Looking over my shoulder at her, I saw she was staring, wide eyed at something behind us. I turned and let out a curse as I watched the Rottweiler slink across the yard. The sunlight played over dark fur as dark brown eyes watched us unblinkingly. “Shit.”
“Good boy,” Rue said in a low husky voice.
Okay. Why the fuck did that make my dick hard? I swallowed and watched as the dog focused on her.
She held out a hand and I wondered if she was going to pull back a stump. I had my gun on me, but fuck I didn’t want to have to go that route. We’d watched that damn house for over an hour and I never saw any signs of the damn dog back here. He’d probably been sleeping in the shade. “Rue,” I warned as she started to squat down.
She was putting herself in too vulnerable of a position. I shifted toward her, then stopped as the dog growled.
“It’s okay,” she coo’d. “He’s not going to hurt me.”
The Rottweiler stopped in front of us, watching us with intelligent eyes.
“He is if you keep talking to him like he’s a Pomeranian,” I muttered.
“He’s just a big baby,” she continued, eyes glued to the dog. “A gorgeous boy who wants to say hi.”
Women. This could be a rabid coyote and she’d still be talking to him in that sing-song voice, eyes soft and body relaxed as though she expected him to behave. They were the only creatures on this planet who would take a dangerous animal and dress them up in a sweater. I wasn’t sure whether I should be grateful this wasn’t a mountain lion, or be amused that her voice seemed to be working on the Rottie. His nub of a tail started to wag.
Fingers met fur and I tried not to flinch as I gripped my knife in my hand. My gun would be too loud. I fucking loved animals. They were great. But I wasn’t about to let this dog rip Rue to shreds.
Luckily for me, she seemed to possess that same magic most women did and I watched in fascination as the dog flopped in front of her then exposed his belly for her to rub. “Seriously?”
She smiled up at me as she scrubbed her hands over him. He huffed in delight. “See? I knew he wouldn’t hurt us.”
He’d looked like he wanted to eat us when he first slunk out of the shadows in the yard. I wasn’t about to examine the fact that she pretty much had me as transfixed with her as this dog currently was. I wasn’t ready to face that truth.
“You go take a look,” she said, not looking up from the animal. “I’ll wait here.”
Shaking my head with a mystified grin, I opened the back door and stepped inside the home. I snorted to myself as I took in the ornate decorations. There was fucking gold plating everywhere. This guy couldn’t be more of a fucking cliché if he tried.
I poked around for about five minutes, not at all surprised that I didn’t find much. I wasn’t really expecting to. The guy had a wife, but didn’t seem to have kids. That made it easier to dismantle his life brick by brick.
Locking the door, I shut it as I stepped back outside. “Ready?”
“Did you find out anything about where Ryan is?” Her face fell when I shook my head. “Okay, then let’s go. Good boy,” Rue told the dog again and scrubbed behind his ears.
My eyes slid to the animal as he scrambled to his feet and followed us across the yard the way we’d come in. “Stay,” I muttered as I held open the side gate for Rue. Then I swore as the dog darted past me and followed her out onto the street.
“Rue,” I said in an exasperated tone because she had a look on her face that I didn’t like.
“I’ll feed him,” she offered. “And walk him.”
I scrubbed a hand over my face. “You can’t just take him home,” I countered.
“Why not? People like Carrick don’t deserve animals.”
Eyeing the dog, I sighed. For the most part the dog looked healthy. It was probably the wife’s pet.
“He wants to come with us,” she continued.
It wasn’t even like she needed my permission. We didn’t live together. But she was still looking up at me with wide green eyes.
Fuck me.
“You have to be the one to-”
“I will! Promise!” She patted her thigh. “Come on, Norman.”
