I took a breath. “You’re both okay.”
“Yeah,” he said hesitantly. “We called the police and they came to get the gun. They’re hoping that the prints or serial number or something will lead them to the guy.”
“Well, that’s good.”
“Yeah, it is.”
“So do you need me there or no?”
“No, we’re good.”
“So then what’s going on, ’cause you sound all weird. Are you freaking out?”
“The cops are here taking our statement, and they’re all treating Chickie like he’s the second coming, ya know?”
“Sure,” I said, trying to figure out why he sounded so odd. “What’s wrong?”’
He cleared his throat. “Aruna… she—she really doesn’t wanna give Chickie back.”
“I’m sorry, what?”
Liam coughed. “Aruna. She wants to keep Chickie, and I gotta tell you, how protective he is of her, how much he loved all the little kids this weekend, and my uncle, who’s a vet, he says that Chickie is actually not a wolf at all. He thinks he’s malamute and Caucasian Ovcharka.”
“I have no idea what that is.”
“Well, he thinks that’s why he’s so big, plus he’s got a really even temperament.”
I laughed into the phone. “Liam, Ian’s not gonna give you guys his dog.”
“Who better than a family to have him?”
“Liam—”
“Gotta go, talk to you later,” he said and then hung up.
I called Aruna, but all I got was her voice mail. Switching to text, I let her know that she couldn’t keep something that didn’t belong to her.
She sent back one word. Hah.
I tried her again.
“What?” she said irritably, finally picking up.
“You can’t keep Ian’s dog, but I will let him stay until I get off tomorrow night,” I told her.
“I might move.”
“I’m a US marshal, I’ll find you.”
“But Miro,” she whined.
“No.”
“He loves me.”
“You’re gonna have a baby. You’re gonna be too busy to take care of a werewolf.”
Another whimper.
I laughed. “I’ll see ya tomorrow night.”
“Fine,” she said and hung up.
I stood there a second and then walked back to the office and into the room to listen to more of the intake paperwork. Cabot was nodding off; Drake had his chin in his hand, staring blearily at Ryan, who was reading in a monotone voice as Dorsey and Ian had their arms crossed, heads back, resting their eyes.
“You look weird,” Ian interrupted, which woke everyone up.
“Well, that’s because Liam and Aruna are trying to keep your dog.”
His smile was fast. “Yeah, I figured that was coming.”
“What? You did?”
“Yeah, I mean, who volunteers to take somebody else’s dog with them to the mountains? Come on.”
“You’re not gonna give them Chickie, are you?”
“I dunno,” he said thoughtfully. “I have to think about what’s best for him.”
“Really?”
“Sure. For instance, where would he go every day?”
I didn’t even have to think, I knew already. “He’d stay home with Aruna or go to the fire station with Liam.”
“And when Liam’s home, he’d take him with him wherever he went, right? Plus when Aruna has the baby, when she goes out, who better to protect her and the baby than demon dog?”
“But he’s yours.”
“What are we talking about?” Ryan wanted to know.
“Doyle’s wolf,” Dorsey informed him.
“Oh, okay.”
“You have a wolf?” Cabot asked.
“He’s a dog,” I said, clearing it up.
Ian’s phone rang, and after checking the caller ID, he got up and left, taking the call outside the room. I wanted to know who called, but more than that, I wanted to be done.
“Have them start signing,” I told Ryan. “Let’s give them their document packets and get this show on the road already. We’re all wiped out. Please.”
“We need food,” Cabot begged.
“Just gimme a pen,” Drake pleaded as well. “I’ll sign whatever you want.”
“I bet this is a form of torture in some countries,” Cabot insisted.
“But you guys need to be apprised of—”
“Miro and Ian are gonna take care of us,” Drake explained to them. “We’ll be fine.”
Ryan and Dorsey looked up at me.
“Let it go,” I groused.
“Awww, you and Doyle are parents,” Dorsey said snidely.
Ryan grinned. “Mazel tov.”
“You guys are such assholes,” I grumbled.
But large plastic document pouches slid across the table, as well as two binders.
“Make with the signing,” Dorsey directed.
By the time Ian came back an hour later, we were done.
There was so much to do in the first days and weeks of new witness relocation. Social Security cards were already in the packets along with birth certificates, but Drake and Cabot had to get driver’s licenses, enroll in school, and be placed in jobs. All the things that fell under setting up a new life, Ian and I would make certain were done. We would be with them the whole way, from finding a furnished apartment to buying supplies for their new abode to purchasing clothes and school books and all other essentials. We’d set them up and then keep tabs. Ian and I had done intake many times. It was the part of the job I loved the best, helping people pick up the pieces of their lives to start anew. I was looking forward to watching over Cabot and Drake.