I ran, determined to catch the fucker in the act. It occurred to me that I should have called Holden first, but I’d acted oninstinct, and now I was running too hard to make a call. I’d just have to restrain Snake first.
I reached the fencing and discovered the square cut out of the wire. Axel was going to be pissed. He’d just fixed the last one.
I bent down to examine it, but the hole was too small for me to climb through. I cursed and quietly jogged back around to the front gate, sending up a silent prayer that Axel trusted me enough he hadn’t changed the code.
I reached the keypad and punched in the number. The gate locks released with a click.
I pushed the gate open as silently as I could, slipping in and then navigating my way through the dark. There was one wide alley through the junkyard, but many narrower offshoot paths to other sections.
I didn’t have to work hard to find Snake, though. I heard Sugar’s deep warning barks.
She might be walled off from the cat area, but she’d still heard him and set up a warning.
“Good girl,” I murmured, starting in that direction. “Good fucking dog.”
Loki and Oreo joined her, their barks bouncing around in the darkness. As I got closer, I heard a crooning voice. “Shh, doggies. I’ve got treats. Come have a taste, you ugly fucking mongrels!”
My heart plummeted into the pit of my stomach.Oh god, no. Please don’t let them eat anything he offers!
I put on a burst of speed, shouting as I went.
“Sugar! Taz! Oreo! Loki! To me. Come to me!”
I rounded a corner, and there they were, dancing around, barking. Oreo was sniffing at the ground.
“Oreo! No!”
The border collie whipped toward me, tail curling in. I slapped my thigh and tried to make my voice less threatening. “C’mon, guys. Come to Flynn! Come over here!”
The dogs trotted toward me, their barks dying into whines and whimpers.
Snake emerged from the darkness. “You got those fuckers trained. Lucky thing. Thought I’d have to poison them.”
“Don’t you fucking dare,” I growled, stepping forward to kick dirt over the chunk of meat he’d dropped.
“Easy, brother. You’re here now. We can do this much easier.”
“I’m not your brother.” I tugged my phone from my back pocket. “And I’m sure as fuck not letting you rip off these guys.”
“No? Well, you’re out here with me. Who’s to say you didn’t help me with the whole thing?”
“The camera footage, for one thing.”
Snake whipped around, eyes up. “What? I cased this place good the first time I came out here. There were no fucking cameras.”
“Surprise,” I said lightly.
“Goddamn it. I thought if I could just get around the dogs…” He shook his head. “Fuck it. Doesn’t matter. You’re gonna help me, Dozer, because it’s the smart thing to do.”
I tensed at the old prison nickname.
“It’s sure as hell not.” I hit the Call button, and the line started to ring. “I’m calling the owners. Did you know the guy who runs this junkyard is dating the sheriff?”
Snake’s eyes widened, and he ran at me. He took a flying leap—and it wasn’t a bad tackle. But I had a hundred pounds on him. I stumbled back but kept my feet.
The phone went flying, skittering over the ground.
Snake snapped his hand toward me, silver blade glinting.
