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Gabe shook his head. “I don’t think so, but I want to take him to the vet to make sure.”
“Okay, we’ll do that. Let’s take him inside now. I’ll get a plastic bag, and wrap that up. We need to find out what it is.”
“Are you all right, Gabe?” Burke asked through the speakerphone.
“I’m not sure. I’m not hurt, anyway.” Gabe rose, his legs embarrassingly unsteady. He had to lock his knees to keep from falling on his ass. “Did you see who did it?”
She shook her head. “He was driving away by the time I got the gate open. Burke, I’ll text you the vet’s address. I’ll take the meat with me. Can you send someone to pick it up?”
“Of course. Take care of Shoe.”
Molly ended the call, then put a hand on Gabe’s lower back. “I’ll take the dog. You go inside. Now.”
Gabe obeyed, stumbling over his own feet. He had to stop, had to suck in great gulps of breath.
Molly stayed with him, her hand on his back as she pulled Shoe along. “Breathe. Just breathe. Shoe doesn’t seem like he’s in any pain, but we’ll make sure.”
“Someone was here,” he whispered hoarsely. “Someone wanted to kill my dog.”
“Or make him sleep. Either way, someone wanted your best alarm system here offline.” She took his arm and urged him up the stairs, dragging Shoe behind her. “Come on, boy. Let’s go inside.”
Once inside his bedroom, she led Gabe to the bed and gently pushed him to sit. He obeyed again, closing his eyes. Humiliation bloomed, making him feel sick again.
“Sorry,” he muttered. “I freaked out.”
“You had every right to do so,” she said, matter-of-fact. “Someone means you harm and tried to hurt your dog to get to you. I’m just glad we were here to hear Shoe bark.”
His gut roiled. “If we’d been a little later...”
She closed the French doors and locked them. “But we weren’t.” She closed the drapes, casting the room into shadow. Somehow the darkness made him feel better. “Stay here. I’m going to take care of bagging the steak, then we’ll go to my truck. I’ll escort you, so don’t leave the house without me. The intruder drove away, but he could come back. I’m not trying to scare you unnecessarily,” she added, probably because all the color had drained from his face.
He felt like he was going to pass out. “Unnecessarily.”
“Exactly. But you need to be on alert. Do you understand me?”
He nodded weakly. “Yeah.”
“Good. I’ll be right back. Breathe. Put your head between your knees if you feel faint.”
He breathed, practicing the in-hold-out pattern until his head stopped spinning and the room around him settled, all while Shoe panted happily. At least I didn’t need to shove my head between my knees. Small mercies. He might even be able to walk without face-planting on his bedroom floor.
A warm bottle of water was pressed into his hand. “It’s not cold,” she apologized. “I had it in my duffel, so I know it’s safe. I’ve got the meat and your laptop. I also checked all the locks and secured the doggy door. You can arm the alarm. If you’re okay, we need to go.”
Gabe pushed to his feet, shuddering once more. “I’m good.” No, I’m really not. But he needed to get Shoe to the vet. He gestured with a hand that, thankfully, no longer trembled. “After you.”
The Quarter, New Orleans, Louisiana
MONDAY, JULY 25, 6:58 P.M.
“Excuse me,” Lamont said, interrupting his wife’s chatter when his cell buzzed with an incoming call. “I need to take this.”
Joelle pouted. “You promised.”
“Business pays for dinners like this,” he said mildly, when he really wanted to slap her. She always pouted when he needed to work, as if his money didn’t pay for her lavish lifestyle. He stepped away from the front of Le Petit Choux and into the bustling crowd on Chartres Street. “Is it done?” he asked quietly, forgoing a greeting.
“No,” Stockman said. “I’ve been waiting for the kid to come out, to take out the trash or something, but he’s still in the house and he still has company.”
“Then—” Lamont caught himself before he said break in. There were too many people around and one never knew who was listening. Especially if someone recognized him. “Find a way.”
