Jagger (Steele Shadows Investigations)

by Amanda McKinney

  It was him. I knew it in my gut.

  I just had to figure out the right time to tell her.

  I was about to get that chance.

  25

  Jagg

  Shadows from the almost-full moon danced along the rutted dirt road that led to Sunny’s cabin. The air was warm, pungent with the smell of river water as we neared her drive. The winds had picked up. The environment was primed for wildfires.

  I thought of Sunny making that drive daily, or at the very least, multiple times a week. Alone. Sunny truly lived “in the sticks.” While her dad owned multiple housing tracts and apartment complexes in the surrounding towns, she chose to live out in the middle of nowhere. Away from people, society.

  Away from danger.

  There was no doubt Sunny was a loner. Her family was her dogs, her home, her sanctuary. Her safe place.

  The thought didn’t only concern me, it terrified me. I didn’t like her so far away from civilization and first responders.

  So far away from me.

  We pulled into the driveway, the headlights bouncing off the trees until pooling onto the A-frame cabin.

  My first indication that something was off was when I noticed the picnic table had been moved from where it sat earlier that morning. And then I saw the black spray paint splashed across it.

  I looked at Sunny and watched the shock—the horror—slide over her face.

  She flung herself out of the Jeep before I could stop.

  “Sunny,” I hollered, slamming the brakes and shoving the Jeep into park.

  “Goddammit.” I grabbed my gun and jumped out.

  Sunny sprinted across the yard to her house, materializing a gun from her belt that I hadn’t even noticed was there. She passed by the picnic table, spray painted with the word witch, with barely a glance.

  I raised my own gun and scanned the woods as I jogged onto the front porch.

  Shattered flower pots, shredded shrubbery, sliced screened windows, and graffiti covered the front of her freshly painted home.

  Bitch.

  Whore.

  Slut.

  Cunt.

  A pentagram splashed the door with bright red paint.

  “No,” I grabbed her shirt and pulled her away from the door. She fought, but I got in first and swept the room.

  “My dogs, Jagg! My dogs, where are they?” She blew past me, waving her gun like a damn magic wand. Tears shimmered through the wild panic in her eyes.

  I grabbed her arm, pried the gun from her fingertips and set it on the windowsill.

  “Where were they when you left?” I asked, simultaneously scanning the house that was absolutely trashed. Pictures were shattered, the furniture was overturned and sliced to shreds, spray paint covered the walls, her comforter. The dishes and cookware in her kitchen lay in a million little pieces on the floor. Not that she probably cared much about that. Witch, in large, block letters, across the fireplace.

  “I left them in the house.” She frantically looked around. “I always leave them in the house when I’m gone.” She jogged out the back door, onto the deck, which was in the same shape as the front.

  “Athena!” Sunny cupped her hands and yelled, the panicked tone sending a chill up my spine. “Theeeena! Tango! Max!”

  I spun on my heel at the pop of the screen door behind me, gun raised, finger over the trigger. Three furry, snarling masses shot like a cannon through the dark living room, laser focused on me.

  “No!” Sunny lunged in front of my gun. “No! Settle! Settle!”

  The speed of the charge slowed, the barking did not.

  “Put your gun down, Jagg!”

  I lowered my Glock as she dropped to her knees in front of me.

  “Settle.” She soothed, opening her arms to her dogs. “Settle, babies, shhh, calm. Come here. Shhh.”

  The dogs immediately relaxed, either remembering me, or sensing the sudden calmness in their master. Probably a little of both. The barking slowed to whimpers as she stroked them.

  “That’s it. Shhh. Good babies.” Her voice cracked, followed by a sniff.

  My fucking heart broke. Her sanctuary—her family—had been violated.

  Rage boiled up my system like acid.

  Sunny surged off the floor, her eyes popping. “Brutus.”

  “Where is he?”

  “By the river. I don’t bring him up to the house until bedtime.” She ran out the door. “Come.”

