“Not the way you’re trying. It’s not like telling a dog to fetch.”
He nudges the bowl lightly with his boot, then gives a low, firm command. “Break.”
June immediately turns and dives into her meal.
Scout watches her for a second, then adds, “June’s a working dog. She’s trained to wait for a release command. Means she won’t touch food or do anything that’s not part of the job unless she’s told she’s free to do so.”
“Noted. She’s impressive.”
June enthusiastically eats as we watch, and the fact that I haven’t seen Ryker yet plays across the back of my mind.
“You work with Ryker?” I ask, curious about his role here.
He’s studying me, when I look at him, and I feel a tinge of discomfort. He’s looking at the bruise on my face.
“Yes. We’ve worked together for a while,” he replies, glancing down to my bandaged wrists. His voice is tighter when he continues. “Ryker’s a good guy.”
Scout unfolds from the doorframe and moves to the fridge. “Had a meeting with him earlier. He said you were sleeping.”
Oh lord.I hope these men didn’t hear what we didbeforewe were sleeping.
“I… um. Yep. Took a nap.Whew.I needed that.”
Awkward. Stop babbling.
Scout’s attention snaps to something beyond my shoulder. The change in his posture is immediate.
“Well, fuck,” he mutters as he glares toward the back yard.
“What—?” I turn toward the window.
My heart falls. Out past the main yard, near the back of the property and the detached garage, Ryker and another man are inches apart.
“Are they fighting?”
“Looks that way.”
The other man is a match to Ryker in size. Broad shoulders, thick arms. His face locked in a sneer. They’re saying something which won’t penetrate the thick security windows, but I don’t have to be a genius to know they’re yelling.
I’ve barely had time to register the full impact of the scene when things explode. The other man shoves first.
Ryker doesn’t stumble or step back. He barely moves. That’s when I realize this isn’t going to get talked out.
Neither of them will back down.
When Ryker tilts his head slightly, expression going blank, ice cascades down my spine.
I watched him kill a man with his bare hands and another with a rifle. Without him even flinching. I know he can go there in a heartbeat.
“Oh no,” I whisper, choking on my rushed breath. “We have to stop them. Someone could get hurt. Bad.”
When I run out of the kitchen, June’s hot on my heels.
Scout’s firm voice echoes down the hallway. “Jade. Do NOT go outside.”
It’s too late. I’m already pulling open the front door, causing an alarm to beep on the massive control panel right by the entrance.
I take the stairs at a jog. June has glued herself to my side, matching my pace perfectly.
