Wounded (Dogs of War MC Book One) Read Free Page B

believe he still had the gall to try this, “What do I have to do to convince you that I don’t ? I mean it David, do not call me again, don’t write, don’t send a telegram. I’m done.” She looked at the phone, at David’s picture and name staring back at her and pressed ‘end’.
    She sat down in her overstuffed chair and put her face in her hands. Why did she let him get to her? Why could she be so stern with him, so strong sounding, when inside she was crumbling? Why did it still hurt so bad?
    A wet nose bumped her forehead and she raised her watery eyes to Red’s. “Why are men such assholes Red? Huh?” Red whined in reply, “Not you boy, I mean you have all the necessary boy parts but it’s something about the human male that makes them want to crush anyone who loves them.” He wagged his tail. She looked around at her demolished, hair and dirt covered living room and thought about her water covered bathroom and was suddenly bone weary.
    “That’s it for me today. I’m done.” She raised herself from the chair, carefully as if she were injured. “I’m going to spray the whole shower down with Clorox and then get in it and hope that some of the bleach will get on me and cleanse the funk out of my brain.”
    After a long shower she finally made it into bed and despite her best efforts, her mind went back to the night she’d walked in on David and Olivia, the receptionist at their veterinarian clinic, in their brand new apartment. She had been so excited about that stupid apartment. She had toured at least twenty before settling on that particular one. It had a walk in shower, a huge built in bookcase, and a beautiful hummingbird stained glass window over the breakfast nook. Sometimes the thought of losing the apartment hurt almost as much as losing David. She had gone over on impulse that night to hang the new drapes in the kitchen. Shopping for, and decorating, the apartment had become a bit of an addiction for her and she couldn’t help getting a quick fix whenever she had the chance. Little did she know that she’d be walking in to see David’s bare ass pumping away as Olivia screamed bloody murder. She was probably faking it, only porn actresses screamed like that, and honestly David hadn’t inspired that much enthusiasm in bed.
    But she had loved him and walking into that had shattered every dream she had built since the day she’d met him. A sob escaped from her and the tears she’d been holding back leaked into her pillowcase.
    The bed shook, shaking her out of her crying jag. Red had casually bounded onto the bed and lay down beside her. She looked at him for a minute, trying to decide whether or not she should, or could, banish him back to the floor. Instead she threw her arms around him and let the tears resume, muffling her sobs into Red’s neck. She’d let them out tonight but it’d be the last time she’d cry for him, the very last time. 

“What’s with all the extra pep today?” Francisca’s greasy dark hair dangled into her eyes, making a curtain between her and the rest of the world.
    “Was I being peppy? I apologize, it wasn’t my intention.” Sidney placed her patient files into Fran’s filing tray.
    “You just don’t seem your normal self.”
    “Is my normal self anti-pep?”
    “Yes, no, I don’t know,” she waved her hand in Sidney’s face, looking away, “Whatever.”
    The fact was Sidney was feeling… peppier. It was like David calling and the subsequent bout of crying (ok, sobbing) had released something inside her. It had been a couple days and the crushing knot in her chest hadn’t returned yet.
    She bounced out to her Jeep and opened the door. She did indeed feel full of pep. She patted the huge knobby bone in the passenger side seat of the car, she’d even bought Red a treat while she’d been at lunch. Maybe Red’s presence in her life was helping too. When she was home he was her constant companion, cuddling close at night, running around