Given our hands were almost literally tied, it was a bit of hot air. But I knew Griff—and the rest of us—well enough to know it wasn’t entirely posturing. Yes, we were up Shit Creek—big time—and we’d never had a paddle to begin with. That didn’t mean we couldn’t find a way to forge a better path for ourselves, one and all, no matter how much blood-spilling it required.
Magnum’s smile was victorious, as if Griffin hadn’t just threatened his life. “Excellent. Then we’ll begin getting you set up tomorrow. Think of it as orientation. Actual classes will begin the day after that. And Joss, you’ll find Bobo waiting for you at home.”
At the thought of bringing my sweet pittie into this fray, my stomach dropped. But then again, there were no better options. He wouldn’t be better off without me; our bond was too strong.
Before Magnum could tie this meeting up in a neat bow or dismiss us as if we were his underlings, I stood. My friends did too, and as one unit we stalked from the room.
I wasn’t able to pull in a full breath till we were all squarely inside Bonnie with the doors locked—as if that would do a damn thing to keep out the monster in a suit with enough money to act like a god.
13
Who’s to Say What Is and Isn’t Real Anymore?
Knowing Bobo was waiting for me, Brady drove us straight home. Of course, that decision was made all the easier by the fact that we couldn’t leave the campus anyway, and the rest of it was a ghost town.
For now, our surroundings were new and exciting. But how long could that last? How long till the bars of our prison started to squeeze?
Bobo must have recognized the hum of Bonnie’s engine; before Brady pulled up to the garage I heard his whine-bark through the open windows.
“Where is he?” I asked, panic riding my question at the thought of Magnum’s people having their hands on my dog. I wore my hair loose down my back today, and as I flung my head in every direction searching for him through the rear windows, the long sheets of chestnut-tipped violet slid along my back. “Where? I don’t see him.”
My friends were searching for him too.
“If that asshole’s done a single thing to hurt him …” I swore, still looking.
“Then we’ll help you string him up by the balls,” Hunt said, concern pinching his usually stoic features. He loved Bobo almost as much as I did.
“I’ll pull out his toenails,” Layla offered, before announcing, “There!” Her relief was palpable as she pointed. “I think I see the end of a crate behind the koi pond. Maybe they left him there so he could entertain himself watching the fish till we got back.”
“Only if Magnum thought it’d win him brownie points,” I said. “That man sees too much.”
“Way too much,” Griffin muttered from beside me. I sat in the middle between him and Layla. “It’s majorly unnerving.”
The moment Brady shifted into neutral and yanked on the emergency brake, I was pushing Griffin and Layla to hurry both along. Bobo’s whining and barking had grown louder.
I tumbled out of the car behind Griff, then raced for the staircase and the koi pond beneath it. Sure enough, there was a large kennel—with my sweet pittie inside it.
His whining intensified as his tail wagged so hard it thumped repeatedly against the wire of his cage. His cone-of-shame and cast were gone.
“There you are,” I cooed as I crouched in front of him. “Such a sweet boy, yes you are.”
The latch was stuck, but after some wiggling—and more desperate whining—Bobo was released. He raced from the crate and lunged at me, knocking me onto my butt. His front paws landed on my chest; I tumbled onto my back, laughing, all too ready to excuse him all theno-no’s I’d trained out of him. He showered me with kisses, leaving a slobbering mess along my face and neck.
“Yes, yes, I’ve missed you too. I’ve missed you so much.”
The entire back half of his body wiggled, seeming out of sync with the non-stop wagging of his tail. I tried to hug him to me but he wouldn’t remain still. So I surrendered to accepting his loving—and the sure knowledge that I’d have to scrub off all the slobber once he was finished.
“My poor baby, you must’ve been really scared,” I mumbled into his neck as he continued his ministrations. “I’ve never seen you so excited to see me. I’m so happy to see you’re okay. I was worried about you too.”
Bobo dragged his tongue along my cheek; I hurried to clamp my mouth shut. Once he was snuffling along my chest, I whispered, “I love you too.”
Then, as if his stare were drawing mine, I looked up and straight into Griffin’s eyes. The hazel was bright, the colors seeming to intensify as I tried to decide which of all the colors was more predominant in them: the green, gold, or brown.
Hands in the pockets of his jeans, he was looking at me like he wanted his turn to roll around on the floor with me after Bobo.
I smiled up at him and he blinked, as if suddenly coming to after being lost in deep thoughts.
Bobo somewhat stiffly bent his front legs and appeared ready to settle in on top of my chest. I laughed, my breath constrained already by the weight of him. After running my hands along the length of his back a few times, I patted it.
