Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Dogs are miracles with paws.

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Leena looked around at the dogs watching her as she fixed their food. Hugo had settled right in. Her pack was used to dogs coming and going in the house so for them it wasn’t an issue. Hugo had worked with other dogs before so he wasn’t dog aggressive, but she watched them carefully just the same. She blocked him in the laundry room at night so he wouldn’t have to deal with them coming and going. Right now, all of them were lying on the floor as she mixed up the food.

“See, being inside is so much better, Hugo. Give it time, you’ll be one of us.” She’d not let him out with the others to run free. It was too soon for that. While she was fairly certain all would be fine, it wasn’t a chance she was willing to take. He was, after all, an intact male. The others were Argo’s pack.

She fed them all then cleaned up from her own meal. As they ate, she washed dishes and cleaned the kitchen. After they’d rested from their meal, she bundled up and took all five of them outside together. Hugo was on a leash but he was with them all. They walked the property fence line.

Later on that day, she was out with him alone in the exercise pen, so he could be off leash. She had some time before her afternoon classes began. As she sat on the box, she’d put out there, a car drove up the drive. Hugo looked at it and stood alertly. She monitored him, no distress. He wasn’t excessively panting, he just stood there as if he hadn’t a care in the world. She knew he watched it all, however.

It wasn’t a vehicle she recognized, and she pushed to her feet and headed for the gate. Hugo was there, blocking her way when she tried to slip out. He did it twice in a row.

“Okay, how about if we go together? You and me. We’ll add in some other training.” Once the leash was snapped on, the dog didn’t try to stop her but walked calmly at her side. Despite retaining a relaxed hold on the leash, she wasn’t stupid. Many people got injured because a dog bolted and yanked the leash free, ripping it out of the hand, oftentimes causing injury. One reason she never used nylon leashes, only leather. They didn’t cut like a zipping nylon one would. And having been on the painful end of that occurring once, she wasn’t inclined to allow it to happen again.

Tervs were powerful dogs so she watched his body for any indication something he didn’t like that would get a response. Hugo didn’t pull, whine, or strain against the leash. “Good boy,” she praised as they walked.

The driver’s door opened and out stepped…Davis. “Shit,” she muttered.

His ear swiveled back and she noticed a slight change in his posture. “Easy,” she muttered in Dutch. “Easy, Hugo. It’s alright.”

“Davis,” she called out. “What are you doing here?”

“John’s about to take Wasyl down and he wanted me here just in case the man sends some of his guys after you.” He strode in their direction, stopping short of her and the canine.

“I don’t need protection,” she replied, doing her best to keep the irritation from her tone.

“He would feel better if I was here.”

“He should be—” she shook her head. “Nope, never mind. Fine. How long do you have to stay?”

“He’ll call me when it’s over.”

“I suppose you’ve already called him and let him know that you’re here now. Telling you not to call before you actually arrived because I would tell you to go home?”

“Exactly.”

He crossed his arms and she again saw how strong he was, the black leather jacket didn’t hide that. Davis was a bit broader than John but that could have been because of what he’d gone through when she’d first found him.

Patting Hugo on the head, she sighed. “Come on in then. Let’s go, boy.”

“Who’s the dog?”

“Ex-military dog who’s had it rough.”

“And why did they send him here to you?” He watched the dog intently and she noticed that Hugo watched him back the same way.

“I’m not as heavy handed as some military trainers and the guy who was overseeing his recovery asked me to help out.” She bent and patted him again. “Good boy.” Upright, she gestured to the house. “May as well get you settled, I have classes starting in about an hour.”

He grabbed his bag on the way and walked beside her to the house. That was when she noticed Hugo’s attitude change. He didn’t like her between him and the stranger. But he didn’t make a nuisance of himself, but she read his body language.

Inside, she kept him at her side as she spoke with Davis and got ready for her classes. The moment she saw the cars coming in, she looked at her guest. “Are you coming to class with me?”

“Yes.” His response was immediate.

“Let’s get going then. I’m taking all the dogs, good for them to be distractions.” Plus she had a thought on Hugo and Davis. She made sure to introduce them to one another.

They got to the training building and she put the dogs in their area, except for Hugo. She waited until Davis sat at her desk. “I’m going to keep him here, is that okay with you? He’ll be loose by you.”

