Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 73230 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 366(@200wpm)___ 293(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73230 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 366(@200wpm)___ 293(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
Grrrr.
I froze, turning around to see Koda on the ground on a bed in the corner of the kitchen. Her food and water bowl were on the ground next to her, and she growled some more at me.
“Koda!” I cried, placing my cat in Casten’s arms before hurrying over to Koda.
Koda’s growl picked up and I slowed, going down to my haunches about three feet away from her.
“I really wish you’d let me pet you again.” I said to her.
Her tail thumped once, but she never stopped growling.
“I think you really just want attention. What would you do if I touched you?” I asked.
I duck walked forward, getting closer and closer, stopping just short of touching her.
Her growls never abated, but they never ramped up, either.
“She won’t bite you. She likes you,” Casten offered his two cents.
I looked at him over my shoulder and smiled at the picture he made.
Kong was laid out like a baby on his back, purring up a storm as Casten scratched him under his chin on top of the counter.
Turning back to Koda, I slowly reached my hand out and I closed my eyes until I met the coarse brown and black fur covering Koda’s side. She didn’t bite me.
I hesitantly opened up one eye, looking in disbelief at Koda.
“You’re such a pretty girl,” I told her, scratching her softly behind the ear.
“Don’t lie to her. It’s not nice,” Casten laughed.
I smiled and continued to scratch.
Casten’s phone rang.
“Hello?” Casten’s annoyed voice answered. “What? Now? Yeah. What grocery store? Yeah. Okay. Thanks for the tip.”
I looked at him in curiosity.
“Want to come get a skip with me?” He stood up straight and looked at me questioningly.
I grinned.
“Can I?” I asked in excitement.
He shrugged.
“It’s an old woman that missed her bail and continues to miss her court dates because she’s an old woman who doesn’t think the law applies to her. She’s about seventy-five pounds sopping wet, and couldn’t make a fast getaway if she tried,” he added.
“Are you talking about Old Lady Rona?” CeeCee asked as she came into the kitchen mostly dressed in her uniform.
She was obviously about to go to work. She had her pants and boots on, and was tugging her shirt on, giving me a clear, unencumbered view of her neck.
“What’s that on your neck?” I asked, squinting to see it better.
CeeCee yanked on her shirt.
“Nothing,” she muttered.
I grinned.
Sure it was nothing. From what I could see of it, it was one hell of a hickey.
“Yeah, it’s her. She’s at the Save All Supermarket. I asked one of the cashiers to call me when she came back,” Casten said, pulling the ferret off his leg and handing it to CeeCee. “We’ll see you tomorrow.”
“You’re taking Tasha?” surprise leeching into her voice.
I smiled widely.
“He’s going to show me how it’s done,” I smiled.
CeeCee had the decency not to laugh until we were on the way out of the door.
It was extremely nice of her.
***
“Ma’am,” Casten repeated. Again. “Please put down the gun.”
I hid behind a display of Oreos, watching the scene unfold before me with bated breath.
Rona waved her gun around, barely able to hold the damn thing up, let alone shoot it.
“I told you, I have too many animals to go to prison!” Rona wailed in her old lady, wobbly voice.
Casten’s eyes narrowed.
“If you go to prison because you miss your court date one more time, you’re stupid,” Casten told her bluntly.
I blinked, as did Rona.
“What?” Head shaking in affront, unable to believe that Casten had said that to her.
Casten nodded. “Yes, stupid. You’d be stupid. This is all over a simple driving without a license ticket that you never took care of, which then turned into a warrant. All you need to do is pay your fine, which means you’ll have to appear in court. It’s a half a day thing at most, then you can go back to your animals.
“However, if you continue to ignore it and keep missing your court dates, then you’ll go to jail over something that is so inconsequential and could have totally been avoided, that it’s hilarious. Now come on, let’s go,” Casten snapped his fingers at her.
I pulled the box of Oreos down from the closest shelf, then opened the top.
Once it was open, I took an Oreo out and twisted the top off, licking the cream entirely off the cookie before I put it back and got another.
Yes, here was more proof that I was a stress eater.
This whole situation was damn near debilitating.
How could Casten stand to take in this crying little old lady?
I know I couldn’t do it.
Now, if it was a man that was just as big if not bigger than Casten with tattoos of red tear drops on his face that denoted him a killer, then, I would know that the man deserved to be taken to jail.