dog.”

‘The man
looked towards her as three other men appeared around the bend.

Del looked at
them, her heart kicking up another notch. Crap, who were they?

“Damn it,
Fritz, I told you not to let the bloody thing loose!” Pierce’s
voice cut through the tension.

Relief swept
through her when she spotted him and Brand. The third man was
Cutter, stepping out from behind them to look at her, his gaze
assessing. It wasn’t a good look or a comforting one. The man was
trouble, his rather plain face having a brutal cast to it.

Angrily, Del
switched her gaze to Pierce. “If you can’t keep your dogs under
control, you need to keep them tied up. You know that.”

“Yeah, I
know.” Pierce shoved the man holding the big dog’s leash. “Get that
bloody thing back on the ute.”

The man
grunted and yanked the leash, the dog falling into step behind him,
its tail still between its legs, though it cast a glance back in
the direction of the prey it’d been chasing.

“And you can
tell him that if I see him abusing that dog again, I’ll report
him,” Del added sharply.

That had
Cutter’s gaze narrowing. “It’s just a dog.”

“It’s an
animal that deserves respect.”

“It’s not your
business.”

Del lowered
the bat. “Any animal that gets abused is everyone’s business.”

“Then maybe
you should learn to mind your business.” He took a step
forward.

In the night,
with the glow of the torches and the backwash of the back veranda
light, the men unexpectedly appeared more menacing.

She was
suddenly acutely aware that she was alone, facing down three men
with just a bat in her hands and her tough attitude. She had the
sudden feeling that if she showed fear or ran, they’d chase her
like the dog would have and bring her down.

Cripes, she’d
never been afraid of Pierce or Brand, had known them since school
though they’d never gotten on, running with different groups. Born
troublemakers and bullies, Brand and Pierce had gotten into fights
with Scott, Ryder and other kids they classed as ‘goody-two-shoes’
at different times growing up.

But now,
seeing the glint of their eyes in the torch lights, the way they
watched her intently, it occurred to her that they might have
slipped from simply troublemakers into darker territory.

Cutter was
definitely in darker territory. He might live in Ellor’s Loop but
stories of assault charges against both men and women were known
even in Gully’s Fall. The man wasn’t just trouble, he was a
predator.

Heart
thundering, knees trembling a little, Del kept eye contact with
him, knowing instinctively that he was the one to watch. The other
two would follow his direction. Maybe. Possibly.

Show no
fear
.

Her hold on
the bat tightened. “You got a problem, Cutter?” Almost immediately
she winced inside. She’d meant to sound sure of herself, instead it
had come across as more of a challenge.
Oh great
. “Because
if you have, you can get off my property. I don’t want you or your
problems here.” She stared him down, refusing to look away.

Silence filled
the clearing before he said with menacing softness, “Maybe you just
bought some problems, Del.”

The last thing
she wanted to hear. “You mob stay off my property, we don’t have a
problem.”

“But if you
hear dogs barking you’re making it your problem, aren’t you?”

“Barking dogs
don’t worry me.”

“Howling ones,
then.”

“Dogs can howl
through loneliness.”

“Then let’s
just say a dog in distress.”

“No.”

“You’re
lying.”

She was. They
all knew it. So she simply watched him in silence. She might be
scared, she’d been dumb to come out alone at night not knowing what
was happening, but she wouldn’t back down. To show weakness right
now would not only make her weak in their eyes, but it wasn’t in
her nature.

Ryder was
right, she had more guts than sense. More pride than intelligence.
Plus they all knew that no matter what she said she’d be lying. It
didn’t matter if she was crapping her daks, she would never ignore
a distressed animal.

Cutter laughed
suddenly, ugly and low. “I like a woman with spirit. Know what I
like even more?” When she didn’t reply, he smiled. “I like to break
that spirit.”

She just bet
he did.

“Not going to
talk now, Del? No smart comments?”

Del kept hold
of the bat, kept hold of her tongue.

He leaned
forward just a little, the slight move somehow ominous. His eyes
glinted in the torch light. “See you around, sugar.”

“I keep this
bat handy, Cutter.” She could have bitten her tongue when the
comment slipped out, but it was too late. “Just remember that.”

He laughed,
amused. Very bloody, darkly amused. “Oh, I will. Trust me, I will
remember.” Swinging around on his heel, he jerked his head at
Pierce and Brand. “Let’s go.”

Without
hesitation they followed him, disappearing around the bend of her
driveway.

While every
instinct shouted at her to run inside the house and lock the doors,
Del nevertheless stood in place, the bat gripped tightly in her
hand, her gaze never wavering from where they’d walked. Their
voices faded as they reached the road and crossed over onto
Pierce’s property.

Only then did
she turn, forcing her pace to be steady as she walked back around
the house to the where the light lit up the back. She refused to
run, because to do so would mean giving in to fear. Not going to
happen.

As she started
up the steps, she nearly jumped out of her skin when something spat
at her, a low hissing following.

“Bugger me!”
Hand to her chest, heart pounding, she peered at the old sofa on
the veranda.

Staring back
at her, fur bristled, was a kitten. It was this little thing that
had shot past her, chased by the dog.

“Oh man.”
Lowering the baseball bat, Del knelt on the veranda. “Hey, baby.
It’s all right.” She held out a slightly shaking hand.

The kitten
spat again, hunched further under the sofa.

