Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 79263 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79263 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
He nods.
“I want you to go back to whoever you report to and send a message. We have our eyes on you. One of you touched one of mine and I don’t take kindly to that.”
“S—she came to us!” he whines.
“I don’t fucking care.”
"Buncha dogs out back and a fighting ring." Mack's sour expression makes it clear exactly how he feels about that. "You guys get her somewhere safe. We'll clean this place up. Badass called in a few more boys to help. Gotta get it done fast."
The whole time, we haven't taken our hands off Sandra for a fucking second. She takes a deep breath. “I can tell you who to call to collect the dogs. Our shelter isn’t big enough, and Travis… My boss brought dogs here. There’s no way he didn’t know what was going on. I wasn’t sure until I saw that guy who came to the shelter, but when I told them Travis sent me, they invited me in right away.”
I'm about to say some choice words, but Beast beats me to it. "What the fuck were you thinking? You went there fucking alone? Right into their fucking house?"
“I know, okay? But dropping by foster homes is a part of the job. The worst thing that’s ever happened to me is getting food poisoning from someone who made me eat their leftover lasagne.”
Piston puts his palm on Beast's chest, signaling for him to pull back. Beast nods.
I make sure she’s listening to me. "Sandra, we’re gonna bring you back to the club where you can stick around until we’re comfortable that you aren’t going to have a panic attack. And then later? We’ll talk about this. I feel like I was real fucking clear this morning, but maybe we need to go over it again. You don't do anything like this without us. Is that clear?”
She nods.
"Say it."
"I won’t do anything without you."
"Good girl. Now let's go home."
Piston raises his hand. "You guys go ahead. I got a loose end to tie up before I catch up. I'll be quick." His tone is casual, but I've seen that look on his face before. I have my suspicions, but I'm not gonna worry Sandra. She's been through more than enough today.
Beast catches my eye, and I know he's caught it too. "You want a hand?" he asks like they're making a beer run or something.
"Nah, I'm good. You guys see to Sandra, and I'll be there soon."
"Sounds good. See ya at the club then."
It’s probably just as well that Sandra is distracted and not putting two and two together. Some things are better saved for later.
20
PISTON
When I walk into the dog shelter, Travis doesn't even look up from his desk. "That you, Sandra? What took you so long?"
"She got detained."
That gets Travis's head snapping up. “Can I help you?”
I let him stew in it for a while, watching the fear build. I’m not real good at covering my feelings when it comes to abuse. Animal or human.
“Wh—where’s Sandra? Is she okay?”
"She’s fine. No fucking thanks to you." I walk right to the edge of his desk so he has to look up at me. I take a little pleasure in seeing him swallow nervously.
He's starting to sweat a little. "Good. Good. Is she here?"
Looking like the kind of guy that doesn’t mind a little casual murder can make some things more difficult, but when my intentions match the outside? It comes in real handy.
I plop my ass onto the edge of his desk. He doesn't look happy about it, but doesn't say anything. "Got a couple questions for you, Trav. Do you mind if I call you that?"
"Uh, nobody really… It’s fine though. Ask away."
"Great, Trav. I’m here because the way you do business has led to someone I care about getting upset.”
“I haven’t done anything to Sandra, if that’s what you’re implying. We went out a couple times. That’s it!”
“Interesting.” The urge to murder him just went up a notch. “But not what I meant. Unless I’ve greatly misunderstood something, you’ve been doing business with a guy named Zeke.”
He goes white as a sheet. "No, fuck, I can explain. I didn't—"
“Sandra figured out something was going on. She didn’t know what, though, and wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt. That led to her taking a little drive to make sure all the doggies were safe and sound.”
“Shit. Look, I can explain.”
“You can explain why you’ve been funneling animals to a guy who runs dog fights? I’ve been around the block a couple times, Trav. You and I both know that no part of that business is a happy one for the animals, and fighting isn’t even always the worst of it.”
Predictably enough, he decides to try and make a break for it. He darts for one side of the desk, then reverses to run the other way. I’ve got long arms and was prepared for either. I stop him with a punch to the face that sends him reeling into the wall with a crack.