Page 156 of Come Back to Me

“Wait until I tell Zee you think I’d make a good spy.”

“Don’t look now,” Cody rumbles, “but your dog’s edging closer. Place the treat on the ground and let him come take it.”

“But I want to hug him,” I whine, desperately wanting to peer at the mini greyhound despite Cody telling me not to. “He needs to know he’s loved.”

“You’ll scare him. Trust me, Tee. I wouldn’t steer you wrong.”

My throat bobs as his promise threads through the words.

So, I drop a treat on the ground and trust in the Cody I’ve come to know since moving back home…

Cody

The following day

Idon’t want to like Brogan.

But I do.

I can’t help it.

It’s been eighteen hours and already, he’s following me around like I’m the Pied Piper and he’s an oversized rat.

He definitely has anxiety issues, some of which are founded in abandonment, but hell, we all have those fears, don’t we?

As part of the canine hostage situation that Tee and Callan placed the family under, there was a massive online order that arrived two hours later, complete with dog beds, leashes, water bowls, ten different types of kibble, treats, and toys.

Honestly, it looks like we’re starting a pet food store.

The builders who are on-site for the dog shelter as well as the new breeding stables eyed the concoction with wide eyes, but when you have an eighteen-year-old with a black Amex and a trust fund to back it up, this kind of ‘haul’ should be expected.

Brogan was chill up until I started to leave for work. Call me a softy, but I couldn’t stand his whining and distressed barksafter I closed the kitchen door. Which is why he’s sitting on my passenger floorboard.

When my cell rings, he jumps but settles down almost immediately, resting his chin on the seat.

“Sir, we have a situation.”

Eyes flashing, I pull over. “Details, Sinjin.”

Michael ‘Sinjin’ St. John is our new on-site head of security. I was deployed with him a few years back. We weren’t the closest, but he was a damn fine MP, so when I heard that he and his wife, Bryony, set up a firm, I got in touch.

“Graham Brackton’s security people have been asking questions around town.”

“What?!” This is the first I’ve heard anything about this. “When?”

“The sanctuary’s still a secret from most of the town, and Jacqueline’s been more reclusive than most of the residents. Our men spoke with Harry from the bakery, who was visited by two investigators asking questions about a Ms. Van Der Mils, but he told us that he’d never heard of her.”

I rub my chin. “He’ll be asking questions himself.”

“Hewascurious.”

Nosy bastard is the self-styled gossip king of Pigeon Creek…

“I’ll have Colt talk to him.” Only Colt has the patience to deal with that jackass. “Recommendations?”

“Prioritize scheduling the patrols so we have a police presence.”

“Won’t that draw attention to the ranch?”

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