Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 74577 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 373(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 249(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74577 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 373(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 249(@300wpm)
If something happened to her, I was never going to forgive…
No.
No, damnit.
I couldn’t let myself think that way.
AJ was smart.
She’d gotten away from this guy six times before.
I couldn’t seem to stop the thought that, once, she’d just barely gotten away. And only because of some Good Samaritans.
She wasn’t alone this time either, I reminded myself as I took a turn so fast that I was shocked I didn’t go up on two wheels.
I needed to calm down, to drive safe. I wasn’t going to help her if I wrapped myself around a fucking tree.
The doggy daycare was just up ahead, dark because it was technically closed, and I decided that when this was done, I needed to have a talk with the owner about lighting up the exterior of a building where women would be locked up, alone, for any predator to sneak up on.
Even when I flew into the lot, there was no fucking floodlight to illuminate the space.
I cursed the owner as I threw open my door, hearing the distant sound of a dog snarling, then reminding myself that it was probably a dog inside of the building freaking out because someone was inside who didn’t belong there.
I wasn’t even really thinking clearly as I ran to the front door, yanking it open, and striding inside.
“AJ!” I yelled, rushing past the abandoned front desk, noting that nothing seemed knocked askew, that there were no signs of a struggle.
I made my way toward the hallway, ready to rush into each room to check for her.
But then… there she was.
Down on the ground in the hallway, cradling her wrist to her chest, her mouth bloody, her face bruised.
A sob escaped her at the sound of my voice, and I rushed forward, wrapping my arms around her, noting the side door that was slightly ajar.
Maybe Joss had taken off in that direction when he heard a car? I didn’t know. All I did know was that AJ was hurt and terrified, and clinging to me with her good arm like her life depended on it.
I couldn’t untangle myself from her to go secure the building.
I just had to hold her close, assure her that nothing else was going to happen to her.
Not long after, I heard footsteps rushing inside.
“Atlas?” Kingston called, voice rough, likely just as worried about me as I was about AJ.
“Right here,” I called, watching as he flew into the doorway, seeing me on the floor with AJ, the blood splattered on her, and me, and the floor. “Secure the building,” I demanded, holding AJ tighter as she cried out all of the fear and pain she was dealing with.
“On it,” Kingston said, and I caught sight of a gun in his hand as he turned away to walk through the building.
It was less than a minute later that Rush came in, taking in the scene, then jumping into action as well, going to the door to close and lock it, then check out the rooms nearby.
They both came back quickly, shaking their heads as AJ started to sniffle, pulling it back together.
It was then that the door opened, and Nixon’s voice called inside.
“Ah, guys, you need to see this,” he called, making King and Rush look at each other, then me, before walking out of sight for a moment, their voices muffled.
“You okay, baby? Where are you hurt?”
“My wrist, mostly,” she said, still holding it tightly to her chest. Then she raised her hand, touching near her mouth. “This is not as bad as it looks,” she said. “I think my teeth cut the inside of my lip.”
“That’s not your blood?” I asked, gesturing toward a puddle that had my stomach knotting.
“No,” she said, following my gaze. “I… I stabbed him in the arm,” she said. “Scissors…” she added, gesturing toward a room down the hall.
“Good for you,” I said, giving her a squeeze.
“Um, so… there’s this development,” Kingston said, coming into the hallway with Samson on a slip lead.
Except, it wasn’t just the normal Samson.
He had bright red blood staining his coat, mostly consolidated in the area around and under this mouth.
It suddenly struck me that the snarling I’d heard when I’d climbed out of my car hadn’t been coming from inside the building, but somewhere outside. Where Samson was chasing down his mom’s attacker.
“Good boy, Samson,” I called as AJ let out a little sob and opened her arms to her dog.
Kingston released the leash, and Samson lunged forward, but then slowed and carefully climbed into AJ’s lap, like he knew he needed to be gentle.
“He was gone,” King said. “Rush ran around to see. There was no sign of anyone.”
I nodded at that, watching how AJ clutched Samson like her life depended on it.
Maybe it had.
“The alarm,” AJ said, making my brows scrunch.
“What?”
“Why isn’t the alarm going off?” she asked, looking between all of us.