“No matter what Mr. Quinn calls himself, I think we’d have to look under dog training.” Selena sat on the edge of the bed. “But we need to talk first.”
“You don’t really want to use this guy, do you?”
No, she didn’t, but her reasons went beyond Jack Quinn’s untested approach to Axel’s reformation. “Why don’t you want to use him?”
“I didn’t like the way he looked at you.”
So her son’s reasons weren’t too far from her own. Except she didn’t know how she felt about the intense way Quinn looked at her. “He knows I’m the one paying,” she offered in explanation. “I think he was trying to convince the comptroller Axel needs help.” She rubbed the dog’s belly. “But we already know that, don’t we?”
“I guess. That doesn’t mean we can’t get help somewhere else.”
“I’ve been thinking about that.” This wasn’t easy for her to admit. “First, Robert recommended this guy. And when I called Dr. Wong for a vet reference, she said he’d be her first choice, too. I wouldn’t know any of these other people in the phone book or their qualifications. Second, I paid Quinn up front. I know he said we could get a refund, but that might end up a hassle. Third, remember it took a week and a half to get him over here? We need help now. If we have to wait another week-and-a-half to get someone new, Sam’s not going to be happy. I bet I could call this Quinn character right now and tell him it’s an emergency, and he’d set up our second visit, pronto.”
“You think?”
“I won’t get off the phone till he does.”
Drew buried his face in Axel’s hairy hide. “I saw Animal Control from the window. Are they gonna take him?”
“Only if we don’t do something quick. I hate to admit it, but we already have the wheels in motion with this guy Quinn.”
“Okay.” Drew didn’t sound in the least convinced. “Call him.”
“Do you still have his card?”
Drew rummaged in his wastebasket and pulled out two ripped halves.
Selena took the pieces, then went into the kitchen to make the call.
He picked up on the first ring. “Jack Quinn here.” She could imagine his deep-set eyes. His stern look relayed over air and wire to skewer her right here in her home.
“H-hello,” she croaked. “This is Selena Milano. You were here a few days ago.”
“I remember. Axel, right?”
“Right. Well…it seems we can use your help after all.”
The long pause caught her off guard. “Mr. Quinn?”
“It’s Jack. I was looking through my schedule. Do you want to come to my center for the second session next Tuesday?”
“Um…we sort of need something yesterday.”
“Someone’s lodged a complaint.”
She hated that he was right. “Y-yes.”
“I’m sensing, even with the complaint, you’re not committed to this process.”
“Oh, I am! It would break Drew’s heart—and Axel’s—if anything should separate them.”
“All right. I can show you and your son everything Axel needs to be happy and well-adjusted. But are you willing to see Axel as a dog, not a furry child? Are you willing to follow my directions?”
She thought about this.
“Selena?” The quiet way he said her name sent shivers down her spine.
“I’m thinking.”
“Well, think about this, too. Can you bring yourself to use the words submission and discipline without thinking of them as negatives?”
How dare he challenge her? She nearly hung up the phone until she remembered the threat of Animal Control. For Drew and Axel—not for Mr. Take Charge on the other end of the line—she finally said, “Yes.” A qualified yes.
“I’m assuming you want Drew to be present. Tomorrow’s Saturday. Come to my center at eleven, and I’ll fit you in.” He gave her the address in an industrial part of town. “Leave Axel at home.”
The man was impossible. “Do you understand the emergency involves Axel? My neighbor isn’t threatening to send my son and me to the pound.”
“I understand. But we’re not going to get anywhere with Axel until you understand a few basics. I want you to observe my pack of well-adjusted dogs.”
His pack of dogs? What was this guy? Urban jungle boy? “And that’s going to help our problem?” she asked, unable to keep the sarcasm from her voice.
“Absolutely. Trust me.”
Oh, no. She might have agreed to follow his doggie-shrink routine for two more paidup sessions, but trust him? She’d learned the hard way to trust no one but herself.
SELENA HATED missing Saturday mornings at Margo’s. That was when she was most likely to run into friends. It seemed ages since she’d caught up with all the others, but the issue with Axel wouldn’t go away. Maybe, if things went well at the dog center, Drew and she could stop in at the café later for scones.
The address Quinn had given her appeared to be a vacant lot between two warehouses. A high, chain-link fence backed by green tarp fronted the property. Stretched on the fence to one side of a wide roll-gate was a professionally painted banner that read Canine Rescue and Rehabilitation with a Web site below. Selena stepped up to a call box hanging next to the gate and pressed the button.
A voice—definitely not Quinn’s deep rumble—said, “May I help you?”
“Selena and Drew Milano. We have an eleven o’clock appointment with Jack Quinn. I know we’re a bit early, but I couldn’t be sure how easy this place would be to find.”
The gate swung open even as the disembodied voice replied, “No problem.”
Selena and Drew stepped into an enclosed area beautifully designed like a Japanese garden. There was the sound of running water, but not a dog in sight. A young man stepped out of a small building to greet them. “Jack said if you got here early, I was to give you a tour. He’s working with a pretty intense case right now, but he’ll be free shortly. I’m Andy. One of the assistants.”
“How many people work here?” Selena was under the impression Jack worked alone with his pack of feral dogs. Out of his jungleboy cave. In a loincloth.
“Three full-timers, including Jack. Three more part-timers. And a half-dozen interns. When it comes to dog issues, we’re the go-to people.” Andy looked quite proud of the fact. “When you’re dealing with animals, it’s a twenty-four-seven, year-round operation. And when you see the size of our resident pack, you’ll see why we need a large crew.”
“So where are the dogs?” Drew asked.
“Through the next gate.” Andy indicated the chain-link fence on the far side of the garden. This fence was covered with tarp as well, so that what was on the other side remained a mystery.
“This is an unusual entrance for a dog center,” Selena said, looking around at the contained yet peaceful landscape.
“Jack designed it with a purpose,” Andy explained. “He believes dog owners must exhibit calm leadership. Even visitors to the center. The garden helps you relax and focus before you enter the dog compound.” He led them toward the far gate. “There’s one more holding area—for humans—but you can observe the pack from there.”
“You keep talking about a pack. How many dogs are there?”
Andy