Page 23 of Her Protective Biker
“The guys who started all this shit, Jinx and Crash, managed to slink away while the MC was tied up subduing the other guys.”
I wasn’t a fighter. I’d never wished anyone harm in my life. I wanted to do anything I could to protect the animals, but what could I do? Booby trap my rescue like I was that kid fromHome Alone?
“They’re coming here, aren’t they?”
Moose was calm as always except for some tension in his jaw. “No way to know. Prez is sending a few more guys here just in case.” The kiss he gave me was reassuring and sweet, but cut off too quickly by the motion light out front coming on.
“Shit,” Moose turned towards my phone where I had the security camera app open. Two figures in black could be seen scrambling over my front gate.
“How can the dogs really be worth this much to them?”
“They aren’t,” Moose said. “This is about desperation and payback.”
The rescue only had one door. One way in. One way out. I’d thought this was a good thing when I’d told Moose I wanted to stay here. The guys couldn’t sneak up on us, right? Right then, with the crazed look in the men’s eyes as they successfully scaled the gate and landed on the other side, I felt trapped.
Claustrophobic.
And afraid to my bones.
As if picking up on my emotions, Daisy whined and leaned against my leg. I put a hand on her head hoping to reassure her, but I wasn’t really sure what would happen myself.
Moose caught my eye and held it long enough for my breathing to normalize. Silently, I grabbed Daisy’s collar and led her to the small bathroom at the back of the rescue. The pups followed and once I had all five inside, I shut the door. It wasn’t much, but keeping the bad guys from seeing them might be enough to save them.
I moved back to where Moose was standing, watching the men move closer to the door. Moose had a gun. I’d seen it in the waistband of his jeans. In this small of a building though, he might have to handle things with his fists.
A lot could go wrong.
The men would get in one way or another, so when we heard the sound of someone picking the lock the only move we made was to crouch behind the desk, creating some space between us and them.
The door shot open, banging against the wall and vibrating back as two men stepped through. One was considerably taller than the other. Both were dressed in black, with ski masks, but their clothes were disheveled.
Moose pulled the gun from his waistband and aimed it at the pair. “Get out.”
The shorter one, all but vibrating with energy, pushed his mask up to reveal his face. “Now, Moose, you don’t have to be like that. We’re just here for the dogs. No one has to get hurt, least of all your pretty little girlfriend.”
Moose cocked the hammer. “I’m not going to ask again, Crash.”
The smile fell from the man’s face. “Well, then I guess we’ll have to do this the hard way.” He glanced at the taller man. “Jinx,” he nodded in our direction. Crash moved to leap over the desk and Moose met him with a fist to the face. Meanwhile, Jinx moved at a lazy pace to circle the desk, looking to leave the two of us cornered.
“Fuck,” Moose muttered, turning to Jinx while Crash recovered from the punch. Moose kicked out with one leg, landing a hit to Jinx’s stomach. “Run,” he whispered in my ear. “Call the cops. We have to hold these guys off until either the MC or the cops get here.”
I hesitated for a moment, watching Moose kick out at Jinx trying to get him to the ground.
“Give me my fucking dogs!” Crash roared, shoving his way past Moose and coming directly for me. That got me moving. I ran to where the dogs were locked in the bathroom, shoved through the door and locked it behind me. Footsteps moved towards me but then halted. I let out a breath.
Moose must have stopped him.
I snatched my phone from my pocket and dialed Montana. Our town was so small that we didn’t have our own nine one one dispatch center. The rescue was off the grid, so I wasn’t sure that they’d find me on a map in time.
“Hey chicky, what’s up?”
“Listen, send the cops to Snuggle Squad now.” I kept my voice low.
“What–”
“I can’t explain. Just send them, please!”
“They’re on their way.”
