Page 43 of Stone

He shoved the lead into Knox’s hand. The dog was a tiny Chow. It looked up at Knox and barked at him, then turned in circles.

Knox’s expression turned to one of horror.

Nola bit her lip, but she couldn’t stop a giggle escaping.

“Keep it up,” he said in a warning tone.

She giggled again. “But you guys are so cute together.”

That got her a pointed look.

“Let’s go, Bondettes.” Orlando wrangled the other three dogs like a pro. “I’m heading to the Chelsea Waterside. There’s a great dog run that these guys love.”

“Perfect,” Nola said.

Knox grunted.

Holding onto the dog leads, they set off down the sidewalk. Nola kept her gaze down on Lulu as they walked past Zolotov’s man.

Once they reached the next intersection, she casually glanced back, and saw the thug walking the opposite way.

She released a shaky breath.

So far, so good.

CHAPTER TEN

Knox tried not to focus on the fact that he was walking a noisy ball of fluff. The dog kept leaping around and getting tangled in the lead. It barked at everything and everyone.

He’d worked with military dogs, usually German Shepherds and Belgian Malinois. This thing barely rated as a dog in his world.

One step ahead of him, Nola and Orlando chatted like they’d known each other for years. In a few short blocks they’d managed to talk about shoes, fashion, real estate, and Orlando’s work as a musician, all while showering love and affection on their dogs.

“Girl—” the young man leaned in closer to Nola “—your big dude is hot.”

“I know.” Nola looked back and winked at Knox.

It made him want to kiss her.

“I’d kill to find a hot silver fox who swung my way,” Orlando added.

“You keep looking,” she said. “Don’t compromise.” Then she smiled back at Knox. “Have I mentioned that you and Cherub look so cute together?”

Knox leaned down until his mouth was close to her ear. “I will spank you if you keep it up.”

“Ooh.” Orlando slapped a hand to his chest and gave an exaggerated shiver. “Girl, you are lucky with a big shiny L.”

They turned a corner and Knox spotted the dog park. It was a fenced-in, hilly terrain, set with large rocks, that was already overrun with dogs. He knew that beyond it, lay Hudson Park and the water.

“He did try to push me away,” Nola said. “He works with my brother, and they were both in the military.”

“Ah, the bro code. You were in the off-limits zone.”

“Yes, and I didn’t like it there.”

“How long until he caved?”

“One night.”

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