Page 72 of Protect My Heart

He slithered back out to see his buddy. The rusty chain held him at the end of the dock.

“Thank, God. He’s alive.” Tig had been a part of his life for less than a year, but Jim loved that dog as much as he did his own brother. Not that he would tell Jordan that. The dog shook and from what Jim could see still had whatever drug the warden pumped him full of in his system.

The growl turned to a bark. Oh fuck, he recognized that bark.

Don’t thump your tail, buddy. Shit, there goes that brown nub of a tail. Jim turned to CJ. “We’re gonna have to act fast. Tig will give us away.”

CJ motioned to Larson and Daniels, on the other side of the yard, to wait for their signal.

Jim weighed the options. He needed to act at the precise moment.

The sudden shot disintegrated that plan. Warden Finden fired his weapon.

“No!” Doc dropped the package, jumped on the thug’s back, and boxed his ears.

“What the hell is she doing?” Jim sprinted into the fray. “Police.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught CJ, gun trained on the Warden. The guy bleeding on the dock took off in a full-out run across the ice. Larson tackled him halfway across the frozen river.

Doc clung like a monkey to the gangbanger. He finally shook her free. As he swung his gun at her, Jim raised his.

“Drop it. On the ground.”

“Romeo. No!” She screamed.

It didn’t matter. The guy leveled his aim at Jim.

Jim squeezed the trigger. A second shot sounded as he felt the sting of pain in his left hip. He wobbled as he lunged toward the punk. More shots rang out. He couldn’t say if he fired or not. He was on autopilot––neutralize the threat.

He kicked the gun from the guy’s hand and turned to Doc. His adrenaline level plummeted and he crumbled to the ground.

“Jim.” Doc’s voice echoed in his ears. “You’ve been shot.”

No matter how much he wanted to be the tough guy, it wasn’t going to happen. Daniels appeared at his side, talking into his radio. “Officer down. Send paramedics––we need two buses.”

“Is the suspect dead?” Jim lay back on the cold, hard ground as Doc applied pressure to his wound to stop the bleeding.

“I don’t know. Officer Daniels shot him when he grabbed his gun again. He saved your life.” She blinked tears from her eyes. Jim thumbed away a stray tear.

“I was more worried about your life than mine.” He couldn’t believe the weight that landed on his chest when he saw the guy point the barrel at Doc.

Sirens wailed. CJ had cuffed Finden. Daniels leaned over the gangbanger. Officer Larson had the other suspect cuffed and was now tending to his dog. Two police cars entered the lot, followed by two ambulances.

Jim looked at the guy a few feet away. Blood oozed between Daniels fingers as he tried to slow the bleeding. “Doc, did you call him Romeo?”

“It’s a long story. I’ll tell you all about it once they bandage your leg. It looks like it exited the back.”

CJ Mirandized the warden and was handing him off to another officer when Larson and Tigger walked by.

“That damn mutt.” Finden kicked Tig in the side.

A low growl pierced the air and his dog leapt—fangs bared and landed on Warden Finden’s leg. The man bellowed and pushed at Tig but couldn’t shake him free.

Jim whistled. Tig all but spit the man free before he dropped to his butt. His tongue rolled out—happy as can be.

Turning to Larson, Jim raised a brow in a what-the-fuck expression.

“Sorry, the leash slipped.” He would have believed her if they hadn’t played poker. She had a tell. To him, the faint blush might as well be a flashing stoplight.