Chapter 54
Alcee walked around the mess the dog made and looked at Antero. “Tell your father. I’m not cleaning it.”
“Um, okay.” Antero raced in the direction of the bedroom. “Dad, Avalanche peed all over the floor and Mom said she isn’t cleaning it.”
Alcee looked down as the puppy grabbed the baggy part of her sweatpants and tugged on them as she walked into the kitchen. She turned and squatted and shook her finger. “No biting my pants. Now sit!” she pointed at the dog. She pushed the dog’s backside down and the dog plopped down and stared back at her. “Stay.”
“She doesn’t know tricks yet, Mom”
“Commands, not tricks,” she corrected. “Tricks is getting her to give you a paw or roll over. A command is going to train her to be a good girl.”
Antero frowned at her, “did you have a dog when you were a kid, Mom?” he was sat on the floor while his mother made a face at the kitchen. “We cleaned it.”
“Poorly,” she grunted as she went in search of cleaning equipment. “Yes. I had a dog when I was a little girl.”
“What happened to it?” Antero asked.
“My father got rid of it.”
“Why?” Antero asked quietly. “Was it sick?” He pulled Avalanche closer to him.
“No. I wanted to ride my bikes with my friends after school, and I didn’t get home to walk him like I promised I would. I broke my agreement. My father got rid of the dog.” She spoke with a cool detachment as she filled up a bucket of water and antiseptic cleaner and then sprayed her counters and sink down with bleach. “No more bathing her in the sink. Her butt has feces on it, and you put it in my sink. It’s gross.” She ignored Torq who came in limping, changed out of the suit trousers and wearing a V–neck t–shirt and a pair of sweats. Her eyes noted he was not wearing anything under the gym pants, and she frowned at him. He smirked back when he caught her looking. “Did you hear me, Ant?”
“Yes Mom.” Antero said with a nod
“Good”
“I can help,” Torq took the map bucket and the mop to start the floors. “We made the mess. Why don’t you go sit and I can do this to your satisfaction?” He looked at the counter, “you dumped enough bleach on the counter to clean a crime scene. We might hire you.”
“How are you balls Torq
He chuckled, “Sore but I’m hoping to get them kissed better later,” he whispered in her ear as he leaned over her and kissed her ent
“Dad, if I forget to walk the dog will you get rid of her like Don Marlani did to Mom’s deg
Torq clearly hadn’t heard the part of the conversation right before he came in and he froze, “your father got rid of your dog because you forgot to
walk it?”
“I didn’t forget to walk him. I went to ride my bike first. I was going to walk him when I got back. When I got home the dog was gone and Dad told me it was a lesson in priorities.”
Torg’s nostrils flares, “just when I think I couldn’t hate the man more, one more fucking reason pops up.
At the way the mop handle bent in Torq’s hand, Antero’s eyes grew wide, and he pulled the dog right onto his lap.
Torq looked at Ant and squatted down, “Ant, you share a responsibility to take care of your dog but there will never be a reason for me to take your dog from you short of her being sick and even then, we have a lot of money. We will try to make her better first. Deal?”
“Yes.” He looked at the mop, “you bent it.”
“I was imagining your grandfather’s neck.”
Alee kicked his thigh, “could you not say such things to him?”
Antero giggled.
12
Chapter 54
“Anyone home? Why does it smell like a hospital in here?” Tito’s voice called from the front of the condo.
“My wife is cleaning our mess. She is upset the dog’s butthole was in the sink.”
“How did she react to the dog shitting on the carpet in the living room?” Bastiano laughed as he entered the room and then frowned as Torq made waving motions with his hands.
“Get the carpet out of my house now.”
“We cleaned it!” Antero said seriously.
“Torq!” Alcee felt her entire body shuddering with revulsion at the notion.
“On it,” Torq shoved Bastiano into the other room as Tito dumped six boxes of pizza on the counter before racing off to help get rid of the
carpet.
A quiet voice spoke up, “is there anything I can do to help?”
Alcee turned to notice the wonsan standing nervously in the corner of the room, closer to the exit than into the kitchen. “Genevra?”
“Bastiano invited me for pizza.”
“Come in and sit down. No, you don’t need to help.” She waved at the bar stools in front of the pizza as she continued wiping down the counters inhaling the clean scent of the bleach.
Genevra’s eyes darted to the dog.
“Oh my god, not you too? You like dogs?”
“I love them.” Genevra looked at Antero who was glowering at her, clearly remembering his encounter with her the day before. “Antero, may I pat your dog?”
I guess,”
,” he shrugged with irritation.
Genevra gave a squeal and kicked her shoes off to the side, hiked her skirt up so she could get onto the floor and then was immediately crooning at the puppy. Antero looked at his mother in confusion as if trying to figure out how this woman and the one he met yesterday were the same. Alcee was forced to admit, she was also confused but considering how fucked up the last forty–eight hours were, nothing short of aliens and a space craft were going to throw her off now,
Chapter Comments
Tanya Gordon
OMG that was hilarious
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