Page 9 of Handcuffs & Honey

Two cops appeared at his bedroom door. One straddled the wolf then used his beefy hand to grip the wolf’s throat.

“He’s trying to rip my arm off,” Julian cried. “Get him off me!”

The other cop gripped the wolf’s jaws and tried to pry his mouth open. “I could just tear him away, but I don’t want him to rip your flesh. Is he your pet?”

“Hell no,” Julian shouted. “I don’t even know how it got into my house!”

Julian watched as the two finally got the wolf to let go. When it turned to attack one of the cops—the one who’d straddled it—the cop slugged the wolf so hard in the head that the wolf fell limp against the floor.

Julian breathed raggedly, cradling his arm to his chest. He felt like throwing up when he looked down at his arm and saw the ragged gouges in his skin and the blood that kept flowing.

“I’m calling an ambulance,” the one who’d pried the wolf’s mouth open said. “Just hang in there.”

Julian felt dizzy, bile rising to the back of his throat. How on earth had a rabid wolf gotten into his house? Julian always locked the house up tight when he left for work, and he was still confused as to how the wolf had pulled him from under the bed by both ankles.

The wolf lifted its head and shook it, a low, menacing growl rumbling in its chest.

Julian pushed backward, but there was nowhere to go. He was already against the wall.

“Don’t make me shoot you,” the cop who’d punched it said. “Play nice, or you’re getting a bullet to the brain.”

“Are you trying to reason with a wild, rabid animal?” Julian asked incredulously.

Then he looked at the cop’s nametag. Lowry. The other nametag read Davis. Lowry had been the one to punch the wolf. He was also the one trying to talk sense into the creature.

These were Dominic’s men. Did the guy know his deputies, or at least Lowry, were loons?

Lowry ignored Julian’s question as he glared at the wolf. Davis had his hand hovering close to the butt of his gun, as if he’d whip it out and shoot the animal if it didn’t listen.

It didn’t listen. It was on its feet so fast that Julian’s head spun, and then it went after Lowry. The wolf attacked, but Lowry spun sideways, avoiding those sharp teeth.

The wolf wasn’t giving up. It lunged again, this time sinking its teeth into Lowry’s upper arm. Julian had never seen anything like it. He sat there stunned, his jaw hanging open, as Lowry fought to get the wolf off of him.

Davis pulled his weapon and fired at the wolf. Julian turned over, covering his head, and then threw up as he heard the animal hit the floor.

“Damn it,” Davis snarled. “I didn’t want to have to do that.”

“He left you no choice,” Lowry said. “He wasn’t going to back down.”

“I just wish I’d had a tranquilizer gun on me,” Davis said. “I hate that he forced me to shoot him.”

Then someone touched Julian’s elbow. “Why don’t we go into the living room and wait on the ambulance? We can talk there.”

“I don’t want to see the wolf,” Julian said from under his arm.

“I’ll guide you out of here so you don’t have to see him.” Davis helped Julian to his feet, but before Julian could walk out, Dominic was there, his gaze sweeping from the wolf to Julian.

“What in the hell is going on?” He looked wide-eyed at Julian, and then his gaze lowered to Julian’s arm.

“We’re going to take him out of here. Then we can talk,” Davis said, keeping his body between Julian and the prone wolf.

Why was no one looking at Lowry’s wounds? Dominic and Davis were ignoring their colleague as if he hadn’t just been attacked.

“I got him.” Dominic walked forward, curled an arm around Julian, and that was all it took.

Julian had been in shock, but knowing he was safe with Dominic, the impact of what had happened hit him square in the chest. He began to shake uncontrollably, his legs once again threatening to give out, but with Dominic’s arm around him, keeping him steady, Julian made it to his couch.

Dominic hunkered down in front of Julian. “Tell me what happened, hon.”

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