“Fine by me.” Davis leaned back in her chair and she unhooked Hugo. “You be good and wait back here with Davis.” She kissed him on the muzzle and stood. Davis watched her.

“What?”

“Just wondering if I get a kiss to before you go.” His lips had kicked up in a teasing smile.

“Ask Hugo.” She got out of the area and closed the x-pen behind her. Yes, the dog could jump it, but his training was such she was confident he wouldn’t. Unless the situation called for it and with this crowd, that wasn’t going to happen.

During her classes, she would check on Davis and Hugo. The dog had lain beside him, head on his paws so he could watch Leena, but he was beside Davis instead of being off alone.

Promising.

She had classes until ten that night and during a break, she went to the small fridge and pulled out some snack items. “Sorry, this is a long night. You can go to the house there’re leftovers in the fridge.” She put them before him.

“Nope. I’m good with this. What’s this class?”

“These are my K-9 officers. We’re going to run some more challenging obstacles, do some bite work, and protection. I’m debating on putting Hugo in a crate.”

“Think he wants to join in?”

“I do, and I think I’ll let him.” She went to search for the collar she wanted and the bite muzzle. “Just on the off chance you drop the leash, I think he needs this as well.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you. You are going to hold him first.” She crouched before Hugo and slid the muzzle on him. His entire body quivered. “Yes, you know what this is for, don’t you?” She scratched his neck. “I know you do.”

She briefly went over the commands he would need, then led Davis and Hugo out and went back for Argo. She would work all her dogs tonight. She loved bite work classes.

Jefferson, the man—helper—who suited up strode in, already bundled up. “Hey, Leena.”

“Jefferson. Thanks for coming. Have a new dog I want to try out tonight.”

He slanted his gaze to Davis and the dog with him. “Nice Terv. Yours?”

“For now. Working on getting him better than to a forever home.” She gestured to Davis. “Davis, Jefferson. Davis is a detective in Oklahoma City and Jefferson owns Rottweilers that he competes in IPO with around here.”

“Nice to meet you,” Jefferson said. “I compete but Leena and Argo here tend to kick my ass. Although, it’s closer now.”

“Your boy is young, give him time.”

“I know, I know.” Jefferson shrugged. “I have Del coming in with the sleeves.”

“Terrific.”

She introduced Davis all around and soon they were doing bite work. The building was full of barking, growling, and the humans encouraging their dogs on. She had a bunch of different breeds, the typical and a few that she didn’t often see, a Chessie—Chesapeake Bay Retriever—and a standard poodle. As she worked the dogs and gave direction, she kept an eye on Hugo. He barked right along with the others, the muzzle not deterring him at all.

When it was time to send the dogs after their target, she waited until it was Hugo’s turn. Davis offered her the leash, but she shook her head. “Nope, you send him. I told you the commands. Double check that muzzle. The guys aren’t protected anymore so we have to make sure that they can’t get bit.”

Davis did as instructed and she watched Hugo streak after Jefferson and hook his leg, taking him down hard onto the matted floor. His growls and snaps were ferocious, but he listened to Davis when he called him off.

As she stood back, she observed Hugo look up at Davis, wag his tail and lean into the man a bit more. That’s his human, right there. Hugo had picked and it was up to her to get Davis to see it. She couldn’t let this dog down.

Davis pounded him on the side, grinning like a fool and praising him as they moved back to let Jefferson get up and catch his breath. He gave her a thumbs up and they were going again. They did runaways, escorting, padded work, sleeve work. She took a picture of that when Hugo marched off holding the sleeve in his mouth, looking all proud with Davis at the end of the leash, looking the same way.

As she closed up the training facility her body ached. All four dogs took a toll on her. Normally she didn’t do them all, but she had another competition coming up. And she didn’t plan on losing.

“That poodle was impressive,” Davis said as they walked back to her house.

“Yes, he’s coming along well. A lot of people solely think of them as the foo-foo dogs in shows with the bows and skinny French people at the other end of the leash. They forget they were hunting dogs and that clip had a purpose. They’re great dogs. I know a few people who skijor with theirs.”

“What the hell is that?” He still held Hugo’s leash and she didn’t say a word.

“Where the dog pulls you while you’re on skis.”

