Nefretiri
"Here," the girl handed me her phone, her hands still trembling. "You're really not going to call the state troopers?"
"No, not yet," I offered her a grateful smile, the wariness and exhaustion real. "I'll call them after I call my family. They're probably losing their minds."
"Yeah," she glanced toward the door where Vishnu was waiting, toying with her lip. "It's a miracle you survived."
I'd kept my story simple.
We were driving back from a dog show, and someone clipped my car. It's the only plausible excuse I could think of to explain Vishnu. He's enormous, but people are more likely to buy that he's a purebred show dog.
It helped that he's not standing much. Otherwise, his size would give us away. When he's standing, he can look me in the eye.
After the girl got over the shock, she didn't hesitate to help us. Letting us have as much water as we could drink, providing food for no charge, and offering to call the police.
