Page 26 of No Bones About It

Love?

Was he falling in love with Kimi? Seemed ridiculous to even be thinking about the possibility when they hadn’t even had sex.

But she was the most alluring woman he’d ever met and he couldn’t imagine not moving forward with her at his side. They fit together.

He found the bowl he’d left for Olaf empty again, but no sign of the stray. The three horses shared the paddock peacefully. He led Grover into his stall for the night and then Oscar.

He brought the halter out for Kitty and stood at the gate to talk to her. She moved his way and then retreated several times. When she reared back, he moved back into the barn without her and hung up the halter.

He thought about hopping the fence to see Kimi but decided to grab a couple of hours of sleep instead. He had a mission to accomplish in a few hours, and he needed to be at his best.

Kimi did another lap of her property after midnight. She needed the peace of the animals before heading out for more recon. Those dogs were suffering every day, and she needed a plan to get them out before much longer.

She’d stocked up on kennels suitable for pit bulls, but she wasn’t ready to take them on the mission with her. She’d had glimpses of the compound from various angles, but she hadn’t seen enough to developa plan to rescue the dogs, and she certainly wouldn’t be able to do it surreptitiously or alone.

Even though it wasn’t a good life, she wasn’t sure the dogs would take her up on her offer of escape. Even if there were no humans on site, the dogs had no reason to trust any people, especially a stranger. To get them out silently, she might have to use a tranquilizer. And each dog weighed upwards of fifty pounds. Getting them out would be a hell of a process requiring bucketfuls of luck.

She wouldn’t forgive herself if those dogs continued to suffer for much longer. She’d rescued animals before. Mostly, she’d bought them, but on the rare occasion, she’d snuck onto the property and walked a dog away. Luring them with food and a soft voice had worked every time.

It wouldn’t be enough this time. Not with so many dogs. Not with so much security. And she hadn’t been able to find the exact location of the dogs within it yet. The property was vast and several large buildings blocked views of the interior of the compound.

After a final check on the cats, Kimi locked up the barn and said goodbye to Snoops, the goats, and Onigis, who was at least halfway in the shed this time. She was confident in another week, she’d be in the shed stall. The barn would be better for winter, but she had months before that rolled around.

Kimi beeped her key fob and opened the driver’s door. The passenger door opened at the same time. Kimi reached for her phone and opened her mouth to yell at the intruder before she realized it was Garrett.

He smirked at her and hopped into the truck while she stared at him. When she didn’t move, he clicked on his seat belt. “Need a hand to get in?”

She narrowed her eyes at him and climbed in. She waited for him to say something, but he simply smiled at her with one eyebrow up, all sexy man and protective warrior in her passenger seat. He wore black, including his hiking boots and a plain black ball cap instead of his Stetson.

Finally, she found her voice. “What are you doing? It’s after one in the morning.”

The smirky smile disappeared, and he became deadly serious. “Providing you with backup.”

“For what?”

“For whatever you’re doing in the middle of the night. I know it’s something dangerous, and I know you’d never put someone at risk by asking for backup. I’m guessing it has to do with rescuing some animals from a dangerous situation. The fact that you’ve returned with no new rescues makes me think you’re trying to infiltrate a bigger operation. Maybe a puppy mill or a farm that raises poultry with no thoughts for the welfare of the birds. Or a farmer who abuses his animals, or a dog fighting ring. Or the place where you bought Onigis. Whatever it is, wherever it is, you’re getting backup.”

Kimi opened her mouth to respond but wasn’t sure what to say. Instead of saying anything else, Garrett reached over and took her hand. His firm confidence in her and in the power they could have together floored her. Eventually, she squeezed his hand and nodded. “Thank you.”

She put the truck into gear and headed out onto the road. Garrett sat quietly, and the silence filling the cab was comfortable, but she knew he needed answers.

Once she got on the highway that headed southeast, she spoke. “It’s a dog-fighting ring in the southern part of New Hampshire. I suspect Olaf was one of their dogs once upon a time. It’s the only one I know of in this area. John Mead runs it. He’s involved in organized crime and has been running fighting rings for years. He moves every few years to a new location. I want to get those dogs out and piss him off enough that he never returns to this area again.”

Garrett nodded, and she felt the tension rise in his body.

“I can turn around. You don’t have to come. I can only imagine how difficult losing Shaggy must have been. I’m just doing more recon tonight, and this isn’t your fight.”

He was quiet for such a long time she wondered if he was ever going to speak to her again. Finally, he blew out a deep breath and turned his face from the side window to look at her and then out to the front.

“It was my fault.”

Her heart broke for him. “I’m sorry.”

He shook his head sharply. “I should have known they’d set IEDs around the school. I should have been faster. If I’d been three steps faster, Shaggy would have made it out, too. I was too slow.”

The grief in his voice tore at her heart. “Did any of the kids in the school die that day?”

Another deep breath. “No. Some injuries, with Arrow’s being the worst.”

---