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My eyes probably bulge like an old school kiddie cartoon when I step inside. Huge SUVs like the one that rolled up at Devin’s last night sit in five of the six bays. The other one has an expensive looking dark silver convertible that I’m sure is Chelsea’s. She probably looks adorable in the little sports car. I barely know her but already realize I’ll miss her.
The overhead door behind her Aston Martin is open. No one is around that I can see. At least, I hope.
I drop to one knee to attach Pete’s leash. If anyone questions me, I can pretend I’m taking him for a walk.
He senses my apprehension and wiggles with worry, making me struggle to get the silver hooks lined up. I pause and stroke over his head a few times hoping to soothe him. “It’s okay. We’ve got this.”
Finally motionless, he lets me clip the loops without any problems. I stand up and look around. This is it. I’m leaving. An ache I don’t recognize burns in my chest that I force myself to ignore.
I drop the sack into the trash can and stride out onto the driveway. My steps quicken as I get farther from the house. Since I was unconscious last night when he brought me here, I have no idea how far we are from the road.
“Mr. Gallo wants you.”
A deep and irritated male voice sounds behind me. Without looking back or stopping, I wave him off. “I’m just taking Pete for a quick walk. I’ll be right back.”
Suddenly a massive hand wraps around my arm. He’s so tall I have to look up to see his face, devoid of any emotion regarding his feelings about me or my stroll. The distraction makes me miss the other guy creeping up on my right, who grabs me too. They lift me off my feet and twist me to face the house.
Before I can react and try to fight them off, Pete decides to battle for me. With a rumbling bark, he lunges at the second guy, baring his teeth and ripping through his dress shirt. Without any hesitation, he growls and opens his jaws for another mouthful. He seizes more fabric and strains to drag the man down. I’ve never seen him like this.
The guard shoves at Pete, getting bit on his hand. He swats and swears at my dog who won’t quit attacking him. I lose the leash handle and try to grab for Pete, but the first guy squeezes me tighter. I cry out from the pressure, and Pete charges him with a furious rumble in his chest he’s so upset.
Unable to get my footing when he releases me, I hit the fancy etched concrete. Sharp pain stabs through my shoulder but I focus on Pete. I yank his harness but can’t hold him back. He keeps mauling at the men who try to ward him off. “Stop Pete! Stop!”
I slap at the men when he ignores me. “Stop it! Stop it!”
No one listens to my begging. The shorter guard draws the gun holstered at his side.
Shit!
Fear like I’ve never experienced bursts inside me, and I spring off the ground, throwing myself on my best friend. I have to make him quit before he gets shot.
My efforts aren’t enough, and the man points his weapon at us. I clutch at Pete trying to get him out of the line of fire and can’t help but scream when the bullet explodes.
Pete and I both freeze. A pistol clatters on the stone and the man follows, dropping to his knees before his face slams into the ground. What the hell?
Pete’s nub tail wags furiously along with his entire butt, and I look backward to follow his line of sight and figure out who or what is making him so happy. Titan’s arm slowly lowers, and after staring at us for a few seconds, he tucks his Glock into his back waistband.
He seems so composed for just having killed a man. But when his eyes meet mine all I see is cold fury.
Titan
Addie’s on the ground.
My woman’s on the motherfucking ground because these two idiots can’t follow simple commands.
Brody steps closer. “Boss, that dog—”
“Shut up. Dogs sense stuff. He did me a fucking favor. Now get out of my sight before I plug you too.”
“Yes, sir.”
He nods and high tails his ass towards the staircase leading to the operations center above the garage. A little too fast. He’s guilty of something for sure. I need to know of what and how much. I call out to him. “Tell Ramos to send me the video of what happened. I want to see everything.”
His head falls forward for a second before he straightens. “Yes, sir.”
Not so confident now are you, motherfucker? I like the idea of him delivering the message to my tech guru that will seal his own fate.
With that issue taken care of, I focus on Addie. She side-hugs Pete who looks happy to see me despite how warily she stares at me. I hate her flinch as I stride toward her. I’m going to have to figure out how to fix that.
