AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I tried to be as quiet as possible as I took a couple of steps closer to him, but his head still jerked up as the kennel door swung open. “Stop, he’s mine.”
Tucker was part of a litter that we’d worked with since they were puppies and hadn’t been paired with anyone yet, so I knew that wasn’t true. But I didn’t want to aggravate the man when he had a good hundred pounds on me and a worrisome look in his eyes. Holding my hands up in a gesture of surrender, I murmured, “It’s okay. I’ll stay right here.”
He blocked the entrance to the cage, and Tucker let out another bark when he heard my voice. I tried my best not to get attached to the dogs I trained since that would make letting them go harder when they were paired, but something aboutTucker had pulled at my heartstrings from the first day we met when he was just a tiny puppy.
The man reached into the kennel, and I couldn’t stop myself from taking another step forward, afraid he would hurt Tucker. He glared at me and growled, “Told you to stop.”
“Sorry, it was just instinct to check on the dogs. I’m used to taking care of them when they bark to let me know they need something.” His eyes narrowed, and I hurried to add, “Not that I’m saying you wouldn’t take excellent care of Tucker, too. He’s such a good boy.”
“Tucker,” he echoed, tugging on the dog’s collar to control him as he moved back and the dog trotted out of the cage. Tucker strained against his hold when he spotted me, letting out an excited bark this time.
The intruder snapped a leash onto his collar, and I barely managed not to rush forward. Instead, I fisted my hands at my sides and said, “He’s a German shepherd, so it’s no surprise how smart Tucker is, but he’s also very gentle. Two of his brothers were trained as police K9, but Tucker has the perfect temperament to be a psychiatric service dog.”
I’d been hoping to snap him out of his fantasy so that he’d see Tucker as a real dog and not whatever story he’d built up in his head, but it seemed as though what I had said only made the situation worse.
The man yanked on the leash to keep Tucker at his side and scowled at me. “That’s why he’s mine! You’re not gonna take him from me. Nobody is.”
“Were you hoping to be paired with Tucker?” I asked.
Seeing the beautiful German shepherd straining against the leash broke my heart as the man ignored my question and growled, “He’s coming with me.”
“We usually send the dogs with all the supplies they need when they go to their new home,” I blurted, desperatelysearching for something that would give me time to call for help before this man took Tucker. “Do you already have everything?”
“Got a leash and food,” he grunted, pulling Tucker closer to the door.
“What about heartworm prevention medicine? We keep some in the office.” I jerked my thumb over my shoulder, thinking about how I could grab my cell from the desk and dial 911 while I was getting a box of the chewables. Maybe if the operator heard us talking, she’d send someone to check on the situation.
Unfortunately, my suggestion didn’t help at all. “No, we’re leaving.”
He turned and darted out the door, dragging the German shepherd behind him. I raced after them, determined not to let him get away with Tucker. Although he was well-trained, I wasn’t sure how he’d behave if he were treated poorly, and this man’s actions didn’t inspire confidence.
“Please, no,” I cried, closing the gap between us when we reached the reception area. With Tucker doing his best to dig his claws into the tile floor, I was only an arm’s length from the German shepherd as we neared the front door. Facing off with this guy was terrifying, but the thought of losing Tucker forever had me following them out the door and reaching for the leash so I could get him away from the dognapper before it was too late.
6
Kade
Iparked my truck in the disabled person parking spot in front of the training facility—grumbling about it the whole time. But I’d worked myself a little too hard at physical therapy, and my leg was sore as fuck, so it was a good thing I could park so close.
Just as I was shutting off the engine, the doors to the building burst open and a man emerged, dragging a leash behind him. Then the world felt as though it slowed down, and I watched in horror as the scene unfolded before me.
Annalise rushed outside, managing to get slightly ahead of the man. She grabbed the leash and tried to get it away from him as the dog it was attached to barked like crazy and tried to stand in front of her. But the man was bigger and stronger.
Frustrated, he yanked the leash out of her hand and shoved her hard, sending her flying back against the door. Her head hit the glass and snapped forward from the impact.
The dog lunged and sank his teeth into the man’s leg, causing him to scream and kick out, trying to dislodge the animal. I silently cheered when the animal didn’t let go.
I’d already been on my way out of the car, but I scrambled even faster when I saw her crumple to the ground, cursing because my damn injury slowed me down. However, my heart—which had frozen with fear—started beating again when she sat up and held her head.
By the time I was about to get out and hobble to the sidewalk, the man had gotten free of the dog and went running. To my surprise, he didn’t let go of the animal. Instead, he dragged it along with him. Unfortunately, even with the added weight, he was still faster than me.
He shoved the dog into his trunk and jumped into the driver’s seat, then raced out of the parking lot on squealing tires. I tried to get the number on his plates, but it was caked with dirt and the nearest light post was flickering, making it hard to focus on the numbers.Shit.
I’d only been about halfway to him when he got away, and while part of me wanted to hop—so to speak—in my car and give chase, I needed to check on Annalise. So I hurried to my girl as quickly as I could.
While I limped up to her side, I made a quick call to 911.
She was still sitting on the ground, so I crouched down on one bent leg, keeping the other outstretched. “Are you okay, baby?”
