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Suddenly, Violet was pushed back and Casey placed himself right in front of her.
“Back the fuck off my sister, asshole.”
Dean looked away from her, focusing all of his irritation on Casey. “I was just explaining myself, Casey.”
“No, you were getting up in her face and being a douche.” Violet noticed Casey’s hands clenched at his sides and was afraid he might take a swing at Dean.
Which would most likely get him kicked out of the program and add an assault charge on top of everything.
Violet wrapped her arms around her brother and swung him away from Dean, putting herself back between them. “Casey, stop it. Dean—Sergeant Sparks wasn’t doing anything. He’s just passionate about the program, that’s all.”
“He was getting in your face—”
“If that were the case, do you really think I’d have sat back and taken it?”
Casey’s shoulders fell, although he continued to glare daggers at Dean.
Violet jumped when his breath rustled her hair. “Should we continue with the tour?”
She hadn’t been aware he was standing so close, but now she could feel the heat of his body radiating against her back. Was he trying to get a rise out of Casey or her?
Violet stepped away and didn’t face him again until she was next to Casey. “Lead the way, Sergeant Sparks.”
Dean turned on his heels and started walking once more, pointing out areas and talking about schedules while Violet’s mind wandered. She hadn’t been completely lying to Casey; Dean had spoken about helping animals with a passion, like the way she talked about cooking. He was right that animals couldn’t speak for themselves, however, a part of her thought he might have been trying to punish her for seeming unsympathetic to the dogs. She didn’t particularly like dogs, but she didn’t want them hurt or abused either. She wasn’t a monster.
But she couldn’t get into all that with Casey standing there, already shooting suspicious looks between her and Dean. She would just have to wait and explain herself to Dean after.
Dean walked past the kennel door and into a large cafeteria. “This is the mess hall. All the meals are served here. There’s no food allowed in the barracks. And through here”—Dean took them into another room, where a bunch of kids were preparing food—“is the kitchen. Like I said, everyone helps.”
The rest of the tour included the meal prep station for the dogs, the yard where they worked the dogs, and the gym. When they reached the room where Casey would be bunking, Dean pointed to a freshly made bed with a stack of clothes on top.
“That’s your bunk. Get changed, and someone will be waiting for you outside this door. After your duties are done, there’s class until lunch. Then Sergeant Best will assign you a dog. You’ll learn some basic training and then go to class until dinner. After dinner, you’ll report back to the kennels, and then lights out. Are we clear?”
“Yeah,” Casey grumbled.
“And while you’re here, it’s ‘yes, sir.’ ”
Violet caught her laughter before it escaped, coughing loudly.
Her brother knew exactly what she was doing and made a face. “Yes, sir.”
“We’ll work on it.” Dean’s gaze came back to her, her heart catching as their eyes held briefly. “I’ll give you two a minute to say good-bye, and then I’ll walk you out.”
There was a promise to his words, and she shivered at the thought of being alone with Dean. Would he b
ombard her with questions? Would he rail at her in disappointment?
Or would he actually treat her just like any other worried parent?
When they were alone, Violet put her hand on Casey’s shoulder and looked in his eyes. “Six weeks is nothing. And it doesn’t sound too bad. You’ll get to have a dog, finally. At least, for a little while.”
Casey didn’t say anything, just stared at the floor. Sighing, Violet kissed the top of his head, but he jerked away. “I love you, Case. I wish I knew what I did to make you so angry.”
“You didn’t do anything,” Casey snapped. “Just go. I’ll be fine.”
Violet did as he asked, blinking back the tears. She closed the door behind her and avoided Dean’s searching gaze. “Thank you for showing us around.”
“I’ll walk you out,” Dean said.
