"Yeah, I heard about last night." Jay jerked his chin and the dog pawed the air. The white-tipped fringe, running the length of his tail, thumped the tile like mammoth-sized feather duster.
"Ah, the benefits of living in a small town." Nik dabbed at the fresh blood with his thumb. Someone so much as scratched their ass and it headlined the local newspaper. "Look, Jay, I appreciate what you're going through, I really do. But I'm in no condition to—"
"Come on, man. The pound is full. And with his Rottie marks and overgrown size, no one's gonna care if he's smart and friendly. People want puppies. They want to play it safe. Rotties and Pitbulls have a bad rap. He'll be dead in two weeks if you don't take him."
Nikko sighed and, perking his ears, the dog cocked his head to the side. Geez, that face was so intelligent, it belonged on a greeting card. "You suck really, really hard."
Grinning, Jay surrendered the lead to Nik and headed for the glass front door. "You're a hero."
"Too bad I'll die of old age before anyone's sees that in print."
Jay laughed and the digital chime binged as he exited and disappeared down the sidewalk.
Nik sat on his haunches and stroked the dog's head, the fur velvety against his calloused fingers. "Look at you, all cute and shit. Way to sucker punch a guy in the gut. So, tell me, buddy. Do you play nice with others?"
The newcomer stayed at his heels as Nik led him behind the counter and through the back door into the kennels. The second they entered, he winced at the noise as every breed jumped with a bark, bay or yelp.
Most likely, they were hoping to goad Nik into a treat. Not that it worked with the headache he was nursing. The dog traded sniffs with a few of the others and, parading him down the row toward the rear exit, Nik led him outside to the yard.
Dion tossed a ball and a pack of different breeds chased after the neon-yellow orb.
The Lab-mix froze. Eyes riveted to the fun. And Nik huffed as the dog released a deep chesty bough.
"Hey, D." Strolling across the grass toward his brother, Nik didn't have to tug on the lead even once. "Say hello to the new kid on the block."
Dion scooped up the ball from the crowd of dogs and glanced over with a double-take. "Damn, what's his name? Thanos?"
Seemed pretty accurate considering how the dog's shoulders hit Nikko right around mid-thigh. Tails wagged and some yipped. Practically climbing on top of each other, they all vied for the big guy's attention.
Yet his hackles didn't raise as they wound through his legs. No growling or aggressive behavior as one fella spun and attacked his own tail.
Lifting his brows, Nik scratched at his cheek. "I gotta say I'm impressed."
He observed for another five minutes before being comfortable enough to remove the leash.
Misty dropped to her forelegs, snout in the grass. Ready to play, she whipped her tail in the air. The Lab-mix mirrored her position and rumbled a hefty growl.
He took off like a shot and she quickly followed. Four others joined in, and the dog switched directions in a game of Catch Me If You Can.
Dion crossed his arms with a chuckle. "Let me guess. Jay just dropped him off."
Nik frowned. "Yeah, how'd you know?"
"Well, it makes sense." Dion squeezed the ball and tossed it to Nik. "A dog that big takes a special kinda owner. And you got sucker written all over your face."
Nice.
His brother pivoted and started for the building, slapping Nik on the back as he passed. "You got this? I scheduled an appointment to pick up Bella from the Johnsons. They're going on a cruise for two weeks."
"Sure."
Dion trotted to the door and disappeared.
Nik tossed the ball a few times before the overhead speaker twittered an incoming call. Everyone seemed to be getting along, so he ducked inside and grabbed the phone from the charger on the third ring.
"Critter Sitters, this is Nik."
"Mr. Sanna, this is Mrs. Barnes."
Uh, oh. In all the years they'd had her as a client, she'd never formally used his last name. "Hi, Mrs. B. What's up?"
Her heavy sigh made the speaker buzz, and he winced as she cleared her throat. "I heard about what happened at the Quicksilver last night."
Oh. Shit. Raking his hand through his hair, he peeked through the window to confirm no one was causing any trouble. "I apologize, Mrs. Barnes. But did you also hear a young woman's safety was at stake? I was—"
"I just don't think resorting to violence is in the best interest of my little Lola."
The pampered Pomeranian was to be boarded for a month while Mr. and Mrs. Barnes were on vacation. "I can assure you Lola is in no danger whatsoever."
"And I'm not quite sure you understand the responsibility of owning a grand champion."
Tipping to the side, he searched left then right. Mrs. Barnes continued to yammer in his ear, but he didn't spot a single dog in sight. "Hold on a second."
"Excuse me?"
Phone pressed to his chest, he opened the door…and then tripped over his own damn feet. The lawn had been torn up in the corner of the fence near a freshly dug pile of dirt.
No.
Nik sprinted across the grass, jaw grinding at the wide shallow hole. God dammit. He turned a complete circle only to wind up staring at the woods, no dogs and the yard sitting empty. Fuck.
"Mrs. Barnes, I have to go." Five dogs—no six, including the stray—and in less than five minutes, they'd all managed to sneak under the fence and escape. "I seem to be missing some boarders."
"What?" Her screech nearly hacked a hole in his ear drum, and he held the phone away from his cheek. "Your services are no longer required in the future. Please cancel our appointment."
The line went dead, and he clenched his fists. Calling her back to explain would be useless. She was probably already dialing her friends about her horrifying experience at Critter Sitters. And once word got out, there was a very good chance he and Dion would be fielding even more cancellations.
He should've known better.
Cramming the phone in his back pocket, Nik stormed over to the gate. He fiddled with the latch and the hinges creaked as he pushed it open and slipped through. Labs were notorious for digging, and apparently this one was also clever enough to lull Nik into a false sense of security. "Crafty bastard."
A few feet into the surrounding trees, and the first dog appeared like an apparition, fur ghostly white against the dark leaves spanning the steep pitch of the mountainside. "Misty!"
She snapped her head up, muzzle caked with mud and broken twigs stuck to her chin.
"Come here, sweetie." Nik knelt and slapped his thigh.
She scampered over a rotting log and leapt into his arms.
"Good girl." He took two steps toward the kennel before glancing at the sky.
Eagles and owls were common in these parts. Which meant all the other dogs around her same size had been officially downgraded to prey.
Jogging over to the building, he deposited her in the small cage with her nametag taped to the front. "Hopefully, the rest will be just as easy."
He set the phone in the base, scribbled a note for Dion and grabbed a handful of leashes off the hook. Trotting back through the fence, he headed into the trees, whistling and calling each dog by name.