There was no way he was ready to trust her, though.
Hurt, hurt! Scared, scared, scared!
So, she sighed and shook her head. "I know, buddy. I know."
Those single words were a sure sign he was stressed. Frightened and angry. And all mixed up with visuals he'd brought back with him from the fighting pit.
The starvation and beatings. Always being cramped in a cage like the other dogs. The fear of never knowing what was next or if tomorrow he'd still be alive.
Gaining his confidence would take a gentle hand and more time than she could guess.
After rinsing the mop and dumping the water, she stepped outside for some peace and quiet. God, everything he'd been through. Her eyes stung. Feet robotically pacing around the edge of the lawn. She couldn't even imagine the psychological damage that had been done.
Her Droid buzzed, and the Darth Vader theme song sang from the holster at her hip. "Aw, crap."
She grabbed her phone and rolled her eyes as Pierce Woodward appeared on the screen. "Hi, Daddy."
"Are you okay?"
How was it that his soothing voice could bring calm to any storm? Or maybe the issue was that she never had to go to any lengths to explain. "Yeah, I'm fine."
"Hardly. I can feel the tension all the way up here." Otherwise known as his office inside the family's Gothic Mansion on the hill overlooking the entire town.
She turned and peered up at the estate. But there was no sense in hiding what she was doing. "I took in a wounded dog who's being more than a little…stubborn."
"Uh-huh, and the breed?"
She squeezed one eye closed in a wince. "Pitbull?"
"Ah." A long pause stretched. "I see."
"I'm trying to work through it, Dad." She resumed pacing. Watching her feet. "I'm sick and tired of being stuck in one spot."
"I know you are, Pumpkin, and I'm proud of you for trying. But you're also a lot like your mother. You jump in with both feet instead of testing the waters before you ease yourself in. Judging by your level of anxiety, he's gonna be a tough nut to crack."
"He's been through hell, Dad." Tears blurred her vision and tumbled over her lashes to trail warm and wet down her cheeks. "He's from a fighting pit. They tried to kill him."
A short puff of air hit the mic. "Thankfully, he's in capable hands. I have no doubts your heart is bigger than his past. Just remember to put yourself in his place."
"I know." She ran her hand over her forehead and cleared the tears from her face. "Everyone hurts. And with that hurt comes anger. The natural instinct to lash out."
"That's my girl. You can do this, I know."
She nodded. "Thanks, Daddy."
"Listen, your mother wants to talk to you about that incident at the Quicksilver."
Oh, geez. "Do we have to get into that right now?"
A rustle brushed the speaker, and Inara's shoulders fell as her mother took over the phone. "Sweetie, are you okay? We heard about what happened with Jason. I didn't sleep a wink until I spoke with Chief Dixon. Apparently, he's holding Jason for possession and violating his parole. Thank God, I can finally rest, knowing he's not lurking outside your window. There's no way you could've come to the party with him loose and roaming the—"
"Yeah, about the party. I talked to Rose and, Mom, I really hope you're not expecting me to bring a date."
"Nonsense. Now is the perfect time for you to bring a date. It's been years, Inara. And with Jason reappearing out of the blue, I hate the idea of you being stuck alone inside that house."
And if that didn't have Seth written all over it, Inara didn't know what did. "He got to you, didn't he? That buttinsky cousin I happen to employ?"
Her mother laughed. "Seth didn't say a word. I'm your mother, kiddo. I may not have the same abilities as everyone in this family, but that doesn't mean mine are any less potent. It's time, Inara. If you're serious about getting yourself unstuck, then it's important you give love a chance."
The call dropped off, and she stared at the screen. "If it's not one thing, it's your mother."
A car door slammed, and she turned toward Seth as he climbed from his Volkswagen Beetle Turbo. "Whoa. You're a complete disaster. What in the world's going on?"
Holding her arms out to the sides, Inara glanced at the stains on her lab coat. "It has not been the best morning ever."
"I can see that." He planted a kiss on her forehead. Then reached down and brought her wrist to his lips, kissing her bandage as well. "You are covered in black and purple sparklies."
Not surprising. "Buster scared the shit out of me when I walked into the clinic. I dropped my coffee, cut myself and—"
"Pierce and Pip called to see if you were okay."
"Right." Inara dragged her feet as Seth tugged her fingers, leading her back across the yard to her house. "And to make matters worse, she got on my case about bringing a date just like Rose."
"Would that really be so terrible?" Seth slid open the door, marched her past the kitchen, down the hall and into her room. "I get that you're totally freaked out about Jason after everything he put you through. But shutting down your heart only hands that asshole a big fat win. Believe it or not, you deserve to be happy, and nothing would teach that guy a better lesson than proving he no longer controls you."
Fine, she had to admit that Seth had a point. For months, she had flinched at every small noise following Jason's arrest. She'd gone to bed with all the lights on. Unable to answer her phone unless she could immediately identify the caller.
It hadn't taken long before she'd realized that was no kind of life to lead. Though none of that answered the more problematic issue if she followed Seth's advice and agreed. "And where, exactly, do I find the poor slob who gets suckered into this ridiculous agenda?"
"Yeah, that is a conundrum, isn't it?" Flipping through her closet, he chose a scooped-necked blouse with long floral bell-shaped sleeves. "Our first priority will be to spruce you up a bit. Ring the bell that you're officially back on the market."
Oh, no. Her knees turned to jelly, and she dropped to the mattress. What in the sweet, holy hell had she done?
"Here, put these on and go freshen your makeup." He pulled out a thigh-length blue jean skirt, the frayed edges making up the short hem. "I'll head to the office and start searching our client list. Every single male pet owner in the greater Woodward Hill area is about to be scheduled for emergency immunizations."
Nik rinsed the last dish and handed it to Dion, who slotted it in the rack inside the dishwasher. He bent to fetch the detergent from the under the sink, but paused as someone pounded on the door.
"I got it." Drying his hands, Dion started out of the kitchen and slung the dishtowel around his neck.
Nik filled the reservoir, adjusted the settings and tapped start to get the dishwasher running.
"Hey, Uncle Karl." Dion's voice echoed against the living room rafters and Nik smirked as he wiped down the counter. The heavy thump of their boots proceeded the guys around the living room wall.