Fifteen minutes later, we were driving away from the farm. This place had always meant a lot to me, but now that it was also connected to Amo, it became even more special.
“I have a surprise for you,” Nevio said after a while, drumming excitedly on the steering wheel.
I gave him a wary look. That could mean everything and his nervous energy definitely gave reason for worry.
“She’s worried,” Alessio said from the seat on my right.
“As she should be when Nevio is excited about something,” Massimo said from where he lounged on the backseat. I resisted the urge to tell him about his chances of surviving a crash when he wasn’t buckled up. He knew, and would only give me the same answer as with the smoking.
“I was looking for something to cheer you up and one of our contacts gave me a tip about a breeding farm for these handbag dogs.”
“Chihuahuas?”
“Bless you,” said Massimo dryly.
I rolled my eyes at him.
“Whatever,” Nevio said. “We’re heading there now. You’re going to save a few dogs and we’re going to see if we can find some entertainment with the breeders.”
“Why do humans do this?” I whispered with a shake of my head, my heart filling with pity for the poor creature in my arms. We were on our way back from taking about thirty older dogs and forty puppies, some only a few days old, to a retired lady and her husband I had cooperated with in the past. They had a dog sanctuary that kept the dogs for as long as it took to give them a forever home and never put them down unless they had serious health issues that couldn’t be treated. Dad had made it very clear that he wouldn’t tolerate me raising puppies in our mansion and with Dotty, Momo and Bear Dad was already at the edge of his dog tolerance, so I’d only picked one of the Chihuahuas for myself.
Nevio shrugged. “They think it’s cute to give them huge water heads and matchstick legs, and they call me twisted.”
“People want dogs but they don’t want the commitment of walks and conditioning. When these tiny dogs need to pee their owners stuff them in a cat toilet and when they don’t obey they carry them in their purse. It’s convenient,” Massimo said matter-of-factly.
“It’s a dog, not a toy! It’s not meant to be convenient,” I whispered, feeling close to tears. “If they want a pet that doesn’t require walks or conditioning, then they can get a hamster or guineapigs.”
Massimo swayed his head from side to side, disagreeing. “I read an article that hamsters are the most abused pets. People stuff them into the tiniest cages because they’re cheap or give them to their children as toys.”
“The parents are probably glad that the kids torture the hamster instead of bothering them,” Alessio said with a shrug.
My chest tightened as I thought about all the pets everywhere that were mistreated because people saw them as toys or didn’t bother researching their needs.
“And guineapigs and bunnies probably don’t belong in these people’s hands either. Most of them are kept in solitary confinement though they are group animals and people stuff them into cages with bars as flooring so it’s easier to clean. I once saw a medieval prison that was kinder than those cages,” Massimo continued. Nevio parked the car in front of our mansion.
“Stop it,” I gritted out. “Stop it! I don’t want to hear anymore.”
Nevio turned around in his seat and touched my shoulder. “Not talking about it won’t stop it from happening.”
“I know. It’s selfish, but I can’t take it, not when I can’t do anything to stop it from happening.”
“You’re too good for this world, Greta.”
I shook my head. I lowered my head and kissed the dog’s too big head with the bulging eyes, deciding to call it Teacup. I’d do everything in my power to save as many animals as I could and give them a better life. I knew that wouldn’t make up for the wrong I was doing because my heart didn’t leave me another choice, but it made me feel a tiny bit better.
I drove straight to Cressida and my townhouse from the airport. It was our obligatory weekly date night and I was already running late.
Every fiber in my body revolted against the idea of spending time with her today. I unlocked the door and entered the house. I found Cressida in an armchair in the living room, typing on her phone.
“You’re late,” she said reproachfully.
“I’m here.”
She rose to her feet, already dressed in a fancy dress, high heels and expensive jewelry. When she came to a stop in front of me, she scanned my outfit. I’d changed clothes in the airport so I was in a white dress shirt and black pants. “Where’s your ring?” Cressida asked with a frown.