  I wasn’t sure if the command was for me or the dogs, but I followed. There were immediate things that needed to be done in that house, like search for trace evidence, but at that moment, the most important thing to Sunny was her dogs—and shockingly, I cared, too.

  We jogged down the trail, Sunny leading her pack while I hung back a few steps, double-gripping my gun, tuning my senses to the woods around us. The moonlight led the way, bright enough that we didn’t need flashlights. A breeze blew at my back, a few withered leaves flittering down from the trees, sending me jumping at each one.

  Sunny’s pace quickened as the musty smell of the river grew closer. I could practically hear her heartbeat on the breeze.

  The trail opened to rushing water and the sound of her feet pounding the river rocks. This time, I pushed to a sprint and pulled ahead of her. If something had happened to Brutus, I wanted to be the first to see it. I wanted to shield her as much as I could. I wanted to be there for her the moment her world shattered. My first zing of panic came when the dog didn’t bark as we barreled down the river. I focused on the black silhouette in the cage.

  Move.

  Bark.

  Do something, you idiot.

  As I neared the cage, two silver eyes sparkled in the moonlight. Brutus stood, wide neck, thick chest, muscular legs, all in one piece. His eyes locked on mine as Sunny threw open the cage door. Relief washed over me. He was okay. I found my gaze drifting to his injured shoulder, hoping it was okay, too.

  I blocked Athena, Max and Tango from getting any closer.

  “Brutus baby, are you okay? It’s okay. Settle, baby.”

  Sunny slowly reached out her palm and dropped to her knees in one fluid movement. “Good boy. Good baby.”

  The dog finally moved, backing up while keeping those electric eyes on me. I don’t think I’ve ever seen hair darker than Sunny’s, until seeing his. Brutus would be almost invisible in a pitch-black night.

  The other dogs hung back, respecting the pit. Or fearing it, perhaps.

  Once I was sure everything was okay, I stepped back and made the call to the station, where Tanya promised to have someone there within ten minutes. I took note of the time, then shoved my phone into my pocket.

  Sunny pushed to a stance, waiting to exhale until she was fully upright. She turned to me, not with fear or anger in her eyes, but gratitude. Thankfulness. She had her babies. Her dogs were okay.

  Her face softened and a soft smile crossed it.

  In a time that anyone else would be riddled with panic, fear, or rage, Sunny Harper smiled. Her car had been keyed, her home destroyed, but in that moment, Sunny found the light. She found the one reason to be thankful and clung onto it with such grace and beauty.

  I stepped forward, cupped her face in my hands and kissed her. Right there, under the moonlight, next to the rushing river, I kissed her. She went limp beneath me and kissed me back. Something that resembled butterflies filled my stomach, warm goosebumps prickling my skin.

  Sunny.

  An unfamiliar adrenaline flooded my veins as I wrapped my hand around the back of her head, fisting that beautiful black hair.

  Mine.

  Her hands found my stomach. Her fingers ran over my abs, and just when I thought she was going to lift my T-shirt, she pulled away and looked up at me.

  Her green irises twinkled with heat under the moonlight.

  “What was that for?” she whispered softly, blinking, her chest rising and falling heavily.

  My mouth opened but nothing came out. I took a step back.

/>   “I don’t know,” I whispered back, staring into her eyes.

  I took another step, the warm night cooler than the heat bouncing between us.

  She broke the stare first.

  I forced myself to take another step back.

  Holy. Shit.

  26

  Jagg

  Moonlight shimmered off her hair as she nervously ran fingers through it, looking everywhere but my face. Unexpected? Uh, yeah, agreed. Although her expression had drawn a blank, the flush in her cheeks gave her away.

  She felt it too.

  Whatever the hell had just happened between us was mutual. I knew it in my bones.

  A second passed as I debated a flurry of half-formed actions through my head. One, grabbing her, pulling her into my arms and kissing her again. Two, tearing off that stupid, plain white T-shirt that she somehow made sexy. And three, ripping off those teeny shorts and burying myself inside her. No panties, because in my dreams she didn’t wear any. Ever. Along with these erotic thoughts, I felt the unprecedented desire to ask her if what had just happened was okay. Should I apologize? Had I gone too far? Was she going to turn me in for inappropriate behavior?

