by Laurie Roma
“Oh, you poor baby. It’s okay, I’m not going to hurt you.” Evie ignored the growls as she poured some water into one of the bowls and pushed it closer to the dog. She poured some kibble in another bowl and the boxer’s body quivered as he scented it. She pushed it forward, moving closer despite Dare’s restraining hand on her shoulder.
“It’s okay. This is what I do, remember?” She reaching up to touch Dare’s hand, but she refused to look away from the dog even though she made sure not to make direct eye contact with it.
“This is crazy,” Dare whispered harshly. “That dog is feral.”
“No. He’s hurt and starving. Even though he’s in pain, he’s still trying to protect that little pit bull behind him. Take a step back and don’t crowd them,” she commanded, then lowered her voice to a croon as she pushed the bowl closer. Evie’s eyes stung with new tears as the dog’s little nub of a tail wagged once, then twice...as if he were unsure whether to be happy or not. She saw the heavy chain was attached to a thick, leather collar around his neck and it was digging into his skin from the weight of it.
She started moving closer and heard Dare shift behind her, drawing the dog’s attention. “Stop,” she ordered. “Don’t move or back away. You’re scaring him.”
“I’m scaring him? God damn it, Eve, he’s growling at you.”
Evie kept moving slowly, letting the dog see her. He looked away from Dare back toward her, and after a moment seemed to decide she wasn’t a threat. He stopped growling and lowered his head to start eating the food. As soon as he did, Evie removed the leather collar from his neck. When she got it loose, she dropped it on the ground and was disgusted by the sound the heavy chain made as it hit the dirt.
“Jesus...”
She heard Dare’s whispered oath, but focused on stroking the dog’s head, trying not to touch any of the bite marks that marred his body. She whispered soothingly and saw his tail start to wag again. The boxer inched forward slowly, leaning into her side. That simply act of trust broke her heart. She sat down on the ground, and the dog collapsed with a small whine as he rested his head on her leg. “Russ?”
“Yeah, boss?”
“Move around to this side and go check the little one,” she said softly.
“Got it. I found two others alive so far. One was gone.”
Dare heard the others arrive as they went to work freeing the two dogs Russ had already checked, but he never took his attention off of Evie and the injured animal that had all but crawled onto her lap. Watching her form the connection with that poor, abused dog had been like witnessing a miracle.
She glanced up as he squatted down next to her. The boxer looked up and weakly growled at Dare. Unafraid now, Dare used the techniques he learned while working at the rescue center and let the dog scent him before gently resting his hand on the dog’s head.
“I heard stories. People at the center told me where some of the dogs had come from, but you can’t know...can’t even fathom the fucking horror of this until you see it with your own eyes.”
“It’s amazing how much love they have to give even after coming from a place like this. It’s why we fight so hard to give them a place to heal and try to find them a good home. They deserve to be happy. We need to move him to one of the carrying crates, but I think his leg is infected.”
Dare nodded, but stayed where he was for a very more seconds, stroking the dog’s head, being cautious not to touch the soft, floppy ears that were riddled with bite marks. He leaned forward and carefully lifted the boxer into his arms using a blanket Evie had in her backpack, then he paused as the dog turned his head to stare at him. Dare didn’t know what to think, and knew if he hurt the dog it might react on instinct and attack. Instead, the dog sniffed at him, then tentatively licked his cheek. Dare felt his eyes sting as he slowly stood, cradling the dog like it were a baby.
Evie rushed over and grabbed one of the carriers the others had brought to the site, and with her help, they got the boxer inside. The dog stared at them with dark eyes glazed with pain, then his eyes closed and he seemed to relax.
“That’s four,” Tim said as he walked over to join them. His own eyes were red with unshed tears as he cleared his throat. “Should we start getting them back to the van?”
“Yes,” Evie said, reaching out and put her arm around the other man’s shoulders. “Let’s get them home.”
