The statement, along with the tone of her voice caused Sean to imagine Sophia Swanson lying naked in his bed, waiting for him to get home from work. The image caused his already hard cock to become painful.
“See you soon.” Sean had a husky timbre to his voice as he spoke. He sounded like he’d been drinking his favorite bourbon all night. He hung up, called Kilo to him and together they went inside. While Kilo drank from his water bowl, Sean ran up the stairs to jump into the shower. He knew his erection wasn’t going away by itself, so he took himself in hand. He pictured bright blue eyes, and flawless, creamy white skin. Sean took care of his problem. No way he would walk into HALO Customs with blue balls.
After his shower, Sean dressed in his uniform. He went all out, in the spare room, he ironed his shirt, once the pants front pleat was razor-sharp, he dressed. Sean even spent extra time shaving. Satisfied by the way he looked, Sean went downstairs, packed his lunch, grabbed three bottles of water, and packed it all in a small blue cooler. When he had worked days. Sean could stop at any restaurant in the county to grab a bite to eat. However, since working afternoons, most to the restaurants closed their doors by eight. Sean didn’t always make it on time. Some days he caught a break. Most of the time, he ended up sitting on the side of the road, eating while he let Kilo out to run.
After a quick whistle, Sean smiled when Kilo met him at the front door. “We have a stop to make on the way into work, buddy.” Kilo woofed. In the SUV, Sean backed out of his driveway and headed toward HALO Customs. The police station was in the opposite direction. He had two hours before he had to report for his shift so that was fine.
Sean pulled into the parking lot of HALO and let Kilo out. Together, they walked toward the entrance. Sean reached for the door as his cell phone rang. He opened the door, saying to Kilo, “Go find Curt, I’ll be right in.” The dog ran inside, while Sean walked a few feet away to answer his phone. He barely had the phone to his ear before he heard blood-curdling screams.
“What the fuck?” The person on the other end of the phone asked.
“No clue, let me call you back, Phil.” Sean hung up on his boss, and ran toward the entrance of the bike shop. He practically ripped the door off its hinges, as he tried to get inside. At the other end of the hall, Curt ran through the entrance to the repair shop.
“What the fuck happened?” Curt demanded as he ran through the door from the shop.
“No clue.” Sean yelled as another hair-raising scream ripped through the air.
“FUCK! KILO! COME!” When the dog didn’t come, Sean hurried to the door Curt pointed to. They reached it at the same time. The scene before Sean broke his heart. Kilo sat on his haunches, looking confused. His head was tilted to the side as he whimpered the same way he did when he wanted to be petted. He leaned toward Sophia to sniff her. Sophia stood in the same position she had at the rest stop. Stiff as a board, hands held out in front of her, fists clenched. He saw her arms shook uncontrollably. She whimpered. Sean rushed forward, grabbed Kilo by his collar, and took him outside. Sean locked him in the SUV, apologizing to his dog before he ran back in.
He saw Curt try to calm Sophia. He approached slowly, not wanting to scare her. Sean gently took her outstretched fists in his hands. Rubbing her arms, trying to soothe her. He felt her shaking like a leaf in a strong win. Sean thought he heard her whisper repeatedly, ‘Don’t bite me,’. He began to rub her shoulders to soothe her. As he would an upset child. It was the only thing he could think to do.
“Sophia, it’s Sean. I’m sorry. You’re safe. I’m here. Kilo’s locked in the SUV. You’re safe.” As he talked to her softly, he walked behind her and continued to use soothing words and gentle touch to calm her. Sophia’s shaking began to subside. Sean focused all his attention on her, ignoring Curt as he went in the hall to tell the other employees that everything was fine. “Deep breaths, easy, you’re safe.” Sean kept repeating this until she released shuddering breaths along with a couple of whimpers.
Sophia looked around as if in a daze. It wasn’t long before she realized someone was talking soothingly to her. Sean told her repeatedly she was safe, he believed him. Sophia looked around, saw Sean inches from her. Curt stood in the doorway with his back to them.
“Oh god, I’m sorry.” Sophia hiccupped a sob, and covered her face in embarrassment.
