Takedown by Heather Atkinson (latest books to read txt) 📕

stepped inside the pen and Blossom raised her head. Faith petted her and she started purring, rubbing her face against her hand.

“I try to give her extra attention,” said Alice. “But I don’t always have time because we’re so busy.”

“What’s wrong with her eyes?” said Faith when Blossom opened her eyes to reveal cloudy blue orbs.

“She has cataracts, so it’s difficult for her to see. She needs eye drops every day and she’s also diabetic, so she needs regular injections too and she has arthritis in her legs. No one wants to foot the bill for all her treatments.”

“I take it she’s an indoor cat?”

“Oh yes. We could leave this pen door wide open and she wouldn’t attempt to get out. The outside world terrifies her. She was found abandoned in some woodland by a couple of hikers. Thank God they came across her quickly because she wouldn’t have lasted long on her own with her blindness and medical conditions. We think her owner didn’t want to pay for her treatments anymore.”

Faith swallowed hard as tears formed in her eyes. She could happily inflict any amount of pain on a person but what had been done to Blossom made her heart hurt. “I live in a flat. Would she be okay there?”

Alice’s eyes lit up that someone was finally considering taking on Blossom. “That would be ideal for her actually. Because of her arthritis and bad eyesight she’d struggle with stairs and it’s not as if she needs to go out. Does your building allow pets?”

“Yes. It sounds like we’d be perfect for each other.”

“And you’d feel confident giving her her medication?”

“Not a problem.”

“She wouldn’t get on with children or other pets. She needs a very quiet household.”

“I don’t have either. My home is very peaceful. Can I hold her?”

“Certainly.”

Faith petted Blossom for a little longer to put her at her ease before gently scooping her up. Blossom nestled into her arms contentedly and Faith kissed the top of her head.

“Looks like a perfect fit to me,” smiled Alice.

“She’s got a gorgeous loud purr.”

“I think she’s delighted that someone’s finally taking an interest in her. She’s such a sweet girl.”

Faith thought of all the trouble she had going on right now and didn’t want to drag Blossom into it. “I couldn’t take her just yet.”

“Oh,” said a disappointed Alice.

“Maybe in a week or so.”

“Oh, right,” she replied, cheering up. “The adoption process takes a bit of time anyway. First we get you to fill out an application form and we decide if she’s suitable for your home but I think we already know the answer to that. Don’t worry about that, I’ll put in a good word for you. Then you need to have a few visits with her here to make sure you’re a match and then we’ll bring her to your home to make sure she’d be comfortable there and that it’s a suitable environment. After that we have one final interview to make sure you understand all her needs and if you decide to go ahead we’ll take payment then, which is sixty pounds. All money goes back into the care of the animals. No animal sanctuary works for a profit and hopefully Blossom will finally be in her forever home.”

“Sounds good to me. I’ll fill out a form while I’m here.”

“Brilliant,” grinned Alice. “You won’t regret it, she’s so lovely and gentle. I thought about taking her myself when everyone kept passing her by but Matthew has a dog and I have two cats, so she wouldn’t have been happy.”

“With me she’ll be spoilt rotten for the rest of her days,” smiled Faith, nuzzling Blossom’s fur with her nose, the cat’s purr growing even louder.

Faith spent another ten minutes with Blossom before reluctantly putting her back in her cat bed. “I’ll see you soon gorgeous girl,” Faith told her, giving her one last stroke before leaving, Alice locking the pen door behind her.

After filling out an application form, Faith returned to Vance’s car.

“What took you so long?” he asked her. “Did Alice beg you not to make her stay with Matthew?”

“Don’t be naughty and no, she said she’ll talk it over with him. I’m getting a cat.”

“I had a feeling you would when you went in there.”

“She’s called Blossom and she’s been stuck in there for three years. No one wants her because she’s old and has medical problems but she’s gorgeous and I fell in love with her. I’ve filled out an application form. If my application is approved then I need to have more visits with her, so I want all this firefighter crap wrapped up before she comes home.”

“Why, are you worried about her being taken hostage?”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “I don’t want her coming into a tense environment.”

“Fair enough. Caleb called while you were in there. He wants us to meet him at his flat.”

“At least he doesn’t want us to meet him at Mum’s.”

Caleb lived in a two bedroomed flat on the Queens Promenade right on the sea front. The exterior of the building was a three-storey red brick Victorian frontage but inside was ultra-modern and very tastefully decorated in muted creams and light browns. It had been decorated this way before he’d moved in and he did his best to keep it clean and tidy but dirty dishes were piled up in the sink and a heap of unwashed clothes had been dumped on the thick plush tan carpet on the floor of the large lounge. When Faith saw her brother’s boxer shorts on top of the heap, he kicked them behind the couch with an embarrassed cough.

“You should get a cleaner,” she told him.

“I was thinking about it but he said it would be a security breach,” he replied, nodding