Page 51 of No Bones About It

Eventually, Jason nodded at Chuck. “Where’s the show? Let’s do this thing. I want to see my wagers pay off.”

Kimi hoped like hell the wire had picked up everything and the agents had what they needed to make arrests. She wasn’t sure how she was going to handle it if the FBI didn’t come crashing in soon. She wouldn’t be able to watch a dog fight without tryingto stop it.

They followed Chuck outside. He moved along the edge of the crowd to find a place where they could see the action. He nodded respectfully at a couple of men, and she tried to memorize their faces without staring. One of them wore a sling, and she wondered if he was the man who’d been driving the truck the other night. She quickly averted her face as she pretended to stumble.

Jason steadied her with a smile and squeezed her hand as he tucked it into his arm again. They passed a tight group of armed men and she wondered if John Mead was in the center and if they were protecting him.

Chuck gestured. “Here we are. You’ve got a great spot. You won’t miss any of the action here.”

Kimi gritted her teeth together and looked up. The pit almost made her vomit. It was a square, maybe four and a half feet on each side. The wooden boards were covered with blood and scratch marks.

She tore her eyes away and realized from their new vantage point, she could see more of the area. Off to one side, a large roof covered the dogs’ living spaces, if you could call them that. Each animal was chained to a stake. The chains themselves were long and thick. To move at all, the dog would have to drag the chain with him. They’d staked the dogs out of each other’s reach so they couldn’t make friends.

She blinked her eyes slowly, trying to keep both the rage and sorrow under wraps. She lowered her gaze and pulled her phone out of her pocket as if she was bored and flipping through social media.

Her other hand was still looped through Jason’s, and she was sure he could feel her vibrating. While he and Chuck spoke, he patted her hand frequently, probably trying to keep her steady.

Then she realized he was patting her hand in the prearranged pattern to let her know the teams were on their way. With relief, she squeezed his arm, using the same signal to let him know she’d finally understood his message.

He smiled down at her. “Soon, Marlena. It’s going to start soon.”

Chuck laughed, obviously thinking Jason meant the fights. “Won’t be long now. The first fight’s between Grunt and Tornado.”

She tuned out his recounting of the statistics of the dogs and listened for signs of the cavalry arriving.

“What the fuck?” Chuck’s voice was harsh and angry. He pressed his ear, and she realized he was wearing an earpiece of his own.

Chuck’s gaze flicked around the arena and then back to Jason. “You fucker.” Rage transformed the man’s face, and Jason let go of Kimi’s hand.

He shifted to stand in front of her. “Run, Marlena.”

She squeezed her panic button and looked around for help, but chaos erupted around her. People were yelling, and more than a few pulled out guns. They turned around, looking for someone to shoot. She didn’t see anyone she knew, only the people from the event.

Jason grunted, and she whirled back toward him, wishing she’d snuck in the scalpel like Garrett had suggested. Jason threw a punch that knocked Chuck back a step, and then the man roared like a bull and charged.

Jason met the charge, and the two men grappled. Did Chuck have a gun? How could she get help? There was nothing near she could use to thump over Chuck’s head.

Jason repeated his order for her to run, but she couldn’t leave him. He grunted again, and blood poured from his abdomen. He collapsed, and Kimi screamed for help. She dropped to her knees to put pressure on the wound. Gunshot or knife wound?

Chuck yanked her back up and whirled her around so her back was to him. He looped a hand around her waist and held up a knife covered in Jason’s blood in front of her eyes.

Shouts from FBI agents filled the air, and Chuck brought the knife to her throat. “If I go down, you’re going with me.”

CHAPTER 18

Throw A Dog A Bone

Garrett’s gut was in knots. Because Marcus was a badass, he’d managed to not only get the FBI to allow them to join the perimeter and advance team, but they’d been allowed to listen in on the audio.

His four buddies had arrived, and the six of them were currently squished into Marcus’s truck. They were all armed and wearing body armor, so it was a hell of a tight fit for a couple of hours. But they’d been through worse overseas, and no one complained.

Listening to Kimi have to deal with the fuckhead Chuck had his blood boiling. At least Jason lived up to the initial impression Garrett had of him. A decent man with no tolerance for bullshit or creeps. He could tell from the conversation that the man had been willing to dump the op if he thought Kimi was in any danger.

He still wished he was there instead. He’d tried to talk his way into a bodyguard position for Jason and Kimi, but that had been shot down because no other bodyguards were attending.

Shirisha’s voice came over the speakers. “Implement Snoopy. All teams cleared for movement. Let’s get these bastards. Go.”

Marcus had shifted into drive the moment the radio crackled to life, and the truck rolled into the street and passed the car they weresupposed to follow. Arrow didn’t mess around, and he sure as hell didn’t lead from the back.

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