Page 96 of Call it Reckless

“I’m going to give you the best blow job you’ve ever had.”

My dick immediately stiffened in anticipation. “Wow. I think I can be free for lunch.”

“Reid?” Her voice was soft. “Thanks for believing in me.”

“You’re welcome. I’ve got to go see Zach about something, then I believe I’m hungry for an early lunch.”

Her laugh was lighter and happier than I’d heard in days. “I’ll text you when I’m through with Sinclair.”

Feeling like my own load had lightened, I decided to walk from headquarters to Zach’s office. The mid-October weather was pleasant during the day, and several other residents were enjoying the weather. Several of them called greetings to me as I walked, and a few paused to offer their support for me as sheriff. My fifteen-minute walk ended up taking closer to forty, but the friendliness of the people is part of what I loved about this town.

Zach was standing behind the counter when I entered the clinic. He looked up in surprise. “Reid. Everything okay with Sterling?”

“Oh, he’s fine. He’s got a new friend in Buddy, who doesn’t mind carrying Sterling around on his back or when that crazy bird perches on his food bowl and picks at his food. It’ll be interesting to see how it goes handing Sterling back over to Rich when he gets home.”

Zach grinned. “Better you than me. I did let him know we had to re-home Sterling temporarily. I’m not sure he was thrilled Em picked Bristol, but it’s time Rich got over the past, anyway. Maybe this will create the bridge.” He tucked his pen back into his shirt pocket. “So, if it’s not Sterling or Buddy, what can I do for you?”

I looked around the office. “Do you have a few minutes to talk privately?”

Zach’s face grew serious. “Sure. Let me just let the girls know to get started on my next appointment when they get here.” He spoke to the one of the girls up front, then gestured for me to follow him to the back of the office.

“What do you know about dogfighting rings?”

His face grew dark. “Other than it’s despicable? Only that it’s sneaky. Usually, there’s a breeder who raises dogs specifically for that reason. Kind of like racehorses. If they have a winner, they’ll keep breeding that dog, hoping its bloodline produces more aggressive dogs. Those pups are raised in isolation, starved, doped up with steroids…anything to make them more aggressive. If they don’t turn out that way, they’re used for bait or just killed.”

I felt sick. “And I’m guessing they’d never bring the dogs to a clinic for treatment.”

He shook his head. “Nope. Not only would it potentially raise questions, but it would also reduce the profit margin because of the bills they’d have to pay.”

“That’s what I was afraid of.”

“What’s going on, Reid? Do you think Sterling Mill has a dogfighting ring?”

“I’m not sure. But we’ve found some evidence that we thought pointed to something else, but now, I’m beginning to think we were wrong.”

“Am I allowed to ask what kind of evidence? Maybe I can be of help.”

“Let me phrase it as an interview. What would a dogfighting ring look like?”

The scenes he described made me sick. But the syringes and the wood we found with bite marks and blood all fit the profile of a dogfighting ring. I kept seeing Buddy—skittish, starved, and wounded. In the end, somehow, he’d been lucky. He was naturally not an aggressive dog. How he’d gotten away, I’d probably never know, but thank god, he had.

Now, I had to figure out how to catch those involved, if they were even still in the area.

“There’s something else you should know.” Zach’s voice was deathly serious.

“What’s that?”

“In the arrests I’ve heard of, there’s a wide variety of people who get involved. People you wouldn’t expect, even people with no criminal background. But there’s also a lot of criminal activity that is connected, like drugs or weapons. Sometimes gangs or terrorist groups stand guard. You really need to be careful what and where you’re searching.”

I nodded. “Thanks for the info.”

“I hope you’re wrong. But if you aren’t, I can almost guarantee that if something is happening here, it’s happening elsewhere, too. Probably nearby.”

I nodded.

As we walked back to the reception area, I was surprised to see Griff, one of Bristol’s mechanics. He was cradling a young dog.

“I see you got yourself a new friend.”

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