“And poodles do that?”

“They’re very good at it.” She opened the door to the house, and everyone entered. Her dogs headed for the water dish and she directed Davis to take Hugo to the laundry room so he, too, could get a drink.

“I don’t think I’ll be skijoring anytime soon,” he commented as they came back in.

Hugo was so in tune to Davis, she didn’t say a word. With a gesture, she sent her dogs to lie down.

“What did you think?” she asked pulling out a leftover casserole.

“That was some of the most fun I’ve had in a long time. I’m sore as shit, though. I don’t know how you did four dogs plus everything else you did.” He lowered his hand to pet Hugo. “He was amazing.”

“You both were. You two make one hell of a team.” She turned the oven on then went to pull some plates down. “He responds to you. Even now, he is waiting for you to say something to him.”

Davis looked down at the dog beside him. He ruffled his head. “Go lay down, Hugo. We’re not going anywhere right now.”

Damned if Hugo didn’t walk over beside the large bed that Argo was on and stood there for a moment before climbing on it and settling in next to her boy. Argo didn’t react so whatever had passed between all was good.

She smiled.

“What?”

“Look at them. Side by side yet one is angled slightly one way while the other is the other way. They can cover both directions like that.”

“Damn. Add in the other three and I feel for anyone who tries to break into this house.”

They finished supper by eleven and she let the dogs out once more, all at once and Davis was with her. Back inside, she locked up then gestured to the Terv. “Why don’t you keep him in your room tonight? No point in him having to sleep in the laundry room.”

“You sure that’s okay?”

“Fine by me. Grab one of the beds and put it down for him. I never turn a dog out of a room. Mine are all pets first.”

She stood back and watched him haul in a large rectangular bed to the guest room after which Hugo went in and lay on. She hid her smile when he looked in her direction. She finished cleaning up and had just finished when Davis came back in the kitchen.

“Anything else I can do?”

“Nope, all secure here. Thank you though. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Night.” He walked up the hall only to pop his head back in. “Thanks, you know for tonight. It was a lot of fun.”

“My pleasure.”

She got ready for bed then crawled in under the covers. With a groan, she curled up on her side and shut her eyes. Sleep came easily and soon she was in a land of dreams. The beeping on her phone woke her.

With a yawn, she reached for the android and looked at the screen. “Shit.” Her proximity alarm had been activated and the gate had been forced open. They were about to have company.

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αβ

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John steppedout of the tall box in the back he’d been hidden during the drive onto Waysl’s property. For a man so concerned with his safety, he sure had some things that were done like clockwork. Terri had merely stepped in for a delivery driver and John had been in the back among the rest of the packages. Wasn’t hard to do and the guards hardly checked the men—or women in this case—behind the wheel.

“You sure you’ll be okay?” she asked as she pulled the box from its spot on the shelf.

“I’ll be fine, thanks for helping out.”

“My pleasure, besides all I’m doing is handing over a package, getting a signature that proves he was here. Then I’m leaving.” She hefted the box. “You’ve got the hard job.” She grinned at him and her eyes sparkled from beneath the bill of the ball cap. “Good luck.”

“Thanks.”

She hopped out and strode to the door. He waited until she’d engaged the waiting guards, then slipped out the back. With his knowledge of the home layout, he knew exactly how long it would take him to get to the room he needed to be in. And how often guards walked by. Not to mention what they were armed with. He’d made sure to memorize the schedule.

He slipped in unseen and set up his own video recording device. Then he moved to the shadows and waited. After dinner, Wasyl would come to this room—part study, part office—for a nightcap. It was his time, no one else was allowed in there. The only times John had been in the room was during daylight hours for business.

As expected, Wasyl showed up. They’d timed the delivery to be right after dinner, interrupting his trip to his study. The man cracked his neck and poured himself a drink, then he sat at his desk and rubbed his temples. John was tempted to just put a bullet in the back of his head and rid the world of a man that it could most certainly do without. Leena’s words came back to him and instead of shooting him, he merely turned on the laser sight and put it on the glass. Although he did wait until he’d taken two drinks before doing such a thing.

“What the hell?” Wasyl cried out, spinning as he reached for the sidearm in his desk.

“Hello, Wasyl.”

“John,” he spat.