Eugene and Tim picked up one of the crates as Russ carried another. They headed back to the van as Dare looked back at the bodies still on the ground. His hands clenched into fists at the sheer waste of life. He wanted to get them free of the chains, to bury them far away from this terrible place. With that in mind he turned away, then froze as a man came out of the woods pointing a shotgun at Evie and Claudette who were positioned by the last crate.
“Hey, you stupid cunts! What the hell do you think you’re doing? Gimme back my dogs!”
Incensed, Evie glared at the man as she knelt by the crate, sheilding the dog from view. “Tenne Conroy, you deserve to be in prison for what you’ve done!”
Dare didn’t even stop to think. Before the man could turn to point the shotgun at him, Dare was on him. He jerked the end of the gun up just as the man fired a shot, the loud sound reverberating in the air. Dare jerked the gun out of the man’s hand, then slammed his fist in the fucker’s face once, twice, then a third time just for the pleasure of watching blood spurt out of the man’s nose.
“You broke my nose!”
“That’s not all I’m going to break,” Dare snarled as he hit Conroy again, making the other man fall onto his back. Not giving him an inch, Dare jerked him back to his feet and grabbed hold of Conroy’s throat in a brutal grip. Conroy wasn’t a small man by any means, but pure rage gave Dare the strength to lift Conroy off his feet so the man was gasping for air.
“You sorry sack of shit,” Dare snarled, and with the flick of his wrist he sent the man flying to the ground where his body slammed up against one of the metal poles they had rescued the dogs from. Conroy gasped for air and flopped onto his stomach, trying to crawl away. Dare pressed a foot down onto his back, and leaned down to wrap the chain around Conroy’s neck.
“Stay where you are, you dumb fucking redneck. Make one move, I dare you. Just give me a fucking reason to beat the fucking shit out of you!” His voice lowered into a deadly snarl as he said, “I should leave you chained up to rot out here, just like you did to these poor animals.” Conroy gasped in alarm, his face turning a bright red as Dare pulled the chain tighter.
“Dare!”
Dare heard Evie’s voice as if it were coming from the end of a long tunnel. He wanted to kill Conroy. To pound him into bloody dust. He wanted to seek retribution for all those bodies littering the clearing, but not while Evie was there to witness it.
“Take the crate back to the van,” Dare said, his voice deadly calm.
“Dare, please—”
“The son of a bitch fucking fired at you!” Dare rounded on her and knew his eyes were as feral as the dog’s was when they had first found him. “You might have been in charge of the rescue, but he’s mine.”
Evie’s chin lifted. “I was just going to say leave something for the sheriff when you’re done here.”
Dare simply stared at her for a long minute. Hell, he wanted to laugh, but couldn’t find the strength to push back his anger enough to do so. “Fine. Go back to the van. I’ll wait for the sheriff.”
“I’m already here,” Sheriff Storm Wyatt said as he walked into the clearing. Storm and Hammer had served in the same unit while they had been in the Rangers, and Dare had always liked the other man. Like his name, Storm was intense. A quiet man that could be deadly when pushed far enough, he had the dark coloring that spoke to his half Native American heritage. The sheriff let out a sigh. “Hell, Nyght. Did you kill him?”
“Not yet. He killed those dogs, Storm.”
“Did not!” Conroy squeaked out. “There were alive when I left them!”
Stor
m’s obsidian eyes took in the scene at a glance and Dare saw his jaw tighten in anger, which was never a good sign for anyone on the receiving end. When he looked back, Dare could see the barely veiled fury burning in those dark depths. “Evie, why don’t you and your crew head back to the rescue center. You take care of those animals while we take care of things here. I’ve got men coming in to help. Dare and I can...talk to Conroy while we wait.”
Dare stared down at the man cowering at his feet, then let out a curse as he sensed Evie walk up to his side. He turned his head to look over at her, then blinked in surprise as she held something out to him.
“It’s a wet wipe. You have his blood on your hand. I wouldn’t want you to catch something nasty from him.”
