The Beast on Her Leash novel · Chapter 10 of 24

Chapter 10: The Leash

"I changed it," I said, before the elevator doors finished opening. "My grandmother raised me after my parents died. At eighteen I took her name."

Pauline's pale eyes held mine.

"That isn't in the file."

"Now it is."

"I'm sorry for your loss," she said, and sounded as if she meant it a little.

She did not sound as if she believed it.

I walked out through the lobby of tow-truck photographs without hurrying, and I did not stop shaking until I was on the bridge.

Bram's truck was in the boathouse lot.

I found him on the porch with Moose's big head in his lap, staring at the river.

He didn't look up.

"I walked out on you," he said.

"You said his name nicely and left through thirty people. I'd say that went well."

"He gave me a leash."

"He gave you a leash, and you didn't use it on him. That's the second best thing you've done this week."

"What's the first?"

I sat down on the boards beside him.

"Telling Moose about it first, so he'd forgive you."

He made a rough sound that was almost a laugh.

Then he went in, and I followed, and he stopped by the nail beside the door.

Moose's old leash hung there, cracked and pale.

He took it down and looked at it.

"Everybody keeps saying you've got me on one," he said.

"Everybody is an idiot."

"I know."

He turned.

His eyes were dark and steady, and a little wild.

He held out the loop of the leash to me, and put it in my open palm.

"Go on," he said. "Pull."

The leather was warm from his hand.

I looked at it and at him, six foot five of him, standing perfectly still.

My pulse was loud.

He was not holding the other end.

He had simply handed me the choice and was waiting to see what I did with it.

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