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Riley had wiggled his way through the door and ran outside, leaving the front yard and heading for the road. Emma panicked.
“Riley! Riley, get back here!”
Jeremiah grabbed a bag of treats sticking out from the box and took off after Riley.
“Riley! Hey boy! Lookee what I have here! Come on, come on!”
Jeremiah opened the bag of treats and pulled a few out, holding them in his hand as Riley turned and headed in his direction. Jeremiah bent down and fed him the treats while grabbing his collar.
Emma breathed a sigh of relief as Jeremiah walked Riley back over to the porch.
“Jeremiah, thank you! Could you put him in the house and lock the door?”
As Emma walked over to her car to put the box of treats in her trunk, she paused and looked out toward the water, taking in a deep breath of salty sea air. A light breeze and the gentle warmth of the sun kissed her face. The waters were calm as seagulls could be heard calling out overhead. When Emma closed her trunk, an obnoxiously loud sports car came tearing down the road, kicking up dust, before stopping in front of her house. Its engine was still rumbling as an all too familiar figure emerged from the driver’s seat, taking long strides toward Emma as she stopped in her tracks.
“Emma, why haven’t you been answering any of my texts?”
Chad’s voice was booming, sending Emma’s heart racing as she quickly glanced toward the house, wishing Jeremiah had already left so he wouldn’t have to see this.
“Emma! Talk to me!”
She walked toward her car, ignoring him, although she was afraid. In the past, he had never taken no for an answer. But she wasn’t going to let him control her anymore. She was just going to get in her car and leave.
“You think you can ignore me like that?” Chad walked over to her and yanked her arm, sending the box of treats falling to the ground.
Before he could put Riley in the house, Jeremiah yelled from the porch. “Hey! She doesn’t want to talk to you!” Let go of her.”
Emma spun around to see Jeremiah sprinting in their direction, with Riley following close behind, letting out a fury of barks through the air like a crackling thunder. Jeremiah slammed his shoulder into Chad, breaking his grip from her arm and hurling him away from her with a fierce force. Chad retaliated, shoving Jeremiah with a powerful thrust, sending him flying over the box she had just dropped. As Jeremiah hit the ground, Emma heard a loud thud reverberate through the air, sending a primal fear through her body.
“What are you doing?” Emma cried out. “Get out of here, Chad!”
Jeremiah let out a groan as he sat up, disoriented from the fall on his back. Emma tried to go over to him, but Chad grabbed her again and squeezed even tighter.
“Let go of me!” Emma shrieked as her fight-or-flight response kicked in. “I’m not yours, Chad! You’re hurting me!”
Tail raised and teeth bared, Riley let out a murderous snarl Emma had never heard before. He pounced on Chad’s leg, clamping down with an iron-clad grip, biting through his pants as Chad tried to shake him off.
“Get off me, you stupid dog!”
With Chad distracted, Emma quickly reached for the little can of pepper spray she kept on her keychain and sprayed a thick cloud of fumes right into Chad’s face. He screamed in agony, releasing her arm, and staggered back as Riley continued to tear away at his leg. Emma stood tall, feeling a newfound surge of strength and courage.
Chad choked and sputtered, rubbing at his temporarily blinded eyes. “I can’t believe you used that on me, you fat, worthless, dumb...”
Emma exploded, screaming the most un-Emma-like words she’d ever said before to anyone. Her use of expletives even shocked herself. Chad stumbled over, his face contorted in pain as Riley’s teeth sunk deeper into his flesh. Adrenaline pulsed through her veins as she pulled out her phone and dialed 911.
“Stupid mutt!” Chad kicked Riley, making him howl with pain.
Riley took off, running toward the street as Chad hobbled to his car.
Jeremiah had finally gotten up and came over to Emma, “Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine,” she told him. “We just need to get Riley—”
Just then, a deafening tire screech came from the road, sending Emma’s heart plunging. She raced to the scene, dropping her phone in the grass. Jeremiah was at her heels when they both stopped dead in their tracks at the terrible sight before them. Riley lay motionless on the ground as Emma screamed his name, tears streaming down her face.
The middle-aged woman driver jumped out of the car in a flurry of panic.
“I’m so sorry! I didn’t see him! The woman cried as she dialed 911 to report the accident.