“Sh, you’re safe now.” Sean murmured. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“Where’s the dog?”
“Locked in my SUV. I’m sorry, I forgot all about your fear of dogs. My phone rang. I let Kilo in to find Curt and I stayed outside to answer it. I heard your scream. I’m sorry. I forgot.”
“How do you know I’m afraid of dogs?” Sophia asked him. “I’ve never told anyone except for my former boss. I’m sure he told Curt. Curt, did you tell Sean about my phobia with dogs?”
“No.” Curt turned to answer. Sean helped her to her desk chair, he handed her the water sitting there. “Yes, Chris told me. I didn’t tell anyone.”
Sean kneeled down in front of Sophia. He took her hand gently in his. Studying her, he said quietly, “I saw you. At the rest stop on the interstate. It was around midnight, you came out of the ladies’ room, saw Kilo, did what you did.” The whole time he was telling her this, he kept her hands in his. Rubbing his thumb gently over the back of them. They were covered by a long-sleeved shirt and he felt ridges beneath the shirt. When she tried to jerk them away, he held tight.
“That was you?” Sophia asked in shock, covering her face. “God, I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be.” Sean reassured her. He continued to keep her hands in his. He plucked at the shirt while Curt shrugged.
Sean’s phone rang again. Seeing his boss’s number, he said, “I have to take this.” He went outside and answered. “Kilduff.”
“Sean, what was that scream? Do I need to send backup?”
“No, my mistake, big misunderstanding. I’m taking care of it.”
“Explain!” Sean’s boss, Phil Olsen, barked.
Sean explained what had happened, along with what happened over a week ago at the rest stop.
“Damn, the lady’s afraid of Kilo? Does she know he wouldn’t hurt a fly unless ordered?”
“I’m sure she knows, it’s instinct. It’s happened twice now. I didn’t see how they interacted before she started screaming. I don’t know if Kilo did something, or if her fear triggered her reaction.”
“You’re okay there?”
“I am, so why did you call?”
“Hear from Saunders in the last couple of hours?”
“No, why? I’m not due for work for another couple of hours. I don’t see him until shift change. What’s up?”
“You were in the service, right?”
“Yeah, why do you ask?”
“I think you’re right. I think Saunders is suffering from PTSD. I didn’t want to believe it. I don’t know if sending him to the VA in Des Moines will be worth it. We’re too small of a town to have a VA. The boy needs help. Even if it’s just to talk to someone. I was wondering if you might be able to talk with him.”
“I understand where you’re coming from. I don’t think I would be any help for him. I’ll be honest with you Phil. I don’t know him all that well. He was barely with the department before he was deployed. When he returned, he was a totally different man. Working different shifts, it’s hard to get to know him.” Sean sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Do you trust me?”
“I do, why?”
“I have some friends who are former military. They might be able to help. Where’s Neil now? I should sit down and talk with him, get a feel for what he’s going through.”
“I’d appreciate it. He’s out on patrol right now. I need to get him some help soon.”
“If you’ll allow me to come to work late, I may have answers for you.”
“Do what you have to. Neil’s a great kid, I hate seeing him suffer. I’ll cover for you.” Sheriff Olsen sighed. “If he has to
go in for inpatient care, you’ll be back on days. Hell, once he proves he’s in his right mind, you’ll be going back on days.”
“Thanks, Phil, I’ve got to figure out something here, I’ll talk to you when I come in. See you soon.”
“Will do.” They hung up. Sean rubbed the back of his neck, and sighed. He heard something behind him, with his hand on his gun, Sean looked up to see Curt approach.
“How is she?”
“Shaken up, she’s in the ladies’ room. Do you know what the fuck happened?”
“I sent Kilo in to find you. Sophia called me earlier to ask me to come in. She had some designs she wanted me to look at. I’m on my way to work, and you know Kilo comes in when he’s with me. You must have been in the back. He must have gone into Sophia’s office.”
“He did.” Curt sighed. “I viewed the video. He came in and stuck his head in my office. Then he went to Sophia’s. He walked in. From the camera in the hall, I saw her look, give a blood-curdling scream. She jumped up from her chair so fast, it tipped over. She froze staring at Kilo. We came in at the same time from different directions.”
