Page 45 of The Associate

I storm off down the hallway. Who does he think he is, doing that to me and then running away?

He is a fucking coward. This isn’t my first rough-in-the-bedroom rodeo. We were going with what felt right and living in the moment; his sudden shift in mood scared me in a way I never thought he would.

His words make me soangry. I need to clear my head, but I can’t just sit in my room. I have to go for a walk to figure out what I’m doing next, but I don’t want anyone to follow me. I have to sneak out. With Mia, of course.

I make my way back to my room, my anger rising with every step. The marbled tile floor of the foyer is cold under my feet, making me walk faster.

Pushing through the door, Mia lifts her head and watches me as I walk to the wardrobe. Pulling out a pair of leggings and a hoodie, I quickly pull them on and slide on my runners. “You want to go for a walk, girl?” I also make sure to grab the knife that is sitting on my bedside table, tucking it into the pocket of my leggings alongside my phone.

Mia jumps up as I open her crate. Clipping her lead to her collar, we make our way out of the room quietly and into the secret hall. The ticking of her nails on the marbled tile is the only sound through the hallway. There is no one around.

Quietly pushing open the staff passageway door, Mia and I make our way towards my garage. “Almost there, girl,” I whisper.

She lets out a little huff as we open the door into the garage, turning left almost instantly and making our way out the back door. It is quiet outside as well, being this late at night, which makes it easier to sneak out to the front gate.

We walk for about ten minutes, down to the end of the street, turning right. It’s a nice, cool night and just what I need to clear my head.

Suddenly, Mia’s hackles start to rise.

A growl emanates from her as I hear footsteps following behind me.

“It’s ok girl, just keep walking,” I whisper, keeping my eyes forward. My body tenses at the new potential threat behind me, trying to stay calm. I know my way around the area and all I have to do is make it to the pathway, about five meters away.

Mia growls louder this time, exposing her teeth. I am caught off guard, frozen in place as a large man jumps out in front of me. My eyes are on him, never letting him out of my sight.

“Darling Genevieve,” the voice says. It is deep and the silhouette is one I have seen before.

“Who are you?” I ask; an idea of who is in front of me, but it is not guaranteed that it is him. I try to keep my voice calm.

The shadow steps forward and the street light shines against the all too familiar lip rings.Shit!I know I am in danger and he will be so much faster than me. There is no way I am going to be getting out of this one without help, if at all.

I feel the lead tighten in my fingers; Mia wants to attack. I wrap it around my hand, pulling her closer as she tries to jump forward with her still-bared teeth, growling.

The mystery man behind me has come to a stop about two meters away and just stands there, waiting. Probably for Rico’s signal. Mia doesn’t know which one to focus on, her head turning backwards and forwards to assess the danger. She quickly settles on targeting Rico with her glare. He is closer and more intimidating.

He is giant up close.

I hold her on a short lead, her body pressed against mine. She growls again and her hackles raise even more. Her lips curl up in warning to Rico not to come any closer.

He doesn’t listen to her warning growls and takes another step towards us. She begins to bark at him, growling every few barks. “Shhh girl, it’s ok,” I whisper to her, trying to calm her, but I know for a fact that it isn’t going to be ok.

She barks again, this time pulling on the lead as she lunges for him. I try to calm her down, but she won’t listen to me, snapping out at his leg, leaving a bloody bite mark just under his knee.

“Will someone shut this fucking dog up!” Rico shouts as the man behind me moves forward and another two start to cross the street. “I don’t care how you do it, just shut it up!”

No, no one is going to hurt my dog. I kneel to the ground just as the man behind me reaches out for her.

There’s a knife in his hand. The other two across the street have pistols aimed at us.

I wrap my arms around her, the man behind me striking out with the knife, but, just as it comes towards us, Mia turns her head in the direction of the other man, snapping her jaws at him. His aim with the knife diverts from her, striking me in the arm instead.

I unclasp her lead. “Run Mia!” I yell. “Run back home!”

I am thankful for her training because the moment she hears those words, she shoots off like a bullet and runs back down the path, the two men on the street ready to make chase.

“No, the dog is gone, leave it!” he orders, and they both make their way back over to the other side of the road.

I am facing the direction Mia ran, making sure she gets around the corner safely. It all happens so quickly: one moment I am watching Mia, the next Rico has his arms wrapped around my chest, pinning my arms to my side.

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