Chapter 20

CHAPTER 20

T he call had come in the middle of the night. Jerico had kissed her fiercely before getting dressed and reporting for duty.

The medicine's drowsy effect forced her back to sleep. Without her daddy to wake her up, Aspen had woken up late. Unable to concentrate on Jerico's absence, she'd grabbed one of his protein bars for breakfast. Opening the fridge to chug a drink of milk, Aspen froze. Rexy bumped into her thigh, daring to be in the kitchen. She reached down to pet the reassuring dog.

"He even made me lunch, Rexy," she said out loud, jumping a bit at the sound of her voice in the quiet house.

Rexy bumped her with his massive head.

"He's taking care of me even when he's not here."

Aspen reached for the carton of milk and opened the top to drink from the container. Rushed for time, she knew she was being naughty, but getting a glass out and then rinsing it out would take too long. Besides, Jerico would never know.

After shoving the carton back on the shelf, Aspen grabbed one of the lunches her daddy had obviously put together when he'd cleaned the kitchen. She dropped a kiss on Rexy's head.

"Go take a nap, Rexy. I'll be back this afternoon," she promised as she ran for the door.

The traffic consumed her attention as she tried to get to work on time. She rolled up to the gate with just a few minutes to spare. Quickly, she grabbed her employee ID and showed it to the familiar guard.

"Hey. I talked to you about that guy trying to use your name to get in. We got a notice that it was bogus. You might want to know that the afternoon guard saw him sitting in the parking lot across the street on Friday."

A lightning strike of fear jolted through Aspen. She stared at the guard as she tried to figure out what to ask or do. A honk from the car behind her fueled her to move. "Thanks. I'll keep my eyes open."

Driving quickly to her spot, Aspen wondered if Eddie had followed her home last Friday. She'd been so itchy, a rocket could have gone off next to her and she doubted she would have noticed. Instinctively, she got the car parked as her mind whirled.

The clock caught her gaze, and she pushed her door open. Four minutes. After scrambling out, she walked a few steps before thinking, Lunch . She darted back to the car and pulled the door open to find her keys lying next to her food container. Aspen grabbed both and ran for the building.

Once inside, she clocked in and stowed her lunch in the communal fridge. She slid into a seat in the gathering area where they all received their daily assignments with a relieved sigh. Her boss hadn't started yet.

"Half the staff are gone. Jim's still in the hospital," the man in front of her turned around to share. "You're okay?"

"I had a reaction but got better with some medicine."

"Count yourself lucky—or maybe you had an awesome doctor. I'm waiting to see if the boss is even here," another man chimed in.

After ten minutes, a slight brunette in sky-high stilettos clicked her way into the maintenance area. "Your boss is out. I'm supposed to tell you from the brass that protective suits are now the requirement for dealing with any unknown spills. Edwards, you have the most seniority. Could you take over for today?"

"On it."

Relieved, the human resources rep turned and clattered her way back down the hall as the maintenance staff pooled their skills together to cover the basics that needed to be completed. Within minutes, Aspen pushed her supplies down the hall. She threw herself into her work, trying not to think of Jerico's absence and what she suspected was a continuing threat from Eddie.

Her lunch was so thoughtful, she had to fight away the tears. Even while eating alone at the picnic table in the back, Aspen didn't want anyone at work to see her out of control. Each person involved in the cleanup on Friday had been called in for questioning and given a personal apology as well as two additional days of leave. That would help make up for the uncomfortable weekend. Barely.

She sent a thank you up into the air to Zale for keeping her safe and helping her feel better. Aspen knew if she'd been on her own, she would have ended up in the emergency department or an urgent care. She'd noticed a few of the guys still itching.

Bolting straight up, Aspen realized Zale had decreed that her daddy should continue to administer her medicine every night for the next week. She'd have to do that herself. Eyes widening at that mental image, Aspen shook her head. No matter how much she told herself no, she knew it was up to her to figure it out.

Four days had passed without Jerico coming home. Four days.

Aspen tried to keep positive thoughts in her mind as she threw the ball for Rexy in the backyard. It had taken the lumbering beast a while to figure out why she kept tossing that squeaky round object from one side of the yard to another. Now that he had the idea, Aspen had decided the next ball would not be equipped with a noisemaker.

Squeak. Rexy chomped on the ball before dropping it at her feet.

Grinning, Aspen picked it up gingerly. The entire thing was soaked with slobber. Who was she kidding? She'd buy another with a squeaker. Rexy deserved to have the fun of coaxing the sound from the rubber object.

She lifted her arm to toss the ball again, only to have Rexy flop on the grass and roll over on his back. It looked like he was done running.

Aspen lowered herself to sit in the grass near the happy dog. She couldn't believe the changes in Rexy since Jerico had rescued them from their previous home. A small shiver ran down her spine at the thought of the man who'd abused Rexy and threatened her.

She'd kept her eyes open every day as she drove to and from work. Aspen had tried to vary her path just in case Eddie was following her. Maybe he'd given up.

"Well. Isn't this cozy?" a sarcastic voice observed.

Scrambling to her feet, Aspen cursed inside. It was almost as if she'd conjured him. She watched the large man stalk forward. A glance toward the house told her she'd never make it inside before he caught her. There was no way she'd abandon Rexy.

