Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 97275 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 486(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97275 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 486(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
Turbulence in the cabin jolted me out of my thoughts and I gasped. I hated being on a fucking plane. Aside from my parents dying in a plane crash, man was not meant to fly. If he was, he would’ve been born with motherfucking wings. Layne gave me an amused glance, and I flipped him the bird before closing my eyes again, trying to get my breathing back under control.
“You look weird, Max. Something you need some help with?” Layne sniggered from beside be.
Once again, I flipped him off and said, “Fuck you, and yes, actually you can. Will you hold my hand?”
Layne stared at my hand in disdain, and turned his head as best he could given what little room he had to move.
I laughed for a good five minutes before I sobered and said, “Actually, I really do need some help. You remember Apollo? I was wondering if you had a way to contact his breeders. I’m interested in purchasing a family protection dog.”
“Yeah, I remember him, dumbass. He was my dog! I’m still in contact with Apollo’s trainers. I think the owner of K9 Protection is still Taylor Soloman. I have his email right here.” Layne said as he read me out the email address.
I typed out a basic email explaining what I wanted, and then hit send hoping that this was still the correct email for the man. The more I thought about it, the more right I felt that this was the answer to all of Payton’s problems. Since she was so dead set about not having any help, and doing things on her own, I knew that this would be okay in her eyes.
My phone pinged fifteen minutes later, and I pulled up the email.
Max,
I’m so happy to hear from you. I was so saddened to hear of Apollo’s death. The important thing I tried to make understood throughout the company was that he died doing what he was trained and loved to do. As for your inquiry, I think we have just the dog for your fiancé. Since you will not be here to take over the dogs handling, I’ll have one of our female handlers teach her exactly what she needs to know. The training will take around two weeks. We will make sure that the dog is compatible with Payton, that she will know just what kind of weapon she will have with the dog. The dog I’m thinking will be a perfect fit is actually Apollo’s great grandson. He has an excellent bloodline, as you know. I’ve attached a photo of him. His name is Alpha. He weighs in at eighty-nine pounds even. He’s a year and a half old, and has tested well with kids. He also has a deep love of women. We tried to pair him with a male owner, and he was having none of it. I’m not saying that he wasn’t good with him, but that he goes above and beyond for a female. As for payment, that can be negotiated. As soon as we make sure the fit is right, and that Payton is able to handle Alpha, then we will discuss payment. I’ll have Claudia hand deliver Alpha next week. Make sure Payton knows to expect her.
Best Regards,
Sol
I was pleasantly surprised to see that he remembered me so well. Years ago, I’d gone with Layne to pick up Apollo. We’d both had to go through a week training course before he would relinquish the dog into our custody.
For the next three years, we worked with Apollo. He was one of our team. The day he died, it was as if we’d lost one of our own. He’d done a sweep of the building and found explosives lining the interior. There was so much C-4 in that building that when it blew, it knocked every building in a two block radius. Apollo was too close to the blast, and was killed when a building collapsed, crushing him underneath. We worked for hours freeing him, and he had a funeral just as any soldier would. We never got another protection dog, and most likely it was because Apollo just couldn’t be replaced.
ɸ
Fourteen and a half hours after leaving the Gregg County Airport, we arrived at COB Speicher during one hell of a sandstorm. It took another hour of waiting it out before it passed. By the time I stepped foot off the ramp, I was already ready to leave. This place sucked. I forgot, or blocked out, how much I hated it.
I followed Layne into the belly of the base. We walked into a meeting room, and there, surrounding the tables, were a number of men and one very pissed off looking woman surrounding the conference table. Layne took his seat at the front of the table, and I made my way to the back wall and leaned against it. I didn’t want to sit with my back to the door, and the only seat left was doing exactly that.
The woman had a silent snarl on her face, and I wondered what I’d done to piss her off; it’s not as if I’d ever seen her before. The other four men looked to be reserving judgment until I’d proven myself in some way. They all looked alike. All had a beard, dark colored hair, and deeply tanned skin. The only difference was, was the amount of bulk they sported, but even that wouldn’t have been noticeable if you weren’t looking closely. Which I assumed was their objective.
“Alright, ladies. You all know why we’re here,” Layne said when I interrupted him.
“Actually, I don’t. Why don’t you enlighten me?” I said briskly.
“We don’t really want you here. We could have done this on our own. The only reason you’re here is that Layne here said you could help. Why don’t you shut up and listen to him.” The she-devil said.
Layne silenced her with a sharp command, and I couldn’t help but chuckle at her chastised look. “We have a man in lockdown. The past two weeks we’ve been hearing chatter through the locals that there’s an attack planned on COB Speicher. From what we can surmise, they want the base back, and us out. Preferably dead. The young man in custody has some serious training. When PFC Torres found him, he came in without a fight. It’s been sixteen days now, and everyone has tried to break him and couldn’t. That’s where you come in. We need what he has.”