AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I don’t know how someone could do this.” His jaw was hard, knuckles white as he fisted the leashes.
“No. How doyoudo this? How can you stand to witness this every single day?”
My insides would be as charred as this park if I had to constantly live through that. Sure, this park affected me directly, but look at what fire had done to Ash. To Cassano. And how many others who’d lost everything.
I turned my head. It was too hard to take in.
“I couldn’t save my mother.”
He spoke so quietly I almost missed it. But his words twisted at my heart. Or maybe it was the unspoken ones.
He was trying to make up for that by helping other people.
The vulnerability in his expression nearly knocked me to my knees. Had he ever admitted that to anyone . . . or himself?
I opened my mouth to tell him she was proud but snapped it closed. I didn’t know her. If she was anything like Teague, she would’ve been so honored at the man he was.
But those were words for someone else to tell him. Someone who had the right to.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t save your park. I tried.”
A burden no one should have to carry weighted him.
“No.” I shifted the leashes so I could touch his shoulder. “You did everything you could.”
I had zero doubt about that.
“We should head back.” I pointed with my head in the direction of Grey Paws.
Silently, we strolled. At this early hour, there was little noise around us as the city came to life. Even Sadie behaved.
“Will they find out who those people are?”
I’d been horrified to learn what they’d discovered in the incendiary barrels. What motivated humans to hurt others, I’d never understand.
“Depends on if things break our way.”
“I hope they get justice.”
He nodded once. “Me too.”
Chapter Forty-Five
Teague
This shouldn’t have happened.
I couldn’t get Pepper’s horrified face out of my head when she took in the park. She’d been quiet ever since. Her shoulders hunched as we worked together to feed the dogs.
Where would she take them now?
Ash pawed at my leg. I kneeled beside her. “I gotta go to work soon.”
She burrowed against me as I rubbed her ears.
“My shift’s twenty-four on, so I won’t be by tonight. Promise me you’ll eat?”
She licked my face. I hoped that was a yes.
