Page 65 of Sheltering Instinct

“Water and everything, I’m assuming. That sounds heavy.”

“Could be. That depended on the amount of time and if we were dropping in or hoofing it.”

She sent him a grin. “Pawing it, you mean, cowboy?”

“Yeah,” he chuckled. “I guess that might be the better way to put it.” Still awkward.

“Why does Mojo need to leave Enrico?”

“He’s rhino sour. He can’t work near them in the park, and the black rhinos are coming back because of a local initiative to protect them in their natural habitats around Namibia. So working with the rangers won’t work either.”

“What happened that made him act out around rhinos?”

Should he tell her? He should tell her. He should always be as forthright and straightforward as he could be with her. “A poacher killed his handler.”

“Oh.”

They reached the tent, and Tess waited as Levi stood at the entrance, circled it, wove in and out of the trees, and then started forward again.

“You’re taking him, aren’t you?” she whispered. “You’re going to give Mojo a good home and an interesting job? You’re going to keep his brain busy so he can redeem himself in his own mind?”

Levi knew that question came from a bruised place. But he couldn’t promise Tess that was what would happen. “That’s why today is so important. I think this is the last test before Reaper and Goose sign-off. Barring some crazy twist today, I’m all in.”

“You, not your company?” She pointed. “I think I can make out the structure on the horizon. We’re almost there.”

“Iniquus is the company, Cerberus Tactical K9 is my division. Our operators handle their own dogs. In Command’s view, it makes for a better team. They purchase the dog to do the work, but he’s given to me, so the bond is tighter.”

“How much would it cost to buy Mojo?”

“Seventy thousand.”

“Seventy?” She sucked in a gasp. “Wow. To me, that’s, whew! But then I work for a non-profit. They treat me fine, mind you.”

“You have a PhD. They should treat you fine.”

“Our resources go to doing as much good as we can. Fifty thousand sounds like a fine car that gets paid for over a six-year loan. Seventy?”

“It’s a bargain. Well-trained dogs with good genes like Mojo can go for double that.”

“Training time, yes. But how will you get—sorry, none of my business.”

And Tess was doing that thing again, reaching out as if capturing a handful of air, then rubbing it over her fingers. She looked up at the sky and scowled. When she turned to him, her face had lost its color.

“Everything okay?” he asked.

“Something’s coming.”

A shiver slid across his scalp.

She’d never used that tone around him before.

Tess had never saidanythinglike that to him before.

“I’ve felt the vibrations change from the time Gwen and I landed in Namibia until now.”

The structure was easily visible now at twenty yards. Levi shoved the GPS in the side pocket of his pack. “Any idea what you’re sensing? You were at Big Daddy, then Windhoek, then here. The ecosystems are different. Would that change the air quality for you?”

“Not this,” she scanned from her left to her right, then startled and swung her head to look over her shoulder.

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