Ultimate Courage

by Piper J. Drake

  Alex shifted his weight, catching her attention. “Will you be coming back tomorrow?”

  Her chest tightened. “I’m not sure.”

  Truth seemed the best she could commit to right now. Fortunately, it seemed to have been the right answer.

  Alex nodded and gave Souze’s leash a slight tug. “Let’s get back to the kennels then, and I’ll walk you to your car.”

  “You don’t have to…” She started to protest then thought it through. She’d just said she wasn’t sure she was taking the job. Of course he’d need to escort her around the property. Besides, it was getting into evening and the staff here probably needed to close up to head home for the night.

  “It’s no trouble,” Alex continued, oblivious of her thought process. “Tomorrow’s Saturday, and we start classes at oh-nine-hundred. If you decide to come back and give the job a try, try to be here by oh-eight-hundred to help set up. The rest of us are up earlier working with the dogs.”

  “Okay.” She hoped he hadn’t caught the relief in her voice. It might be too obvious, and she didn’t want his pity. He’d already been far nicer than he needed to be.

  Abruptly, her phone issued an obnoxious multi-toned alert. She jumped and fumbled to pull it out of her pocket, fumbling as she tried to silence it.

  “Whoa.” Alex raised both eyebrows at her this time. “If you do come back tomorrow, try tuning that down. It could freak out some of the client dogs if it goes off at the wrong moment.”

  “It freaks me out now,” Elisa admitted wryly. “New phone. I haven’t figured out all the settings yet and didn’t realize the text notifications were set to that alert.”

  Alex chuckled. “I’ll get Souze back into his kennel.”

  Embarrassment was quickly becoming her state of being here. She gave him a nod and looked down at Souze. “Good night, Souze. It was nice to meet you.”

  On the off chance the big dog might give her a token sniff, she held out her hand as Alex had instructed her before, relaxed in a loose fist.

  Souze studied her for a moment, stretched out his neck, sniffed the back of her hand, then gave her a very small lick.

  “All right, then. That’s new.” Alex sounded pleased.

  Simple happiness bubbled up inside her at Souze’s response.

  Alex started to turn away, paused for a moment, then turned back. “Was there anything that I did, any of us did, that made you feel uncomfortable? Hesitate? You don’t have to tell me, but if we can fix it somehow, either me or Forte would welcome the feedback.”

  She blinked in surprise. It could be a trap, a way to get her to voice a criticism and give him an excuse to snap at her. Her brain froze for a full second before she could kick it back into gear. Dropping her eyes so he wouldn’t see her consider the possibility, her gaze fell on Souze.

  Steady. Calm. Absolutely capable of dangerous things and not in any way threatening.

  She drew in a breath and let it out slowly. “You’ve been very considerate and so was Brandon. I’ve just…got a lot of history myself.”

  There was a long pause. “Whatever else you take away with you tonight, consider this: No man here will ever intentionally harm you, and no dog anywhere will ever lie to you.”

  She fumbled for some sort of coherent response, but he was already walking Souze down the row of dog runs. She quit trying for a verbal response and watched him give Souze quiet praise before sending the dog back into his kennel. Truth might be a tough thing to find these days, but she thought she could still recognize it. He’d meant what he’d said at least, believed in it with incredible conviction. And it made her believe his words, too.

  Glancing down at the phone in her hand, she tapped the notification to view the text.

  Ping. How long do you think it will take?

  Elisa froze, staring at the phone screen unable to move, speak, anything. He’d found her. Already. What could she do?

  Chapter Five

  Alex started to close the kennel’s door and stopped. Souze always watched when Alex put him away, almost as if he was waiting for Alex to forget to secure the door. Souze might be one hundred percent obedient and have perfect recall so far, but the dog considered his chances of getting out on his own every single day. It was one of the reasons Alex was still working with him so closely and why Souze hadn’t been considered ready for transfer to either the American military or a law enforcement unit. He needed to know the inside of every dog’s head at Hope’s Crossing Kennels to be sure they were ready for their next mission.