"Rexy's mine now. He doesn't want to be with you."

"You can't steal a man's dog. I should just call the police," Eddie growled, stopping a few feet in front of her.

"He'd be dead by now if I hadn't gotten him patched up each time you lost your temper," Aspen threw back at him.

"So now you're a veterinarian with the ability to see the future?" he scoffed, as if she were the stupidest woman on earth.

Not reacting to that was easy. Aspen knew not to be distracted by anything Eddie said. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and pressed 911. Turning the device to show him all she needed to do was press the call button, Aspen told him, "You need to leave now, Eddie."

"As soon as I have my dog. Rexy, get over here."

Aspen wrapped her fingers around the dog's collar, in case Rexy followed that command. The dog cowered behind her. His tail tucked between his legs. "He's not your dog, Eddie. You lost that right the first time you hurt Rexy. Go on with your life. You don't even like Rexy. Why do you care?"

"You took something of mine. I will reclaim it," he hissed, walking forward menacingly.

"That's not going to happen," she answered bravely, trying to anticipate his next move. Her heart thudded inside her chest as she tried to figure out what to do. There were enough houses around. If she screamed, someone would at least call the police.

"Get away from her!" A slender brunette emerged from the sliding glass door of the house behind Jerico's.

"Mind your own business," Eddie snapped.

"I've called the authorities. You need to leave," the neighbor told him.

"I've got this, Savannah."

The familiar voice made Aspen whirl around. Her racing heart skipped a beat at the sight of Jerico looking worn and battered. He was home. She raced to his side with Rexy pacing next to her to fling her arms around his waist. Closing her eyes at the feel of his lips on her hair, she treasured the feel of his coiled strength against her.

"Get behind me, baby."

She followed his instructions without question as he faced off against the threat. Wrapping her fingers around Rexy's collar, Aspen put herself between the dog and his former owner. She trusted Jerico would protect them both, but Aspen would do anything she needed to do to save Rexy.

The two men stared at each other, neither moving nor backing down.

"What's going on here?"

Aspen turned to see two police officers walk into the backyard. Jerico never relinquished his focus on Eddie.

"I'm Jerico Adams. Aspen Randolph is behind me with Rexy. This is our home. This man used to be her neighbor. He abused this dog repeatedly."

"That's my property to do with as I wish," Eddie growled.

"Aspen has records of vet bills and abuse investigations she paid for when Eddie Rivers injured Rexy. Unable to expose the dog to further mistreatment, Aspen sheltered the dog and brought Rexy here when Eddie threatened her life."

"It's my dog to do with however I choose," Eddie stated belligerently. "I can get him back no matter what it takes."

"That would be incorrect," one officer stated. Even in the fading evening light, Aspen could see his disgusted expression. "Animal abuse is a crime."

He met Aspen's gaze. "Do you have any proof that you've gotten medical attention for this dog?"

"I do. Should I get it?"

"Take the dog inside with you, Aspen," Jerico told her quietly.

Aspen looked back at the officer, who nodded and said, "If you have copies, I'd like to see them."

Rexy beat her to the door as Aspen ran to get the papers. She'd kept the originals and a copy in her suitcase, just in case. She'd needed them before. Grabbing the duplicated documentation, she raced to the back door. It took some convincing to get Rexy to stay inside as she went back out. Even though the dog was terrified, Aspen knew he would defend her if necessary.

"Those are all lies," Eddie snarled as Aspen handed the thick folder to the officer.

The policeman looked through it, shaking his head and looking directly at Aspen. "That dog belongs to you. The authorities should have confiscated him long ago," he told her quietly as he handed the paperwork back. "Hold on to this for me."

Turning to look at Eddie, he told the menacing figure, "You're under arrest for animal abuse and endangerment. I'm giving you an official warning that you are to stay away from this house and the inhabitants. I hope they will pursue a protective order as soon as possible."

"You're not arresting me for shit. I own that dog. He's my property."

The two officers moved forward. When Eddie made a run for his car, they quickly subdued him and put him in handcuffs. Once Eddie was stowed in the squad car, the officer who'd spoken to Aspen returned to where Jerico held her close to him.

"May I take that documentation with me to put in my report? I run an animal rescue and will load the arrest report with all your information. With any luck, he'll go to jail for several years for animal abuse."

"Thank you, sir," Aspen said with grateful tears in her eyes. Could this be over?

"You want to keep the dog?" the officer asked, studying their faces closely.

"He's ours," Jerico answered.

"I'm glad," the policeman stated with a nod and left with the folder in his hand.

"Thank you, Savannah," Jerico called to the neighbor, who still hovered on her back patio.

"We look out for each other here," she answered before going back inside.

"I've never even talked to her," Aspen whispered.

"It doesn't matter. Not here. There are too many military families scattered in with others. People learn to look out for each other. By tomorrow, Eddie won't be able to drive into the neighborhood without an alert going up. Give me a kiss, baby. I've missed you."

Aspen threw her arms around his neck and held on tight as she pressed her mouth to his, trying to show him how much she'd missed him as well. He lasted about ten seconds before taking over the kiss. His mouth demanded a response, making her heart beat faster for an entirely different reason than it had a few minutes ago.

"Let's go inside, baby. The neighbors don't need to see me spank your ass."