Page 62 of Scarred Ruin

“Papa. Come here!” Mina was as expressive as her mother and I knew she’d grow up to be just like her. Another pang in my heart kept my approach slower than normal.

“What do we have here?” I knelt, allowing Mina to take the lead while sensing Isabel was watching my reaction like a hawk.

“She’s a border collie,” Mina repeated while looking at the shelter worker.

“Border collies are wonderful dogs,” Isabel interjected. “But they are very hyper and sometimes hard to control. Imagine a little itty-bitty girl like you trying to hold her leash.” She made my daughter giggle by tickling her tummy.

“She’s right,” the shelter worker agreed. “Valentine is a wonderful dog but needs lots of room to run.”

Mina frowned and I hadn’t realized she’d brought another picture with her. As she began to unfold it, Isabel offered another look. “Do you have one who looks like this?”

The shelter worker bent over and as soon as she saw the picture, her face lit up. “Did you draw this?”

Mina nodded.

“She’s quite the artist,” Isabel told her. Nothing about how she reacted to my daughter was coaxed or awkward.

“Yes, she is. It’s beautiful.”

I was surprised when the worker lifted her head, staring right at me. She’d finally noticed my scars and the way I was dressed. With my Bratva tattoos and the snake on my arm, I could see an even more heightened level of terror.

I had that effect on people. However, I wasn’t in the mood to let my appearance impact my daughter’s ability to adopt a dog.

When I was ready to intervene, Isabel shook her head.

She’d sensed the woman’s discord as well. “Mina has very much been looking forward to adopting a black lab. That’s all we’ve talked about for a long time. Right?”

“Yes!” Mina clapped her hands again. “Papa finally said yes.”

“We have a big house and a yard,” Isabel continued. “We live right by the ocean so the pup can run and play. There’s plenty of room in the house and we’re going to head to PetSmart and purchase a new bed and lots and lots of toys for the pup. Right?”

Mina nodded profusely, not even realizing Isabel had offered a polite but well-timed lie.

“And tomorrow, we’re going to take the pup to the vet and make certain he’s healthy.” Isabel stood, smoothing down her dress on purpose.

Where I’d dressed the part of someone to be terrified of, she’d come directly from the office, her dress a lovely representation of a true professional. Her gesture caught the woman’s attention.

“We might even take him on our boat,” Isabel added as if the woman needed another reason to believe we wouldn’t abuse the animal once in our possession. “Right, honey?”

It was my cue to pretend I was something I wasn’t.

“Oh, Papa, I heard labs love the water.” Mina was bubbling with excitement and I was prepared to destroy the woman if she dared crush my daughter’s excitement.

“Well,” the woman began, her concern beginning to fade. “We do have a ten-month-old puppy that has had a very hard life so far. He’s our little Shadow and we were hoping for a very special family to take care of him. He’s suffered a lot at the hands of humans.”

Was this woman really going to test me?

“I’ll take care of him. I take care of my papa and Izzy will help and I’ll give him lots and lots of love. And toys. And treats!”

The woman finally laughed. “Why don’t we see how Shadow reacts.”

Isabel lingered behind and as before, she fell into silence.

“Thank you,” I told her.

“For what? For caring about Mina?” She lifted her head, searching my eyes.

“Yes.”