Page 55 of Rex

“You don’t have to say it, Candy. I know, okay? He needs training, and I’m not able to do it because I spoil him. There. I said it for you.”

“He’s going with me, and I’ll return him to you when he learns to behave like a dog and not a wild animal,” Candy states before snapping her fingers at Greer.

His head jerks up, and he focuses on Candy. When she picks up his leash, he immediately steps to her side and waits quietly.

“Thank you,” Lucy says in a quiet voice.

With that, Candy and Greer exit the office.

“I’m so glad I’m not Greer,” Pooh says with a laugh.

My brother Drew enters the office, eyes going straight to Lucy. Taking a seat on the couch next to her, he hugs her tight to his side.

“You okay?” he asks softly.

“Yeah. I’ll be sore for a few days, but that’s all,” Lucy answers as Bailey applies bandages to her wrecked knees. “Candy took Greer.”

“Saw her outside. It’s for the best. We’re both guilty of letting him get away with things. It wasn’t fair to him or us. He’ll be fine, and we’ll get with her, so we learn how to reinforce his training,” my brother says.

Turning to me, his eyebrows raise.

“What are you doing here?”

“Being trained and chasing wild dogs,” I reply with a smile.

“Being trained for what?” he asks.

“How to stay safe tips and self-defense. You know, in case someone decides to bite my leg off over a sandwich,” I answer with a wider smile.

“Sounds like someone touched your food again, Chubs,” Cash says with a laugh.

“I didn’t bite her, but she does know better,” my brother states with a frown aimed at me.

“Now that you’re patched up, you still going to dinner with us?” Lisa asks.

“Yes, please and thank you,” my brother says at the exact same time as Lucy says, “No. I’m going home.”

“You’re not invited,” I say while pointing at my brother.

Pulling my purse to my front, I start rummaging inside for my car keys, ignoring my brother’s snort. After a moment of no success, I turn and dump my purse’s contents onto the desk. Pushing various items aside, I still can’t locate my keys. I’m momentarily distracted when my brother’s hand snatches up a granola bar and a half-eaten bag of dehydrated strawberries from my pile of belongings. Shooting a glare at him, I return to the key search. Coming up empty again, I grab my gym bag and search it with similar results.

“What are you looking for?” Axel asks.

“My keys. I’m sure I had put them in my purse, but maybe I had them in my hand when Greer took off,” I reply.

“Probably dropped them outside. Let’s go look,” Pooh states.

We search the entire area and find nothing. The keys are nowhere to be found. What the hell?

“What do I do now?” I ask, looking at Pooh’s frowning face.

“Are your house keys on the same key chain?” he questions.

“Yeah. Car, house, and office keys. Shit! I have a spare car key at home, but I can’t get inside to get it.”

“Hang on. I’ll call Rex,” Cash says while pulling his phone out of his pocket.

“He can hack anything. He’ll have you in your car in seconds. That’s not the problem, though. Someone most likely has keys to your home and office now,” Pooh explains.

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