  At the moment, Souze’s mind wasn’t on what Alex was doing. Instead, the big dog’s head was turned toward where Elisa stood waiting. A second later, Souze stepped to the corner of the kennel in her direction, leaning forward slightly, his body language tense and alert.

  Alex followed the dog’s gaze to Elisa, finished locking up the kennel’s door, and immediately headed toward her. Her face had gone pale, and she swayed where she stood, staring at the phone in her hand. Concern hit him in the gut hard.

  He slowed once he was in arm’s reach, not wanting to scare her further by sneaking up on her while she was distracted.

  “Elisa.” No response. Not a good sign. She was too exposed like this, her fear raw and leaving her vulnerable. He gritted his teeth and repeated her name, putting a little punch into it. “Elisa.”

  She jumped out of her skin and dropped the phone with a clatter, reaching out to grab the doorjamb at the entrance of the kennels to steady herself.

  Satisfied she wasn’t going to faint—at least for the moment—he bent to retrieve her phone and give her time to pull herself together. He’d gotten the impression through the course of their interactions that she put a lot of effort into facing him with composure. To be honest, he’d snuck up on her once or twice this morning just to enjoy her discomfiture a little because he was a rat bastard like that.

  But now was a good time to let her have her composure if it would help her feel safer.

  As he straightened, he glanced at the text. Seemed harmless enough, but experience told him the most innocuous-looking things on the surface could blow an unsuspecting person to pieces.

  He’d seen it happen more times than he ever wanted to remember.

  “Is this a problem?” He held the phone out to her.

  Elisa stared at the proffered phone as if it was a viper. He let his arm drop, phone still in hand. The tightness in her shoulders eased a fraction, but overall she was wound up so tight he wouldn’t be surprised if she started shaking.

  And what the hell was he going to do if she did? He wanted to hold her, stroke her hair, and reassure her. Kissing her was at the top of the list of things he’d like to do, too. None of those was the right thing at the moment and, damn, why was he even thinking along those lines?

  Through the course of the day, he’d observed a capable woman dive into work with enthusiasm. She’d listened to instructions and also taken initiative, demonstrated a solid work ethic, and seemed to take a practical approach to things.

  Elisa Hall wasn’t the type to get dramatic over nothing. This text was significant and a threat to her. His anger started at a slow burn, and he set his jaw in an effort to keep it from showing. It wouldn’t be good to frighten her further.

  “Elisa.” He tried for quiet, gentle—the same tone he used with an upset dog. Not that she was a dog or anything, but damn it, he was going to go with what worked for him. “I know you’ve only just met me, but can I help you?”

  She continued to stare at his hand holding the phone for several long seconds before she came to herself with a start. Her eyes were wild as she looked up and met his gaze then quickly away. “No.”

  Too fast. She’d responded automatically, and it didn’t sound like what she really wanted, but he wasn’t going to make any assumptions.

  “Okay. How about I walk you to your car, then. Just like I said I would.” That was reasonable, wasn’t it? In actuality, he wanted to pound the living hell out of whomever had t
errorized her so bad a random text could blow her carefully constructed confidence to pieces.

  She swallowed hard. “You would need to, wouldn’t you? Since I don’t officially work here. Sure. I should be going now.”

  The distance she’d put between herself and Hope’s Crossing was a palpable thing. She made the idea of not officially working there sound like a decision and her leaving now something even more final.

  He didn’t like the idea of not seeing her tomorrow. “Are you okay?”

  There was a pause. “Not right now. But I will be.”

  Despite his misgivings, he smiled. Truth and determination. He was getting to like her more and more. “I believe that.”

  “Do you?” There was still a tremor in her voice, and her steps weren’t precisely straight as she headed up the aisle toward the door to the main building the way they’d come earlier. “To be honest, I said it more to convince myself.”

  He’d done the same in the past. There could be dark times when you had to talk yourself through to the other side.