This time he did laugh. “You sure are something, princess.”
“Damn right I am.” She reached out and gently touched his arm. “Thank you.”
Dare nodded. “I’ll see you when I get home.”
Home.
Why did that word have such a nice ring to it?
Chapter Nine
“How is he?”
Evie turned as Dare walked into the clinic and had to fight the urge to throw herself into his arms. It had been a long night, and in the few hours they had been back at the clinic everyone had been working hard to treat the four surviving dogs that had been rescued. Taking Dare by the hand, she walked him through the clinic, knowing exactly who he was asking about without him telling her. When they got to the back room, she walked him over to a row of large cages where all the dogs they rescued were resting and came to a stop in front of where the boxer was sleeping peacefully.
Dare gripped the bars of the cage so hard his knuckles went white. “Is he...?”
“He’s going to be fine,” she said, touching one of his hands until he relaxed his grip. “All four of the dogs were severely malnourished and treated for ticks and fleas, and there is some concern about infection for some of the bite wounds, but Beck says they have a good chance of making a full recovery. Nibbles was in the worse shape because he’s so young, and we are giving Wesley and Buttercup a strong dose of antibiotics that we hope will work.”
“Who?”
“Wesley and Buttercup are the two dogs Russ and the others rescued, and Nibbles is the little guy this one was protecting,” Evie said with a smile as she nodded toward the sleeping boxer. “We wanted to wait for you to name him.”
Dare glanced over at the cage. He’d been on the verge of declining to name the pup, but a name immediately popped into his head. “Hero,” he said softly. “His name should be Hero.”
“I think that’s a perfect name for him. Let’s let them rest.” Evie led the way out of the clinic back into the main part of the kennel. “Have you eaten? Did you want—”
“I’m not hungry.” Dare blew out a breath. “After we left the clearing, we buried the bodies of the dogs in that place you arranged in the cemetery.”
“Thank you for that. You should have called me, I could have—”
Dare’s jaw tightened. “It’s done. Storm arrested Conroy. Christ, the stupid fucker admitted to everything, and even gave up some of his contacts in the dog fighting circuit he was a part of.”
“That’s great news! I was hoping he’d pay for what he did.”
Dare’s mood darkened as he thought about what had happened. “About that...we need to speak. Privately.”
He didn’t give her much of a choice as he grabbed her arm and dragged her through the building until he reached her office. He shut the door after pulling her in, and locked it for good measure. The center was mostly empty, but the night staff was still roaming around, and this was a conversation better kept between the two of them.
“Dare, what is wrong with you?”
He rounded on her. “What’s wrong with me? What the hell is matter with you? What the fuck did you think you were doing today?”
Evie’s back stiffened, her blue eyes all but sparking with outrage. “Excuse me?”
“Don’t give me that,” he snapped. “You heard me. You had no business going into that clearing today, not with a crazy man shooting at you!”
“But it is my business. We rescue dogs all the time, Dare. Unfortunately, it’s not always under the best conditions. I’m sorry you had to deal with all of this today, and I appreciate all of your help—”
“I don’t want your fucking thanks!”
Evie blinked as he shouted at her. She opened her mouth to snap back at him, but stopped herself when she got a good look at him. His face looked...ravaged. She belatedly realized at the events of the day had taken their toll on him, and this was his way of dealing with the grief and his pain. She knew exactly how he felt. Usually she only allowed herself to breakdown after she was alone in her house after a day like today.
But Dare had been alone for too long...and perhaps so has she.
Once they had left the clearing, Evie had gone into automatic pilot mode, doing what needed to be done to treat and care for the dogs. After they got back to the rescue center, her cousin Beckett had taken over, and her relief at hearing the four dogs they rescued would be fine had made her knees go weak.
Now, she could see all the signs of the grief eating away at Dare. People were forced to deal with a myriad of emotions doing the work they did at the rescue center. There were good days and then there were bad, but the bad were so much worse when lives were lost.
