Page 11 of Wicked Healing

“So, I had a question for you about Boss.”

The dog looked around at the sound of his name, making her smile. “He knows we’re talking about him. He’s focused completely on me right now.”

Luca chuckled. “That dog is entirely too smart. He knows things.”

“Seriously,” she agreed. “He’s a better guard dog than any of my other dogs. By far. Is there an ease down command that I haven’t figured out yet? I thought he was going to kill my UPS man the other day. If I know someone is coming I put him in the outdoor enclosed kennel, but I can’t always anticipate.”

Luca chuckled. “K noze. Pronounced K-no-Zay. It’s Czech for ‘heel’. If he’s out of line call him to heel, then you can ease him down.”

Erin scrunched up her face in confusion. “Czech. Seriously? Is German too passé?”

“For this dog it is,” Luca told her, voice wry. “We’ve had terrorists throw out German commands in an attempt to confuse dogs before. A split-second hesitation could mean lives, so I taught him Czech, which is a little more obscure.”

She was still confused. “I’ve used German commands with him.”

“If he responds to them use them. He’s been trained in English, German and Czech, but the Czech has been for his most recent combat situations. He might be a little confused in his mind about his status.”

She sighed, looking at the dog. He hadn’t taken his eyes from her since she’d been talking to Luca. “Okay, say the word again. I’ll try it. Or will using it send him into combat mode?”

Luca sighed on the other end of the line. “It shouldn’t. I think it’s more important for you to have the usable tool. K noze. K-no-zay.”

Erin stood, maintaining eye contact with the dog, then she turned away from him, started walking toward the kitchen and repeated the word. Wicked was immediately at her side. Ears pricked and disposition intense, like he was looking for bad guys to kill.

“Damn,” she whispered. “What kind of dog is this, Luca?”

The man chuckled on the other end of the line. “That’s not a dog, Erin. Wicked is a weapon. He’s a Navy SEAL MWD, a multi-purpose canine. Bombs, protection, he can do it all. He’s been on almost as many deployments as I have. Saved our lives more times than I can count.”

Though he hadn’t moved from her side, there was an aggressiveness to Wicked that was chilling. Even hindered and hobbling as he was, he had the drive and the training to try to complete the job. “How do I ease him down?”

“If he goes into this alert mode, say phooey.”

“What?” Had she actually heard him right?

“Phooey. It’s the Czech word for no. It should ease him down.”

Not having anything else to lose, she repeated the word. Some…alertness went out of him, his body. “And sit?”

“Said-nee.”

She repeated the word and Wicked sat. Erin eased out a breath, tension flowing from her own shoulders. Reaching out she stroked his head, and he seemed to appreciate the touch. Thoughts were racing through her mind, and anxiety. “Luca, I have a feeling you’re going to have a lot of work to do retraining this animal. I had no idea what I was agreeing to when I said I’d take him. I thought I was getting a bomb dog or something a little more run of the road.”

There was a long silence on the other end of the line. “I know there’s going to be a reintegration period. I think whatever you’re doing is doing well. Have you taken him out at all?”

“Not really. Nowhere other than the vet and my mother’s house. She lives the next town over.”

“Okay. Well, if he gets tense like that again just ease him down.”

Moving to her desk she jotted down the words he’d given her, the way they sounded, and what they were. This was beyond the scope of what she’d trained for, but she would do what she could for Wicked.

“I bet you’re excited to see him.”

There was a hesitation on the line. “Him, yes.”

She wondered at the emphasis on him. Did he not want to meet her? “Oh. I’m sorry. I, uh… do you want me to have your parents bring him or something? I mean, I can hang behind or something…”

“Fuck, no,” he said firmly. “I’m excited to see him and meet you. Completely. I’m sorry I made you think otherwise. My parents just left and I don’t want them to come back any time soon.”

The tension eased in her stomach and she relaxed a little.

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