  Fuck, was all I could think.

  Fuck, fuck, fuck.

  The world around me slowly began to register again. The rushing water, the evening breeze, the break-in at her house. I inhaled and broke the silence by getting back on track with the reason we were standing on the riverbank in the first place, a reason that somehow seemed less impactful than what just happened between us.

  “You have no other dogs on your property, right?” I asked.

  “Right.” She replied quickly, thankful for the change of subject. Apparently I wasn’t the only one thrown off. Good. That made me feel better.

  “Okay, here’s what’s gonna happen now. We’re going to go back up to the house and I want you to go directly into my Jeep. The police will be here soon. Don’t enter the house, don’t touch anything. Get in the Jeep and stay there. Do you understand?”

  “Yes,” she responded without a fight, much to my surprise. “But my dogs…”

  I looked at the cages and opened my mouth—

  “No. Jagg, I’m not leaving them down here. If you want to put them in the cages, I stay with them. Or, they come with me. Those are your two options.”

  There she was. That hot-headed, stubborn Sunny I knew. Damn it all to hell.

  “Fine. They can come up too, but they don’t go into the house either. Understand?”

  “Yes.”

  “Will they stay with you? By your side? I repeat, they cannot go in the house.”

  “Yes. I promise.” She grabbed a handful of leashes from a box hanging on the side of the cage. “I’ll tie them up next to your Jeep, next to me.”

  “Are you sure because I don’t want to have to deal with—”

  “I got it.” She snapped, squaring her shoulders.

  “Okay.” It was then that I realized that Sunny was more of a partner than a victim at that moment. I could count on her to do as I said, not fall apart, not cause extra strain and stress on a crime scene.

  The respect, tripled.

  The sexual attraction, ten-fold.

  “Alright. Let’s go.”

  I started down the riverbank but when I didn’t hear steps behind me, I stopped and turned back. Sunny was staring at Brutus.

  “What’s wrong?”

  She looked at me,” I… ah…” then back at the pit. “I don’t know what to do here.”

  “With what? What?” My patience dissolving.

  “I don’t let Brutus run with the pack. Like I said, he’s a loose cannon, and if he attacked—”

  “Game over.”

  She nodded. “Exactly. Not even Thena could hold her own against his weight and jaws, especially at her age. Although she’d put up a hell of a fight.”

  “I don’t doubt that.”

  We stared at the mutt, his gaze locking on mine as it always seemed to when I was close.

  “I’ll take him.” I said.

  “You’ll what?”

  “I’ll let you guys go ahead and we’ll come up a minute later.”

  “I… no.”

  “You think I can’t hold my own against those jaws?”

  “I have no doubt you can’t.”

  “Well. Challenge accepted then.” I focused on the dog, but didn’t stretch out my hand. We were about to find out if two alpha males could make it up a hill together.

  “No, Jagg, listen. It’s not time to be all macho male. If anything happened…”

  “Don’t worry. I won’t sue you.”

  “Gee, thanks, but that’s not what I meant.” She heaved out a breath. “Fine.”

  “Good.” I handed her my gun. “Take this.”

  “I don’t need it.”

  “Take it or this isn’t happening. We left yours in the house. As long as you don’t wield it like a damn sword this time, take it.”

  She rolled her eyes, then stuffed it into her waistband. “You’ll have to be slower with Brutus. His shoulder wears quickly.”

  “We’ll be fine. I’ll be less than ten seconds behind you. If you see anyone, shoot. This is your land, your home, your dogs. Protect it.”

  Her eyes narrowed into steely strength. She nodded.

  My heart kicked.

  Fuck, this woman. That moment, something else, a foreign feeling, mixed with the pride I felt for her. Little did I know that feeling was going to turn my entire world upside down.

  “Go.” I said, despite all the things on the tip of my tongue. “Go.”