Unable to bear the anguish in his eyes, Evie moved toward Dare, wrapping her arms around his waist. He stood as still as a statue, but she didn’t let that bother her. She felt this...need to take his pain away, almost like a compulsion she couldn’t deny. She needed to give him some kind of comfort, however she could. Dare’s hands moved to grip her by the upper arms like he would shove her away, but he didn’t. Instead, he held on for a second then wound his arms around her in an embrace so tight she could barely breathe.
“Damn it, Eve. Conroy could have fucking shot you!”
“You didn’t let him.” His hold tightened enough to make her squeak. She tried rubbed her hands over his back in a soothing motion, trying to ease the tension from his muscles.
“Stop trying to pet me like I’m one of your damn dogs,” he growled.
She peeked up at him with a frown. “That’s insulting to both you and me.”
Dare let out an irritated sigh as he shoved her head back down on his shoulder. “Don’t try to be rational when I’m yelling at you, damn it.”
Her laugh was muffled by his shirt. “Okay, then. Would it be a good time to mention that I had a tranquilizer gun pointed at Conroy?”
“No,” he snapped. “It’s not. Christ, woman. You need a fucking keeper.”
“Hey, now wait a minute—” She pulled back enough so she was looking at him again.
“You do. You’re going to get yourself killed one day.”
“Dare, this is what we do here. What I do. Part of the job is going out on rescues, and most of the time we never know what we’re walking into.”
“Well, then we’ll damn well talk about your security measures, because clearly they fucking suck.”
She raised a brow at that. “We will, will we?”
“Don’t get all prissy with me. You know I’m right,” he said jerking her closer. “You could have fucking died today.”
“I’m fine,” she assured him, responding to his anguish. She leaned in to press her lips to his cheek, but Dare turned at the last second and captured her lips with his in a kiss so hot she felt singed by it. She melted against him, loving the feel of his hard, hot body against hers.
“I need you, Eve.”
The stark longing in his hoarse voice touched her in a way she’d never felt before. She could feel that need running over her skin like an electrical current as she felt the hard length of him press against her. Evie felt like she was on precipice of a life changing decision. She knew she should tell him that this was going too fast, that she needed more time. It was the smart thing t
o do, but she couldn’t seem to make herself give a damn about doing the smart thing at the moment.
She wanted Dare more than she’d ever wanted another man, and she couldn’t deny either of them any longer. Wrapping her arms around him, she gave him the answer that came straight from her heart. “Then be with me, Daryk. Be with me now.”
There was a pause as they simply stared at each other, sparks sizzling in the air as blue eyes met dark-gray. Then they both moved, coming together in a clash, like two wild animals ready to devour. His mouth slammed down on hers and her hands lifted into his hair, holding tight as they fed off one another. He lifted her up, carrying her over to her desk, his mouth never leaving hers. With one arm, he swiped papers and other items off one side of the desk, neither of them caring about the clatter of sound they made as they fell to the ground.
Holding onto her hips, Dare lifted her so she was sitting on the desk. He spread her thighs wide, moving between them as they continued to desperately feed off one another, tasting and caressing. Evie wrapped her legs around Dare’s waist, pulling him closer. “Dare...”
“God, Eve. You drive me fucking crazy. It’s like a madness inside me that I can’t get rid of. I don’t want it. Do you hear me? I don’t, but I can’t seem to make it stop.”
She let out a little laugh. “You are the absolute worst at pillow talk.”
Dare stared down at her with intensity that seared her straight to her soul. He tugged on her hair so her head tilted back. “I can’t think with all the blood in my body draining straight to my dick. You need to tell me right now if you don’t want this. Because once I take you, you’ll be mine. There will be no more pretense between us. No going back.”
She reached up to stroke his cheek with her hand and he captured it with his own, holding her to him. “I want this, Dare. I want you. But you won’t take me. Equal measure, or nothing at all. We’re in this together.”