  “Yeah.” He followed her as far to one side as he possibly could and still walk with her, so she could see him at the edge of her peripheral vision and not feel chased. Spooked wasn’t the word for whatever was going on with her, but he could give her space without leaving her alone. “I think you’re in the process of building what you want for yourself. That sort of thing takes time.”

  She huffed out a bitter laugh. “True. Work in progress. That’s me.”

  “That’s not a bad thing,” he answered quietly. Because he was in progress, too. He didn’t say it out loud, though. If it sounded corny inside his head, it’d be worse out loud.

  Anyway, this was about her for the time being.

  Through the main house and out to the small parking area, they walked to an old compact car. It’d seen better days, but it was one of those rice burners Sophie’s dad loved. Old man swore the engines in those little cars would last forever. This one hopefully was taking good care of Elisa.

  She’d retrieved her purse from behind the front desk and was fishing around for her keys so he took the opportunity to look for what else there was to see. The back of the car was neatly packed with items. In fact, he’d bet there was a lot more tucked into the back of that car than anyone would guess. It was like a master game of Tetris back there. If the trunk was similarly filled to capacity, she could live out of her own car.

  And probably was.

  “Do you have a place to go tonight?” He winced. He probably could’ve put it in a more diplomatic way, but diplomacy hadn’t been his thing. Ever.

  She went rigid. Clearing her throat, she responded, “Yes.”

  Not quite a lie. “Do you have a safe place to sleep tonight? Inside your car does not qualify as sufficiently safe.”

  Silence.

  Deliberately, he leaned against the driver’s side door. She started to protest, but he held up a finger and pulled out his own smartphone. “Hey, Boom? You going to be okay if Uncle Brandon checks in on you?”

  He and Brandon had taken turns through the morning checking in on her, but despite her request to watch television shows she’d napped a lot. Now she sounded more awake.

  “You’re not coming up to the house?” Boom’s young voice came across loud and clear, and he watched Elisa to be sure she could hear.

  “I’ve got a couple of errands to run if you think you’ll be okay.”

  There was a pause. “Will you bring me back frozen yogurt?”

  He grinned. “I will definitely bring you back frozen yogurt.”

  “Awesome.” Boom sounded all sorts of better than yesterday. “I’ve got my phone right here so I’ll text Uncle Brandon if I need anything before he checks on me.”

  “Perfect. You’re the best.” And he meant it. His kid rocked.

  “Nope. You are. Love you, Dad.”

  Ending the call, he looked at Elisa. “Let’s get you someplace safe so you can get a good night’s sleep then decide what you want to do in the morning.”

  Elisa regarded him warily. “Where?”

  He shrugged. “I know this place right next to the best frozen yogurt shop in the area.”

  * * *

  “How are you going to get home?”

  It was a good question. Elisa was full of them. She was possessed of a detail-oriented mind and a no-nonsense practicality he was coming to enjoy. It was also fun to mess with her some more now that she’d had a chance to recover from earlier. “I could walk home. It’s only a dozen miles, give or take.”

  She scowled, her hands gripping the steering wheel hard. “It’d be dark before you even got halfway home, and your daughter is waiting.”

  “True.” He couldn’t help baiting her, though. He’d bet she got spunky if her buttons were pushed in the right order. Even though she was quiet on the surface, he got the impression she was a woman of passion by nature. Her controlled façade was a learned behavior. “Turn right into this parking lot and go ahead and park in one of the first row spaces.”

  She did as requested. Despite whatever was going on inside her head, her driving was smooth. She wasn’t heavy on the brake or jerky with the turns in response to his directions. He appreciated her slow acceleration and deceleration, too. Erratic driving set his teeth on edge, and he couldn’t take most drivers’ habits around here. He’d actually made the walk back to the kennels from here a time or two, rather than accept a ride from a driver who’d set off too many memories.

  Turning off the engine, Elisa waited expectantly. She didn’t turn her head to look at him. Her posture was tense, her shoulders hunched. He got out of the car to give her space and walked around to her side to open the door.