“I told you I would be back for you. And I am a man of my word.”

“I think I will kill you now. No one will believe I didn’t know who you were, this man breaking into my place.” He waved the 9mm at him.

“That your plan? You pull the trigger on me, I pull on you. We both die. If you can shoot me, that is.”

He sneered. “I know what loaded gun feels like. This one is loaded. I’m not one of your stupid criminals.”

“That’s true. You are a mastermind criminal. I will give you that.” He gestured with his free hand. “Or were. As we speak, your files are being decrypted, all the information you have for your business, exposed. You and all your little side projects will be stopped and you, you, will go to a prison. There won’t be any getting out early. I’m sure all the men in prison who have little girls will be most excited to know that you sell children their ages to the highest bidders.”

“You sit there, in my house, in my chair and dare threaten me?”

“Looks that way. Why did you give the order to have me killed?”

“Because you are a cop. All cops need to die. You tried to infiltrate my family.”

“I succeeded in that task. I didn’t just try.”

“How do you think this is going to work? That you’re just going to walk out of here with not only your life but my files? On my secure network?”

“No. I’m not carrying them with me. I’m taking you out with me, that’s my security. Unless your men want to kill you. True, it’s a risk, but one I’m willing to take.”

“And the files? Expecting me to mail them to you?”

“No. I already have those. I told you, they’re being decrypted as we speak.”

He snorted. “Impossible. No one from the outside can get into my system.”

“I know.”

“None of my people would dare betray me.”

“Maybe they would, maybe not. It’s irrelevant. You brought it into the house. You gave me access.”

His bushy brows converged. “I did no such thing.”

“I didn’t want you to blame any of your staff. So I sent you a package tonight. One you had to sign for. One you did sign for and then you brought inside the ever protected walls of your house.”

He pulled the trigger and nothing happened. John tsked.

“While you’re right and the gun is loaded, that doesn’t much make a difference when the firing pin has been removed.” He stood. “I really want to shoot you.”

“Your woman is dead. My men have gone on her property and killed her. Probably raped her then killed her. They do like black women, too, they will fuck anything with a pussy.”

Rage surged and he struggled to hold it back. I’m trusting that she and Davis are fine. “So that’s why they all touch your wife and daughters when you’re not home. Sometimes even when you are.”

His skin flushed. Wasyl growled low in his throat and shot to his feet. John shook his head and held the pistol on him.

“Let’s not do anything foolish. Then again, rush me so I can shoot you. May not be the kill shot I want so bad but it will be something.”

“You won’t get away with this. My lawyers will have me out in no time.”

“Keep telling yourself that. It won’t work in your favor.” Even as he said it, he wasn’t sure.

“Your family will pay for this. I will have them hunted down and killed. Slowly.”

“That’s what I needed to hear, thank you.” He approached the desk and reached behind the pile of books there to pick up his recorder. “Not only did you threaten one cop who you’ve admitted you put a hit on, but his brother who is also one, and the rest of my family.” He leaned closer. “I do hope there’s something on your files that connects you with any terrorist faction. Because I think you and Gitmo would make a lovely combination. None of your connections, none of your backup. Just you and a bunch of other scum sucking bastards.”

“You think you’re clever. Just wait.”

John tossed him some cuffs. “Put them on.” Once he was secure, he walked to his side of the desk. “You ever threaten my family again and I’ll make good on what I promised before,” he whispered in his ear. “Every. Single. One.”

The door opened and in stepped Davis’ contact at the FBI. “You okay in here, Officer?”

“We’re ready to leave. House secure?”

“It is.”

“Time for us to get moving, Wasyl. So, now that you’re officially under arrest, let me read you your rights.”

John continued with that, ignoring the increasing anger on Wasyl’s face.

“This will never stick,” he swore. “And I will find you.”

He walked up behind the man, gripped his arm in a punishing hold. “I ever see your face again or one that belongs to you and not even the Devil himself will be able to stop the hell I will unleash from raining down on you. The men you sent to kill her are either going to die or jail. We all know which option I’m hoping for. Don’t test me.”

They walked out of his study and passed his family and staff, all of whom were also in cuffs. Even his wife. John made him walk slow so every single one of them could take a good look at him. The loss of respect couldn’t be ignored from those observing the parade through the opulent mansion.