Sean told Curt what happened almost two weeks ago out on the interstate. Sean stared at Curt for several silent moments before he asked. “How badly was she attacked?”
“Violently. By both her ex-boyfriend, who was her roommate, and his dog. He’s doing three to five in prison. My brother sent her to me to keep her safe.”
“Did she press charges?”
“I did.” Came a voice from behind. Both men whipped around. From what Sean could see, she was paler than normal. “I’m sorry. I’m canceling our appointment for today, Sean. Curt, if it’s all right with you, I’d like to go home.”
“Are you okay to drive?”
“I am.” Sophia still trembled. She had to get out of there. She needed to go home to regroup. The two men watched her walk toward her bike. Sean noticed she gave his SUV a wide berth. Kilo looked at Sophia as she walked by, and Sean heard the dog whimper. Both men watched Sophia don her helmet, climb onto her Harley, and start it up. After she left the parking lot, Sean let Kilo out of the SUV. After he jumped down, Kilo sat whimpering. Sean bent to put his hand on his dog.
“It’s all right, it’s not you Kilo, Sophia seems to have some demons from her past. Maybe we can help her work through it. It might be slow going. Do you think you’re up to the challenge?” He studied his dog, and saw the intelligence in his expression. Kilo answered by licking Sean’s face. The male laughed. “Yeah, I think we’re both up for it.” He stood, looked at Curt.
“Sorry I chased your employee away.”
“Don’t be.” Curt sighed. “She had to break soon. Chris said she never dealt with the trauma after the attack. She took four weeks off, two of those were spent in the hospital. I don’t know the whole story. Chris won’t tell me. He says it’s not his story to tell.”
“Which is true. Now I have another question for you.” Sean stated as the two men went inside. Once settled in Curt’s office, Sean asked. “Do you know of any people in the area who can help with PTSD?”
“For Sophia?” Curt said.
“I wasn’t asking for her, maybe she could benefit from some counseling. No, I’m asking because Olsen says Saunders is showing signs of it. He’s the reason I’m on the afternoon shift.”
“I wondered why a man with your years with the department would be moved to a different shift. You have what? Ten years, compared to his one?”
“I have eight, technically Neil has three. He was on the force for six months before his Reserve team was called up. He was deployed for fourteen months. Since coming back, he’s not the same.”
“Can he be trusted with a gun?” Curt asked in concern.
“I think so, Olsen wants to know if I have any connections without sending him to Des Moines for in-patient counseling.”
“Ah, I understand. Are you telling me because you want me to make some phone calls?”
“If you could. I know you have a lot of connections. I would like to see if there’s something within twenty-five miles of Stormville.” Sean sighed. “For Neil and Sophia. I’ll broach the subject with her.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I should tell you now, I like her. I think she’s a beautiful woman. From our conversation when we discussed my design, I realized she’s a smart woman. I want to help her be near Kilo without screaming the house down. I want to see if we can have something.”
“Isn’t it sudden?”
“Yes, there’s something about her that speaks to me. I want to help her.”
“Give me a couple days to make some inquiries. I’ll keep you informed.”
“Fair enough, could you remind Sophia I work afternoons. If she wants to show me what she’s come up with, call me. If it’s around ten or eleven in the morning, I can leave Kilo home. If it’s after one, I have to have Kilo with me, I’d be on my way into work.”
“I’ll let her know.” Curt stood, shook his hand before walking him out. Exiting, Curt spoke. “I’ll get back to you if I hear something. You coming out to the farm on Saturday?”
“What’s Saturday?”
“Dana and the kids turned one of the barns into a haunted house. We’ve gotten with some neighbors who are doing haunted hayrides. We’re inviting close friends to come out ahead of time. We’ll have a cookout before the everything begins. Everything with the public starts at six. Dana and I figured we could eat around four, then clean up and be ready for when the people from the community arrive.”
