Bear grunted in agreement. That was the truth.
Knox turned to look at the battered sedan. “I’ll move her car around back. Don’t want this asshole driving by and spotting it.”
The front door opened briefly. Maggie slipped out, hugging herself against the cold. “She’s settling in. Hollis is getting her stabilized before deciding if she needs the hospital.”
“She does,” Bear said flatly.
“I know. But she’s terrified. Says if we call an ambulance, she’s leaving.” She sighed and pushed her hair out of her face. “Hollis is trying to earn her trust first. I’m going to stay and help. Can you make sure Anson knows I’ll be late getting back? I can’t just leave her like this.”
Bear nodded. “I’ll wait. Drive you back when you’re done.”
“You don’t have to?—”
“I do.” His tone left no room for argument. “Anson would skin me alive if I left you here alone, especially now.”
Maggie studied him for a moment, one skeptical eyebrow raised. “I highly doubt Anson could do anything to you. He’s big, but you’re like a mountain. But… thank you.” She glanced back at the door. “I should get back inside.”
As she disappeared into the house, Bear settled onto one of the porch rockers. King collapsed at his feet with a heavy sigh. Snow had started falling again, light flakes that swirled with each gust of wind.
Knox returned after moving the car, hands shoved deep in his pockets. “You’ve got that look.”
“What look?”
“The one that says you’re calculating how much force it would take to break someone’s jaw.”
Bear didn’t bother denying it. “Old habits.”
“Yeah.” Knox nodded toward King. “That’s why you’ve got him? To keep the old habits in check?”
The question caught him off guard. Most people assumed King was just a pet, not a lifeline.
“Something like that. He knows when I’m... not right. Grounds me.”
Knox nodded. “I’ll head inside, see if they need anything. I can bring you out some coffee if you want some.”
“I’m good.”
The door clicked shut, leaving him alone with his dog and his thoughts. He settled deeper into the chair, resigned to more waiting, more sitting still. Inside that house, women who knew exactly what kind of monster men could be were helping one of their own. Out here, he was just another man, regardless of his intentions.
King rested his head on Bear’s boot, eyes fixed on the closed door. Snow gathered on the Leonberger’s fur, tiny white stars against the brown and black.
“Yeah,” Bear murmured, reaching down to brush the flakes away. “I feel pretty damn useless, too.”
thirty
The woman was screaming.
Maggie winced as she stepped back into the house to find both Angel and Tariah waiting for her. Tariah was hugging herself, tears gleaming in her dark eyes.
“Hollis and Claire took her upstairs,” Angel said, and looked toward the stairs as another glass-rattling shriek floated down. “It’s not going well.”
Maggie squeezed each of the girls’ arms as she passed. “I’ll go up, see if I can help.”
She took the stairs two at a time, following the sounds of distress to the end of the hallway where a door stood partially open. The screams had dissolved into ragged sobs by the time she reached it.
The woman’s eyes darted around the room, landing on each face briefly before moving on. They were the eyes of a cornered animal searching for escape. When they found Maggie in the doorway, they lingered for a heartbeat before continuing their frantic scan.
“I-I can’t stay. Ryan. He’ll find me.”