After several
seconds trying to coax it out, Del hurried inside and opened a can
of sardines, tipping them onto a saucer before going back onto the
veranda, hoping the kitten hadn’t taken its chance to
disappear.

It still
huddled under the sofa, no longer spitting but growling a
little.

“Here, baby.”
Del placed the saucer near the kitten’s nose, letting it get a good
sniff.

It meowed,
moved forward.

Del shifted
the saucer a little further away. The kitten followed hesitantly.
The whole time she spoke softly, cooing gently until it finally
came out fully, so intent on the saucer.

As it ate, Del
slowly edged her hand forward, the kitten darting away a little
when she touched it. She drew her hand back, waited, still crooning
softly. It edged forward again, had another bite, and then settled
to eat.

This time when
she stroked it gently, the kitten stayed put.

Cripes, the
little thing was so small and hungry, gulping the fish down. Del
felt the dampness on its coat, the smell of urine. Poor little
bugger had wet itself in fright while being chased.

She continued
to stroke it, continued talking as it finished the fish and sat
upright, looking up at her out of big eyes.

Carefully, Del
slid her hand around it, feeling the trembling of the little body,
unable to help but smile a little when she realised it was purring.
Good sign. It continued to purr as she scooped it gently up into
her hands, slowly gathering it to her chest.

Pushing
upwards, she kept the kitten in one hand, the bat in the other, and
entered the house, locking the doors securely behind her.

In the safety
of the house, she held the kitten up in the air. The little thing
couldn’t have been more than eight weeks old, a tiny ball of
straggly black fur with a white blaze down its nose. A quick check
confirmed it was a girl.

“Huh.” Del
smiled at the kitten. “Well, you’re cute and all, but missy, you
stink of piddle. A quick bath and towel dry and you’ll be good as
new.”

The kitten
didn’t like the bath, but she didn’t mind the towelling, purring at
Del and trying to grab her hand.

“In the
morning I’ll try to find out who owns you.” Del lightly tapped the
kitten’s nose. “For tonight, you stay with me.”

Later, lying
in the dark, the kitten tucked up to her neck purring happily, Del
had to admit she welcomed the company. It was the first time she
could remember being a little unnerved by the encounter with a
couple of drongos, but one of them wasn’t so harmless, and as for
the other two, she didn’t know anymore.

But she sure
as hell was grateful for the new locks on the windows.

Chapter 4

Pulling into
the driveway of the big brick house, Del looked at the box on the
passenger seat. A little black paw poked out of one of the five
holes she’d put in the sides for ventilation.

“Sorry, Missy,
but I can’t take you to work. You need access to a litter tray and
food, and that I don’t have in the shop.”

The little
black paw waved at her. Grinning, she touched it with her
fingertip. Immediately the little paw tried to grab her.

“Okay,
cuteness, time to meet my Mum.” Taking the box, Del got out of the
car and walked up to the front door, calling out as she entered,
“Hi Mum, it’s me!”

A sturdy
blonde woman with grey at her temples came out of the kitchen, a
frilly apron tied at her waist. The smell of baking wafted out.

“Are you
baking a cake?” Del sniffed the air. “At eight in the morning?”

“Better to do
it before the heat sets in.” Mrs Miller kissed her on the cheek
before looking down in amusement at the little paw stretched out of
the box in a vain bid to grab her clothes. “Is this the little
sweetheart?”

“This is
Missy.” Entering the kitchen, Del set the box on the table.

Her father
looked up from where he was reading the paper, his glasses perched
on the end of his beaked nose. “Hi, sweetie.”

“Hey, Dad.”
Del opened the top of the box. “Brought your furry foster child to
spend the day with you and Mum.”

“You don’t
say.” He watched with mild curiosity as she scooped Missy from the
box.

“Oh, isn’t she
adorable?” Mrs Miller cooed, tickling her under the chin.

“And sharp
little claws.” Del stroked the kitten.

Missy looked
around in wide-eyed wonder.

“She’ll love
exploring the house.” Mrs Miller rubbed her behind the ears.

“She’s small
enough to get lost, trodden on, or tripped over, so you’ll have to
be careful,” Del warned.

“Don’t worry,
we’ll take good care of her.” Mrs Miller glanced around. “Is her
tray and food in the car?”

“I’ve got an
old box with sand in it which I’ll bring in for now, but I’m going
to dash to the shop and grab some kitten food and milk.”

“Don’t forget
a litter tray and litter.”

“She might not
be staying with me.”

Her parents
looked at her in surprise.

“She arrived
last night,” Del explained. “Chased by a dog from over the road. I
need to find out first if she belongs to anyone.”

“And if she
doesn’t?” Mr Miller queried.

“Then I’ll
keep her.” Del gave him a hopeful look. “As long as she’s okay to
stay here when I’m working? It’d only be until she’s old enough to
have three meals a day. Right now she needs about four or five, and
I won’t be home to give it to her. I can only do a lunchtime
feed.”

“Fine by
me.”

“Meanwhile,
she stays here anyway.” Mrs Miller took the kitten from Del. “Poor
baby. Did the big doggie chase you? He’d have eaten you for
dinner!”

“Ugh.” Del
have a shudder. “That dog was big enough to eat both of us.”

“Whose dog was
it?”

“Cutter’s,
maybe. I don’t know. I do know that the bloke who leashed it was a
sadistic bastard.”