He had a knifeDon’t leave home without itbut if he had to kill the damn dog it would spoil the surprise. And he didn’t relish the idea of having the dog try to rip a chunk out of him.
He reconsidered.
He’d go around the back first, to the glass doors. Let the dog see himand the dog biscuit. Make friends through the glass. She may have left them unlocked on top of it.
He circled around, making note of windows on this far sideones he hadn’t been able to study up close before. And the trees, the potential cover.
He took the stairs to the deck. More pots of flowers. Yeah, he might just come back with weed killer, give her plants a good dose for the fun of it.
Then, slapping on a big, friendly smile, he pulled out a dog biscuit and walked to the big glass doors.
The dog wasn’t even there. Some guard dog, he thought with a snort, and pulled on thin latex gloves to check if the doors were locked.
The dogbigger than he’d rememberedflew at the glass, barking, snarling, even snapping. Shocked panic had him stumbling back, throwing up his hands as if to protect his face. His heart banged in his throat, his mouth went dry. Infuriated him even as he trembled.
“Fucker. Fucker.” Breathless, he tried the big smile again, though his eyes transmitted pure hate even as he showed the dog the biscuit. “Yeah, asshole,” he said in a friendly singsong. “See what I got. Should’ve poisoned it, you ugly fuck.”
But no matter the tone, no matter the bribe, the dog’s relentless barking increased. When he made a testing move toward the door, the dog peeled back those canine lips and showed his fangs.
“Maybe I’ll stick this down your throat instead.” He pulled the knife, stabbed out with it.
Rather than cowering back, the dog leaped at the glass and stood on his hind legs, barking madly with eyes creepy blue and feral.
“Screw this.” His hand shook as he shoved the knife back in its sheath. “I’ll be back, you fuck, I’ll be back. I’ll gut you like a trout and make her watch.”
Furious, shaken, hot tears, hot rage burning behind his eyes, he stormed off the deck. Hands fisted, he hurried around the side of the house, stomped back to the drive and down.
He’d be back. And she and that fucking dog would pay for ruining his day.
In Xander’s opinion no one had ever wanted to get out of a suit as badly as he wanted out of his. And once he had, he decided, he intended to toss it into Naomi’s closet, leave it there, and forget it for as long as humanly possible.
“I appreciate your staying,” he told her as he turned up her drive. “I know it was long.”
“People really loved her. I think when you hear as much laughter as you see tears it’s a testament to that. People loved her, and won’t forget her. I wanted to stay, which isn’t something I say often about any sort of event that involves so many people, but I did want to stay. And I didn’t realize until I did that I’ve become part of the community. Or at least crossed that careful border into the edges of the community.”
He parked, then just sat a moment. “You bought this place, and nobody else was willing to put the time, money, and vision into it. You shop local, you hire local, and that counts a whole hell of a lot. You put your art at Krista’s, and it’s something people notice, take stock of. You’re hooked up with me, and people notice and take stock of that, too.”
“I bet they do. New York Naomi and Our Own Xander.” She smiled now. “I’ve heard myself referred to that way, which is why it surprised me to realize I’d crossed that border.”
“You might always be New York Naomi. It has a ring. God, I’ve got to get out of this suit.”
“And I’ve got to let that poor dog out. We were longer than I thought we’d be. Where’s Lelo?” she wondered.
Xander glanced over at his friend’s truck. “Around somewhere. The rest will be coming along, get a few hours in yet.”
He waited while she unlocked the door and deactivated the alarmand the dog raced in from the back of the house to wiggle and wag and lick and lean.
“Okay, okay, I know we were forever.” But when she started to open the front door, Xander stopped her.
“He’ll be all over the dirt. He should go out the back.”
Though he intended to go straight up and ditch the suit, he went with instinct when Tag raced toward the back of the house, ran back a few feet, raced back again.
Something’s up.
“I’ll let him out,” Naomi began as Xander started back. “I know you want to change and get to work.”
“I’ll go up the back.”
He relaxed when he saw the reason for Tag’s actions. Leloalready out of dress clothes and into work modestood on the other side of the glass doors, pouring potting soil into the first of two containers.