"A worthless dog?" Renee Jennings frowned, a flicker of displeasure in her eyes. "An animal’s life is a life, too."
The middle-aged man sneered. "You call what a dog has a ’life’?"
"Who are you talking to?" a woman’s voice called from inside.
The middle-aged man turned and said, "So psycho."
Blueberry hissed angrily, "You’re the psycho! Your whole family is psycho!"
Cici nodded her little cat head vigorously. "That’s right, that’s right!"
Bella was also seething with anger.
Ginny apologized guiltily, "Renee, I’m sorry."
A woman with a head of tight curls walked to the door, eating a banana. "Who’s this?" she asked.
"How should I know," the middle-aged man said expressionlessly. "She ca with this worthless dog."
He turned and left.
The woman sized up Renee Jennings, her gaze unfriendly. "What is it?"
Renee Jennings smiled. "Hello, I’d like to adopt your little Golden Retriever. Your husband asked to get your opinion on the matter."
"If you want him, take him." The woman shot Ginny a look of disgust.
’She’d long found this dog to be an eyesore. This was perfect. It saved her the trouble of having to dump him sowhere else.’
"So, you’re willing to give up custody of the little Golden Retriever?" Renee asked.
"Yes, yes, yes." The woman’s face was a mask of annoyance. "Stop asking questions. Just take him and go."
With a BANG, she slamd the door shut.
Renee Jennings led the four fluffballs downstairs.
Ginny was crestfallen.
"Ginny," Renee said, voicing the question on her mind, "didn’t you say your male owner hadn’t been ho for days?"
Ginny whimpered sullenly, "Yes."
Renee: "Then who was that man just now?"
Ginny: "My female owner’s cousin. One day, my male owner saw the cousin kissing my female owner. He got really angry, and they had a fight."
Ginny thought for a mont, then added, "My female owner kisses and hugs her cousin all the ti. But it’s weird—sotis they take off their clothes and fight on the bed."
Renee Jennings: "..."
Blueberry let out a derisive ow.
’Is that what you call fighting?’
’Such an innocent child.’
Renee Jennings treated it as a bit of gossip and put it out of her mind.
She took the four fluffballs ho.
When Rhea Dempsey saw an unfamiliar little Golden Retriever had joined the crew, her brow slowly began to furrow.
Before she could blow a fuse, Renee Jennings quickly explained, "This one’s for Michelle."
Rhea Dempsey snorted. "That’s more like it."
At 11:30 PM, Michelle Fuller ca to Blissborne Garden to pick up Ginny.
The night was deep. Renee Jennings stood under a streetlight watching the car drive into the distance, the dim yellow light stretching her shadow long behind her.
A flurry of urgent footsteps broke the quiet of the night.
Just as Renee was about to turn, a rough hand shot out and clamped a cloth over her mouth.
A jolt of alarm shot through her, and she struggled with all her might.
After shoving the man away, Renee gasped for fresh air. She fumbled in her pocket for her phone to call the police, only to rember with a pang that it was charging upstairs. She hadn’t brought it with her.
Renee was both frustrated and terrified.
She stared warily at the sharp dagger in her attacker’s hand. "I have no grudge against you. Why are you doing this?"
"No grudge?" The man was bundled up tight, only a pair of hate-filled eyes visible. "You destroyed the most important person in my life!"
With that, he gripped the dagger and lunged at Renee.
She stumbled back, dodging again and again, but felt her strength failing. A wave of weakness washed over her limbs.
’That cloth was drugged!’
A powerful sense of dread crept over Renee.
She looked toward the security booth in the distance and scread, "Help—"
"You bitch!" The masked man swung the dagger like a lunatic, its blade glinting coldly in the dark.
Renee’s heart pounded wildly. She kept dodging, but her steps grew heavier and heavier, each movent an imnse effort.
’I can’t run anymore...’
The masked man closed in, the sharp tip of his blade threatening to slice her face at any mont.
"Renee, I’ve co to save you!"
Several small birds nearby had heard the commotion. They flew over to help, pecking at the masked man with their sharp beaks.
"Where did these damned birds co from? Get lost!" The masked man snarled, stabbing at them.
Mary the Sparrow and another small bird were wounded. They fell to the ground, barely breathing.
Mary looked toward Renee, her voice weak. "Renee... Renee... Run... Quick, run..."
Seeing this, Renee felt her heart break.
She hurriedly asked System 009, [What can I exchange points for?]
[System 009: It is recomnded that you use 20 points to exchange for 1 hour of Combat Power.]
Renee: [Do it! Exchange them for , now!]
[System 009: Confirm use of 20 points to exchange for 1 hour of Combat Power?]
Renee: [Yes.]
[System 009: You have spent 20 points. Remaining points: 230.]
The masked man stared down at the injured Mary, a vicious glint in his eyes.
He raised the dagger high, aid its sharp tip at Mary, and plunged it downward.
"Don’t!"
Renee’s pupils constricted. She suddenly felt an invisible force flood her body, her limp, weak limbs instantly surging with power.
’I feel terrifyingly strong right now.’
THUD—
When the tip of the blade was a re 0.0001 ters from Mary, Renee sent the masked man flying with a single kick.
His body slamd into a tree trunk before falling heavily to the ground. He let out a pained howl. "My back... it’s broken..."
Renee carefully picked up Mary and the other little bird, her voice full of heartache. "I’m sorry. It’s my fault you got hurt."
Mary’s eyes fluttered open to look at her. "It... it doesn’t hurt..."
At that mont, Renee could no longer hold back her tears.
But she knew this wasn’t the ti to get sentintal.
She took off her jacket, laid them gently on it, and turned toward the masked man.
He was rolling on the ground in agony.
Renee strode forward and ripped off his mask. When she saw his face, her pretty eyes narrowed.
"It’s you!" she sneered. "What do you an I destroyed the most important person in your life? Your son tried to rob and murder soone. He destroyed himself!"
"You destroyed him!" Dean Hughes stared at Renee with hatred. "If you hadn’t called the police that day, my son would never have been caught! It’s all your fault! All your fault!"
Renee thought he was completely hopeless.
’Only a father like this could raise soone like Liam Hughes.’
She hauled him up from the ground and slamd him hard against the tree trunk.
Dean Hughes was in too much pain to stand. He swayed for a mont before collapsing back to the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
"Renee!" Diana Jennings’s anxious voice called out.
Renee looked back over her shoulder and called out, "Wait for there! Don’t co any closer."
At her words, Diana Jennings froze in her tracks.
Renee’s gaze, cold as ice, returned to Dean Hughes.
He lay on the ground, his breath as faint as a silken thread.
Confident that he was in no condition to run, Renee got up and walked toward Diana Jennings. "Sis, why did you co down?"
"You were gone so long and you didn’t have your phone. I was worried." Diana glanced at the man in the distance, her voice filled with concern. "What happened?"
"Just a little accident," Renee said. "Did you bring my phone down?"
"I did." Diana took the phone from her pocket and handed it to her.
Renee called the police, then cradled Mary and the other bird in her arms, her expression a mask of pure heartache.
-
User Comments
0 comments from readers