  “This doesn’t look like a hotel.” Her statement was laced with a hefty dose of wariness.

  She hadn’t gotten to the point where she was ready to bolt yet, but she was close. He backed up as she got out of the car, reining in the temptation to put his hand on her lower back and guide her. She might take it as an invasion of her private space.

  “No. Exactly the reason this place will be safe as a temporary fix until you can find a more secure solution.” He walked alongside her again, gesturing to the MMA school. “Boom and I train here. The owners are good people. They renovated the space above the school into a sort of studio. It’s got a private bathroom and everything you’d need for a short stay without ever having to come down to the school part of the facility.”

  “Oh.” Beside him, Elisa blinked quickly a few times.

  Alarm pinged in his chest. Could be she’d caught some dust in her eyes. More likely he’d bothered her somehow. “Did I say something to upset you?”

  Elisa paused on the sidewalk in front of the school. “No. Not at all. I’m just…not used to immediate help like this. First you offered me a job, now a safe place to stay. It’s a lot to take in, and I don’t even know how I can begin—”

  He held up his hand to stall her. “It’s not about repayment. I’d want someone to help me or mine someday if we were in trouble. Just pay it forward someday.”

  Because he’d rather eat his shoe than have her feeling beholden to him in some way for doing what any decent person would do. Well, maybe not any person. But it was what people should do when someone was in need.

  “Besides,” he added, “we really do need a good administrative assistant, and you’re the first person not to be driven crazy by us or the dogs in the first few hours.”

  He stepped forward and pulled open the door, motioning for her to proceed inside. There was a class full of kids in session, maybe close to two dozen seven- and eight-year-olds. A tall, lean man in a clean black polo and loose black athletic pants presided over them as they went through a series of fun warm-ups while a half-dozen parents sat on benches along the wall to the right.

  At least Rojas assumed the exercises were fun based on the squeals, giggles, and generally jubilant chatter coming from the kids. This class was a couple of years younger than Bo
om’s, and warm-ups were as much about burning off excess energy so the kids could concentrate more on the class as actually improving their agility and stamina.

  Elisa paused a few feet inside and watched the controlled chaos with wide eyes.

  “Hello, there.” Directly to the left of the entrance was a wide counter with a sleek tablet and stand that served as their register and a paper sign-in sheet. The counter also doubled as a merchandise display with “Revolution MMA Academy” t-shirts in various colors arranged alongside a variety of MMA gear. The speaker was a broad man, no less fit for his bulk, dressed in a similar black polo. His first greeting had been directed toward Elisa, and then the man gave Alex a nod. “Rojas, good to see you. How’s Boom?”

  Rojas strode forward and shook hands. “Fine now. Quick thinking getting those ice packs and helping me immobilize her arm for the ride over to the ER. Doc says she’ll heal up quick.”

  The man sighed and smacked his chest with an open palm. “She gave me a heart attack, not going to lie. Glad she’s going to be okay.”

  Between the kids in the class shouting and the distance to the benches along the wall, low conversation in the reception area was fairly secure. Too much random noise to listen in on a quiet conversation.

  Rojas smiled, then angled his body to include Elisa in the conversation. “We met a new friend at the ER.”

  Eyebrows raised so high they almost disappeared into the other man’s hairline. Rojas paused to consider what he’d said. “Boom made a new friend. I mostly disturbed the peace.”

  A sage nod. “Sounds more like you.”

  And that was more than enough talking about himself. Elisa seemed to cheer up at the exchange, though. Maybe it was worth a little personal embarrassment.

  Rojas cleared his throat. “This is Elisa Hall. She and Boom hit it off last evening. She also had the excellent timing of showing up with the bag gloves Boom forgot at the ER right about when Forte finally gave in and admitted we needed to look for an administrative assistant. Not only did she save me a trip back to the ER but she also saved me the trouble of posting to some online job site. I owe her big time.”