“Sure, I love a good scare.” Sean and Kilo went to work. Sean told his boss about putting feelers out. During his shift, he couldn’t get Sophia and her fear of Kilo out of his mind. While he drove, he talked out loud to Kilo, brainstorming ideas to help Sophia get over her fear of dogs. Sean wanted a relationship with Sophia. If she couldn’t get over her fear of Kilo, he didn’t see how they would have anything permanent. Kilo was his family. He had to get Sophia to accept Kilo. He would never abandon the dog for anyone. Even if he fell in love with Sophia. Right now, he was a long way off from having a loving relationship with her. It was something to keep in the back of his mind for when the time came.
6
Sophia snuggled in the corner of the couch beneath a warm, fuzzy blanket. When Connor came home from school, he must have known she was upset. He took one look, held up his hands, backed out of the living room. Without saying a word, he set up his schoolwork at the kitchen table, keeping his mouth shut.
After she left work, Sophia had driven around, and tried to clear her head. She’d found a liquor store. Because of what had happened, she’d stopped and bought a bottle of her favorite bourbon. Sophia didn’t know if Susan allowed alcohol in the house. She took a sip from the glass she held in her hand, staring into space. As she tried to fight off the memories Sophia sighed and leaned her head back on the couch.
She looked up as Susan sat down on the couch near her knees. “Want to talk about it?” Susan took the empty glass from her hand, placed it on the coffee table. “Connor called, said you seemed upset. I picked up a pizza on the way home. If you let me change into comfy clothes, I can join you. You can talk all you want.”
“I don’t want to bother you.”
“It’s not a bother.” Susan reassured her before she hurried from the room. Fifteen minutes later, she was back with another blanket. She tossed it on the opposite end of the couch, before she left again. The second time she returned, she had two glasses with her. One filled with white wine, the other with the bourbon Sophia had brought home.
“So, you do allow alcohol in the house?”
“I do,” Susan said. Connor came in with two plates, each held two pieces of pizza. He set them on the table in front of them. Sophia took the glass, ignoring the pizza.
Susan looked at her cousin, really looked. She sucked in her breath by the haunted expression in her eyes. “Talk to me.”
Sophia sighed, closed her eyes, and leaned her
head on the back of the couch. With her eyes closed, she began. “I was having such a good day. I’d told you I’d gotten my first customer on Saturday. I was on a roll with the design. I called to see if he wanted to see what I’d done. I needed his approval before I could continue. After I called him, he said he’d come in on his way to work. I didn’t think anything of it. I was finishing up some minute details. I felt someone nudge my arm. I thought it was Curt, trying to get my attention. I smiled, looked over, and saw a huge, massive, black German Shepherd standing there. I freaked. I mean, I let out a blood-curdling scream, pushed my chair back so fast it fell over. I couldn’t move, I felt like I was a piece of petrified wood. I remembered screaming once or twice, then nothing.”
“Why?” Connor asked. He had come to the living room to hear her. Susan told him to leave, Sophia said it was fine. She downed the contents of her glass in one swallow, removed the blanket, stood. With her bra on, she turned her back to Connor and Susan, and stripped off her shirt.
“What the fuck?” Connor demanded seeing the angry, red, scars on the back of her arms, and upper back. She lifted the legs of her sweat pants above her knees. Ugly, jagged scars were revealed. These ones weren’t as red as the upper ones. She redressed, snuggling beneath the blanket again.
“Have a seat.” Sophia told Connor. She gazed off into space, and began. “The ones on my lower body happened almost a year ago. I lived with my ex-boyfriend in Florida. Around the time he lost his job, his brother was arrested for operating an illegal dog-fighting ring.” Sophia didn’t dare look at Susan or Connor. She didn’t see their clasped hands gripping one another, as they stared at her. “Tomas had brought Dawg, James’s German Shepherd home to live with us. Tomas had gotten drunk, he said I’d pissed him off somehow. He wanted to see how well Dawg followed commands. Now, remember, we were roommates, we had stopped dating months before. We had discussed living together to keep expenses down. At that time, neither one of us could afford a decent apartment on our own. The sexual relationship was over. We dated other people. While Tomas held my upper body down, I was kicking to get away, he instructed Dawg to attack my legs and hips. I didn’t go to the doctor for a few days.” As she described what she had gone through, she reached down and began to absentmindedly rub her thigh.
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