Page 9 of Her Filthy Grump
“He’s right there, dear.” Mabel points to the missing pet.
Of course.I roll my eyes as I gulp down clean air.Shit. Why’s he still holding me?I push at his back. “Let me down.”
“I forgot I let him outside earlier this afternoon,” Mabel continues to babble.
Oh, for the love of God. That’s awesome.The man drops me to my feet.
Chapter Six
Kameron
Seriously? She risked her life for a fat black cat who’s already outside and not even her own damn cat.
“Ridiculous.” I glower at the cat and grind my teeth together. The cat hisses and runs into the adjacent yard.
“Excuse me?” Her shoulders shoot back, and she wipes her hands on her yoga pants.
“You’re irresponsible.”
Her eyes flash with anger. “It was a little fire.”
“It’s stupid to go inside a burning building to rescue a cat.” I grab her arm and march her off the porch and into the grass.
The crowd that has gathered, continues to grow, while a parade of vehicles lines the street. Each of the cars move slowly with faces plastered to the glass–another strange phenomenon of rural living. People in the city ignore everything that goes on.
“It was barely burning.”
My jaw tics. “A fire is a fire.”
The firehose is hooked to the hydrant in front of the house and trails along the side yard to the back of the house. A small amount of smoke fills the air, but there’s no evidence of flames shooting out of the roof. The home should be salvageable.
“Thank you, Mr. Smokey The Bear.” She cranes her neck and stares behind the house. A broad grin spreads over her face, and she waves. “Hey, Gavin.”
Gavin stomps through the yard on his way back to us. “Layla Marie Monroe.”
She cringes, and her eyes dart to the ground. “Sorry, Gavin. I wasn’t thinking. All I could picture was Chester’s lifeless body on the linoleum floor.”
“Layla.” He shakes his head and wraps her into his arms. “You’ve got to worry about saving yourself before cats. You know how dangerous fires are. Don’t be stupid.”
“I know.” She snuggles against his chest.
Peachy.I get onto her, and you’d think I was accusing her of espionage, and her cousin just says her name, and she’s meek and contrite.
“You’re lucky Kameron was here to save you.” He pats her back and lets her go.
“Fire’s out!” Cole calls from the other side of the house.
“Excellent. I’ve got to check on the team and evaluate the damage.” He turns to me. “Keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn’t get into any more trouble.” Gavin whips around and rushes behind the building.
“Gr-r-reat.”
“Hey.” Her eyes narrow into two tiny slits. “I don’t want you to be my babysitter any more than you want to do it.”
“Where do you live?”
“Next door.” She hitches her thumb toward the smaller home beside the one that was on fire.
“I’ll walk you home.” I grasp her forearm and step forward, but she doesn’t budge. I sigh and tip my head heavenward. Puffy white clouds float through the sky. I count to ten while trying to ease the pounding in my head. “What?”