She hit Send, set the phone down, and picked up her sketchpad again.She had two last sessions booked for the convention’s final day, Dax with his hound and a client who wanted a phoenix rising from ashes, a piece that felt fitting given Maynard’s survival.She added a few final touches to the pit bull design, deepening the flames to mirror the fire she saw in Jock when he talked about justice for that dog.It wasn’t just about Maynard; it was about Jock proving to himself he could still protect something, still make things right.
Her phone buzzed, and she snatched it up, hoping for Jock’s voice.Instead, it was a text from Ace:
*Jock’s good.Got a solid lead on the scumbag.Your man’s home with the dogs now, snoring louder than Tank.Don’t worry too much, Syl.We got him.*
Silly exhaled, a weight lifting off her chest.She texted back, adding a heart emoji:
*Thanks, Ace.Keep him out of trouble for me?*
*Always*
The reply was immediately followed by a photo of Jock sprawled on the couch, Tank’s head on his lap and Maynard curled against his side, both dogs in their pajamas.Silly laughed, the sound catching in her throat.That’s my family,she thought, her heart swelling.
She set the phone down and returned to her sketchpad, but her focus was sharper now, fueled by the knowledge that Jock was safe for the night.Tomorrow, she’d pour everything into her final sessions, pack up her equipment for the trucks, then board a plane back to him.Back to Tank and Maynard, to the life they were building together.She added one last detail to the design by including a faint scar across Maynard’s brow, a reminder of what he’d survived.Just like us,she thought, her pencil slowing.She and Jock had their scars, too, but they were stronger for it.And tomorrow, she’d be home to remind him of that.
Chapter Eight
Jock
Jock woke to the weight of Tank’s head on his chest and Maynard’s warm bulk pressed against his side, the pit bull’s soft snores a steady counterpoint to what looked like midday quiet.The living room was dim, the light of the sun barely creeping through the well-closed blinds, casting errant stripes across the dog bed where the two beasts had joined him, making a Jock-and-dog-pile last night.He shifted, wincing as his back protested the night spent on the floor, but he didn’t move to get up.Not yet.The dogs were calm, and after the chaos of last night’s run-in with Calder, he needed this moment of peace to keep his head straight.
His phone buzzed on the coffee table, and he reached for it, careful not to jostle Maynard too much.The screen lit up with a text from Silly.
*Boarding soon.Can’t wait to see you and the boys.Love you.*
A smile tugged at his lips, some of the tension in his chest loosening.She’d be home by early evening, back where she belonged, her laughter filling the house again.He typed a quick reply:
*Miss you, baby.Boys are hogging the bed.Safe flight.*
He set the phone down, his other hand finding Maynard’s head.The pit bull sighed, leaning into the touch, and Jock’s heart clenched.Those blue and brown eyes had trusted him from that first moment in the alley, and now, with Calder’s confession ringing in his ears, that trust felt like a responsibility he couldn’t shake.
Last night had been close.Too close.If Ace hadn’t been there to pull him back, Jock might’ve done something stupid.Something stupid enough, it could’ve landed him in a cell instead of here with his dogs.
Calder’s smug face, his casual admission of dumping Maynard to die, had lit a fuse in Jock that still hadn’t burned out.When he thought about it too much, he felt like he was vibrating apart.He’d wanted to smash that smirk off the guy’s face, make him feel the pain he’d inflicted.But Ace had been right.For the cops to be able to do anything, they needed more than a drunken confession.
Wrench was working with Dyno’s sheriff contact to pull Calder’s records, looking for a pattern of abuse or anything else that could stick in court.Jock wanted justice, but he mostly wanted answers.Probably answers that would never come, like why Maynard?Why that alley?Why someone would be so damn cruel?
