“Maisie Foster. Chase and I work together.”
“What are you doing here?” I turn around to find my brother scowling at me, arms crossed over his chest while the dog’s sitting patiently by his side.
“Is that the way to say hello to your favorite brother?”
“You’re my only brother,” Chase deadpans.
“Maybe, but I’m your favorite sibling. You can’t deny that.”
Chase just lets out a low grunt, not a denial nor an agreement, which makes me chuckle.
“And here I thought he has better manners with his siblings.” Maisie shakes her head.
“Ha! We can only wish. He’s always been a grumpy asshole.”
“That still doesn’t explain what you’re doing here,” Chase mutters as he joins us, the dog following in his footsteps.
“Hey, don’t ask me. Ask him.” I point at Nico, who’s just standing to the side and observing our interaction. “Better question is whatyou’re doing here.”
“He helps.” Maisie gives him a side glance, the corner of her mouth tipping upward. “Occasionally.”
“Do I need to remind you, you were the one who asked me to come here?”
Maisie snorts. “Oh, please. As if you don’t do that on the regular.”
“Is that the dog?” Nico finally asks, tilting his head in the direction of the dog who’s standing by Chase’s leg.
“Yes. That’s Duke.”
Duke’s ears perk up at the mention of his name. Different colored eyes stare at us with intensity and intelligence that is almost human-like. He’s tall and lean. His fur is grayish-black, and although it’s evenly grown, I can spot a few pinkish scars on his body and legs.
“He’s still young and needs more training, but he’s shown great progress and interest in working.”
My brows pull together. “Working?”
Chase nods. “I’ve been teaching him basic commands, and we’ve started on some search and rescue training exercises.”
“For?”
I could see my brother being interested in working with the animals, even training rescues. From a young age, he’s always had a keen sense for them, and after he retired from the Army, that connection only intensified.
“After everything that happened a few weeks ago, I’ve been thinking about this more.” Nico shrugs, but his face is serious, and I can feel my own shoulders tense.
I know exactly what he’s talking about—an attempt at kidnapping Rose’s son, which led to her ex shooting Chase. The whole reason I’m here in the first place.
“If it hadn’t been for Shadow, I’m not sure we would have found Kyle when we did, and asking for the search and rescue team takes time. Our department might be small, and the crime rates aren’t as high as they are in the city, but we’re secluded enough that we would benefit from a search and rescue dog considering every now and then we get people who get lost in the woods.”
“That makes sense.” I glance at him. “Does Jenkins know about this?”
“He does.” Nico pinches the bridge of his nose. “That’s what we were talking about earlier. He agrees that having a K9 would be helpful, and he promised to bring the idea up with the town council, but we all know how bureaucracy works.”
“I get that, but K9s require a lot of training, tests, and licenses,” Chase interjects, his tone serious. “I’ve asked around, and I could get a license to be a certified K9 trainer here at the shelter. It helps that I was a K9 handler myself in the Army. But that still doesn’t solve the problem of the money and official certification for each dog. The department would need to sponsor the training, housing, food, and the certification of the officer who’s going to be the official handler.”
“I know.” Nico sighs and rubs his hand over his jaw. “Give me some more time. I’ll talk to Jenkins; make sure he understands the importance of it. Hell, I’ll go and talk to the council myself if I have to. They’re not dumb, and should see a benefit of having a search and rescue dog in the long run.”
“Okay, but make it fast.” Chase rests his hand on Duke’s head and gives him a little pat. “He’s a good dog. Extremely intuitive and sharp. He was born to work. Talk to Jenkins. But if he doesn’t agree, we’ll have to find someplace else for him. He’s too talented for it all to go to waste.”
“I know. I appreciate you doing this. I promise I’ll get this sorted out as soon as possible. Who knows? Maybe it won’t be as hard as I think.”