  She stepped past me, commanding Athena, Tango, and Max to follow. I scanned the woods ahead of her, wanting to be by her side but knowing she wouldn’t leave Brutus alone. She had her gun and her guard dogs. She was going to make it up that hill.

  I turned to Brutus, still standing in his cage and doing what he did best, staring into my goddamn soul.

  “Okay. Brutus. My name is Max—actually, Jagg. Here’s what’s going to happen.”

  The dog slowly blinked, unimpressed.

  “You’re going to follow me up the hill, calmly, nicely, staying at least two feet away from my nuts and my jugular. In that order. Got it?”

  He glanced at Sunny in the distance, then back at me.

  “I might not have a mouth full of fangs but I’ve got some jujitsu moves that will wrap your balls around your thick-ass neck quicker than you can say the word neuter.” I was selling myself to a dog. And what the hell was my obsession with balls?

  I looked at Sunny’s silhouette fading into the tree line.

  “Alright, kid, it’s go time.” I unlocked the gate and pushed it open. “I don’t know Sunny’s commands, but… come. Follow. Whatever. Don’t eat me.”

  I turned my back on him in a ridiculous act to prove my fearlessness, then started walking. After a few steps, I glanced back and almost jumped when I realized the thing was right on my heels. I hadn’t even heard his paws against the rocks. The dog truly was like a phantom ghost.

  We started up the hill, my head on a swivel, my focus ahead of me where Sunny was making her way up. My boot caught a root and I stumbled, causing a blow of pain through my back. I glanced back at Brutus, now three feet behind me, his head hanging low, a slight limp in his step.

  I kept moving.

  “Fight through it.” I grit my teeth, addressing the dog as much as myself. “Fight through the pain.”

  I glanced back again. His limp was worse.

  “We don’t do pain, Brutus. Push it aside and keep moving. Pain is for pussies. You’re no pussy. I’m no pussy. Fight it.”

  I swear he snarled as he lifted his head, but I’ll be damned if his pace didn’t quicken. My lip curled up. I slowed, though, scanning the woods from side to side so he wouldn’t think I was doing it for him. A few seconds later, he caught up and was by my side again.

  “I’ve decided I’m going to call you Brute.” I looked down at him.

&
nbsp; “Why, you ask? Because two syllable names are for pussies, too. You’re not a pussy. Max, Jagg, Brute. One syllable. Strong. Manly.” We walked a moment. “Don’t tell Sunny about that two syllable comment.”

  His limping had deepened and I had to fight from kneeling down to check him out, or hell, scooping him into my arms. There would be time for that later—the checking, not the scooping.

  We crested the hill and stepped out of the woods, where Sunny was staring up at the word CUNT sprayed-painted across her back windows.

  She glanced over her shoulder as we approached.

  My damn heart broke at the pain in her eyes.

  Together, we stood silent, gazing up at her vandalized home, four dogs at our feet.

  “Who would do this?” She whispered in disbelief.

  I chose my next words carefully. It was time.

  “You said you left the dogs in the house, right? When you went to Gino’s to pick up dinner, you left them inside your house?”

  “Yes. I always leave them in when I go anywhere. Excluding Brutus, during the daytime only. Like I said, he stays in the cage and I bring him up before bed.”

  I let her comment linger, wondering if she’d come to the same conclusion I had.

  She did. Smart woman.

  “Oh my God.”

  I didn’t say anything, wanting to hear it from her own mouth. Honestly, a part of me hoped she’d have a different conclusion, a different opinion. But I knew in my gut, there was only one. And it unnerved the hell out of me.

  “The inside of my house was vandalized. My dogs would have attacked anyone who stepped foot past my front door.” She gasped, looking back at the house, then to me, her eyes round with fear. “Jagg. At least one of my dogs knew whoever did this.”

  I looked at her, that knife in my gut twisting deeper.

  I nodded.

  “It’s time to talk about your attack in Dallas, Sunny. It’s time to tell me about your ex-boyfriend.”

  “Why?”

  “Because Kenzo Rees was just released from prison.”