“Hey, Kiko,” she called softly. “I’m home. And I brought a friend, so don’t be afraid.”
Rafe peered into the gloomy interior. “I gather she doesn’t like strangers?”
“She has reason not to.”
“Abused?”
“That…and more.”
Rafe didn’t so much hear the dog’s approach, as sense it. A prickle of awareness lifted the hairs on the back of his neck. And then he caught the glint of gold as the dog’s eyes reflected the light filtering in from the hallway. A low growl rumbled from the shadows.
“Kiko, stand down,” Larkin said in a calm, strong voice. Instantly the dog limped forward and crouched at her feet, resting her muzzle on her front paws.
Rafe groped for a light switch, found it and flicked it on. Son of a— This was not good. Not good at all. “What sort of dog is she?” he asked in as neutral a voice as he could manage.
“Siberian husky.” Larkin made the statement in a firm, assured voice.
“And?”
“A touch of Alaskan malamute.”
“And?” He eyed the animal, certain that at least one of its parents howled rather than barked, ran in a pack and mated for life.
Larkin wrapped her arms around her waist, her chin jutting out an inch. “That’s it.” Firm assurance had turned to fierce protectiveness overlaid with blatant lying.
“Damn it, Larkin, that’s not all she is and you know it.” He studied Kiko with as much wariness and she studied him. “Where the hell did you find her?”
“My grandmother rescued Kiko from a trap when she was a juvenile. But the trap had broken her leg. Gran even managed to save the leg, though it left Kiko with a permanent limp and, despite all the love and care lavished on her, it made her permanently wary of people. But she’s old now. When Gran was dying, she asked me to take care of Kiko. Since Gran raised me, I wasn’t about to refuse. End of discussion.”
Compassion shifted across his expression. “How long ago did your grandmother die?”
“Nine months. And she was ill for about a year before that. It’s been a bit of a struggle since then to keep a job while honoring my grandmother’s dying wish,” she found herself admitting. It had her stiffening her spine, pride riding heavy on her weary shoulders. “I’ve had to move around. A lot. And take on whatever jobs have come my way. But we’re managing. That doesn’t mean I don’t have goals I hope to accomplish. I do. For instance, I’d love to work for a rescue organization that specializes in helping animals like Kiko. I just need to take care of something first.”
“Finding your mystery man.”
“Yes.”
“Larkin—”
She cut him off. “We don’t have time for this, Rafe. Mr. Connell gave me ten minutes and we’ve wasted at least half that already. I still need to pack.”
He let it go. For now. “Where’s your suitcase?”
“In the closet.”
Instead of a suitcase, he found a large battered backpack and damn little else. It took all of two minutes to scoop her clothing out of the closet, as well as the warped drawers of an ancient dresser. Larkin emerged from the bathroom with her toiletries and dumped them into a small zipped section.
“What about the kitchen?” He used the term loosely, since it consisted of a minifridge, a single cupboard containing dishware for two and a hot plate.
“It came with the apartment. It’ll just take me a minute to gather up Kiko’s stuff and empty out the refrigerator.”
She attempted to block his view of the contents, but it was difficult to conceal nearly empty shelves, especially when it took her only a single trip to the trash can to dispose of what little it contained. After she fed Kiko a combination of kibble and raw beef, she bagged up the trash and put a leash on the animal. Rafe picked up her bag. He felt a vague sense of shock that all her worldly possessions fit in a single backpack. Hell, half a backpack, since the other half contained supplies for her dog. He couldn’t have fit even a tenth of what he owned in so small a space.
“You ready?” he asked.
Larkin snatched a deep breath and gave the apartment a final check before offering a resolute nod. After that it was a simple matter to lock up the apartment, turn in the keys to Mr. Connell, dispose of the trash and exit the building. Once there, Larkin gave Kiko a few minutes to stretch her legs. Then Rafe installed the dog in the back of his car, along with the bulging backpack, while Larkin returned to her seat in the front.