Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 27534 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 138(@200wpm)___ 110(@250wpm)___ 92(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27534 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 138(@200wpm)___ 110(@250wpm)___ 92(@300wpm)
Gary scratched his head with the barrel of his gun. How did this asshole make it through basic?
“Tucker,” Gary finally answered.
“Strong name.”
“Right? For a strong Navy man,” he spouted proudly.
“If you let my men come in, they’ll help you with these insurgents. Can I tell them to come in, Seaman Pratt?”
Gary looked undecided and chewed on his lip as he tapped the barrel of his pistol against his cheek. “You’ll get Tucker from the warehouse and bring him to me?”
“Hooyah,” I replied.
He looked almost convinced, but then one of the security guards lifted his weapon and aimed it at Gary. Shit hit the fan. Fucking civilians.
Gary got a shot off, and the security guard hit the ground, screaming and holding his arm. Heath ran in through the back door as soon as he heard another shot, and he was on Gary in seconds. Heath got him in a tight hold, immobilizing the arm holding the gun until Deacon ran up and disarmed him. Then Heath shoved Gary to the ground and cuffed him with some zip ties he’d stashed in his pocket.
I left the viewing room and headed down to the chaotic scene. When Deacon saw me, he waved his phone, then pointed at my pants.
When I dug my cell out of my pocket, I saw a text from Huntley.
Huntley: Warehouses within two clicks of the grocery store.
Then there were two addresses.
Huntley: Warehouses within one click of the hospital.
And another two addresses.
Huntley: This is the only overlap. Meet you there in five mins.
Me: Aye aye
When I arrived at the warehouse, Huntley was standing near the door, talking on the phone.
“I went in and tried to free him, but the dog is practically feral. I’m on the phone with Annalise’s boss to see if she can help us figure out how to calm him down.”
Tucker was quiet at the moment, so I just held up my hand for him to wait and stepped over to the door. Slowly, I dragged it open, and Tucker started barking and snarling. But it wasn’t aggression, it was fear.
“Hey, Tucker,” I said in my most soothing tone as I entered the building.
His barking and growling didn’t stop, but they went down just a notch.
My heart broke when I saw the filthy mat he was sitting on, and the rusty metal brace around his neck that was attached to the wall with a thick chain.
“Do you want to go see Annalise?”
At the name, Tucker stopped barking but emitted a low, continuous growl. I started to worry that the only way we’d be able to free him was to bring my girl there. Which was the last fucking thing I wanted to do. It would kill Annalise to see how Tucker had been treated, and she would be eaten up with guilt over it.
Determined to save him without exposing her to this, I tried again. “Tucker, I’m Kade. Annalise is anxious to see you, buddy.”
I took a step closer and held out my hand—hoping he’d pick up on her scent. Tucker leaned forward and sniffed. After sniffing a second time, he stopped growling and lay down. Hesitantly, I crept forward a little more, my hand still out. Tucker’s head lifted, and I paused, but then he licked my hand and whined. “Yeah, boy. I miss her, too.”
He let me free him from his confines and then glued himself to my side. As we exited the building, he barked at Huntley, but I rubbed the top of Tucker’s head. “He’s a friend, too, Tucker.” The dog hushed and remained close as I walked him to my truck. I opened the passenger door, and he leaped inside. I watched him sniff all around the seat, then sigh and curl up, surrounded by Annalise’s scent.
“Let’s go get our girl.”
12
Annalise
I’d told my dad and brother not to show up on Kade’s doorstep unless they were bringing Tucker back to me, but I really should’ve made him promise not to drop me off at my dad’s place instead. Especially since he was in a rush and watched me head inside instead of walking me to the door, something which I’d insisted on but made my dad furious. And my brother too when he showed up, and my dad told him about it.
Neither of them was willing to be reasonable—and I sure as heck wasn’t going to explain that Kade had shut down my argument about going with him by pointing out that I was pregnant. So I’d given up on trying to make them understand that I was the one who insisted Kade take off right away, and he only agreed because I’d threatened to take a rideshare instead.
Pacing back and forth in the living room, I heaved a deep sigh when I checked my phone to make sure it was on. “What’s taking so long?”