John climbed in the backseat with him, unwilling to give him any chance of figuring out a way to get free. The ride to the station was done in silence. Same as before he marched him slowly through the gathered crowd of reporters. He didn’t cover his head, left it visible. As he continued into his precinct, he was met with a wall of cheers and congratulations from the men and women he knew. Even so, as he constantly moved the prisoner, the FBI spread out and picked up the ones whose names had been on his payroll.

I seriously owe Terri something for all she got me.Opening a single cell, he pushed the man in and freed his hands. “We’ll be back to get you processed soon.” He went to the door. “Want me to leave you another pair of shoelaces? Make everything easier on all.”

He muttered something in Ukrainian that John knew wasn’t polite. He shut the door with a satisfying click. The FBI had brought in others and they were cleaning up other precincts around the city at the same time. Terri had worked swiftly and sent the information to Davis’ contact. The man was good and mobilized in no time, aware Wasyl would vanish if they waited much longer.

While it wasn’t a breech or potential fire fight like he was used to, John had to push off the exhaustion. Digging into his pocket, he called Davis, pretty sure that Leena still wouldn’t answer. It ran more times than he was happy about before his brother answered.

“We’re okay, a few minor injuries but we’re both fine.” The words were the first thing out of Davis’ mouth.

“What the fuck happened?”

“They breeched her perimeter and regret it now.”

“Let me talk to her.” His entire body shook.

“No can do, bro. she’s getting some x-rays at the hospital and I’m under strict orders not to leave the dog I’m at the emergency clinic with. It was the only way I could get her to go. Otherwise she wouldn’t have gone to the hospital.”

“Clinic? Shit, what dog?” Please don’t be Argo. He didn’t want it to be any of her animals but he knew that it was one of them.

“Hope, she’ll be okay. They’ve stopped the bleeding and are just sewing her up, but I can’t leave until Leena gets back.”

“What hospital is she at?” His heart calmed a bit even as he berated himself for being glad it wasn’t Argo.

“I have to go, we’ll call you when we’re finished up.” Davis hung up.

Staring at the phone in his hand, he realized that Davis hadn’t even asked him how it had gone on his end. He had other things to finish up right now and would wait for the call, no matter how impatient he was about hearing Leena’s voice.

αβ

“Where are you?” John demanded, fist clenching.

“I’m in my house. Just got back from seeing Mom.” Davis muttered something to someone else before coming back to the line. “Why? What’s going on? I haven’t heard from my famous brother in a while. What’s it been, three months since you took down Fyodorov family?”

I know how long it’s been. I’ve had to deal with all the political crap and couldn’t get away to see Leena. A fact that had made him extremely pissed. “About that. And I’m trying to get in touch with Leena. I’ve not been able to reach her on the phone. You two were damn chummy, have you heard from her?”

“She’s fine, John.”

“Damn it, Davis. How do you know this? Have you gone to see her?” His entire body vibrated with tension. What the hell was his brother doing seeing Leena? She’d not taken any of his calls and if he tried to call from a different number, the moment she realized who it was, the call had been disconnected.

“We just had lunch together.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Excuse me?”

“She was just here. Gone now, but she’s fine. All healed up and as beautiful as the day I met her.”

She’d been in town and hadn’t even contacted him. John swallowed back the nausea that jumped up from his gut.

“I see.” He ended the call and sank to the chair nearest his suddenly weak body. His phone rang seconds later. “Prince,” he said automatically.

“You’re like a schoolboy who’s had his dick smacked. Look, we’re not a couple and I’m not trying to be with her behind your back. She was passing through and stopped by for a visit and lunch. She’s not going to come to you, John. You want her, you’re going to have to go after her. And since she’s not going to be home for a while, I would suggest you track her down in Iowa, she’s heading to a competition.”

“Where?”

Davis clucked his tongue. “You figure it out.” He ended the call.

John shoved a hand through his longer hair and sighed. Getting to his feet, he dialed his captain while he walked through his apartment. Davis had a house here, had made a life for himself. While John, hell, there were boxes still. He hung out with his SRT crew but that was it. He didn’t have other friends. Even the people he’d grown up with he didn’t talk with regularly.

“Captain? It’s Prince.”

“What can I do for you?”

“I’m taking some personal time.”