by Tasha Black
He’d never traveled much for work before, but in the following month he was away more than he was home.
She got a forwarded late notice bill for cable and internet for his old place while he was away, and called the number on the letter. She didn’t want him to have his credit ruined just because he hadn’t properly canceled service.
But when she called they told her the service was active.
She checked the bill again and saw the internet usage.
In retrospect it would have been better to have a friend go over, but Veronica was so angry, so incredulous, so wildly hopeful that it wasn’t true, that she dashed to his apartment immediately, snagging the spare key he kept in his bureau.
When she got there she didn’t find them in bed together.
Instead, the co-worker was sitting on the sofa with a cup of coffee and a magazine. Ralph was making pancakes. Veronica knew it was pancakes because she could smell the cinnamon. He always put cinnamon in them for Veronica - spice for my spicy girl.
“What the hell?” co-worker spat as the door flew open.
“Veronica,” Ralph said.
She waited for him to say something else, anything.
But he only gaped at her.
That night she packed up everything of his that was at her house, took some of it to Goodwill and trashed the rest.
He’d asked her to trust him and she’d trusted him. All that had happened is that she’d made a fool of herself and lost the leg up that a live-in trainer position at the Philadelphia PD K-9 unit would have given her.
Now she had gotten lucky and secured a good position in the ‘burbs.
It made no sense to risk it all on the assertions of a man she had just met. One who had taken off like a bat out of hell when the shit hit the fan, doing something risky that impacted her career without her consent.
“Miss Nunez?” The operator sounded worried. “Your location?”
She glanced from Biscuit to Lobo and back again.
Lobo’s hands were still in the air. But his eyes were charged with feeling.
He was never going to fall in line like a loyal dog.
But that wasn’t really what she wanted.
Lobo was willing to risk his own neck to do what he thought was right.
To help her.
“I’m at the kennels,” she said.
She ended the call and slid the phone back into her pocket.
Lobo grinned at her as he lowered his hands.
“This had better be good,” she told him.
26
Percy
Percy Reeves crept around the corner of the old academy building. It was musty and creepy back there, with the big shiny leaves on the bushes making it feel like a jungle.
He hoped he wouldn’t run into Veronica or any of her dumb friends.
Percy had seen her buddy, Brooke, the busty blonde hand-to-hand combat trainer, out in the field the other day. She was grappling with another giant guy the size of Lobo. The earth practically shook when she took him down, like the illustration of David and Goliath in his childhood picture bible.
He shivered at the thought of those two having a grudge against him.
Thankfully, that wasn’t going to happen.
He just had to grab the evidence from the kennel and get out again without anyone seeing him.
And now that the training program was canceled, it should be easy. The kennels would be a ghost town.
He walked through the gate. A light breeze kicked up dust in the unkempt lot. The untidiness of it disgusted him. If Percy had his way, the training would be conducted indoors.
He had just entered the shadowy kennels, with Biscuit's door in sight when someone coughed.
“Sir, the kennels are closed until further notice,” a man’s voice said.
Percy took another step inside and saw the owner of the voice.
It was a cop, a big guy.
“I’m Reeves, part of the K-9 training unit,” Percy said with as much authority as he could muster. “I’m allowed access.”
“Nope,” the cop said. “No one is allowed access. And you should know already the K-9 program was canceled. Any questions, you can talk to Captain Henderson.”
“With all due respect, someone has to feed and exercise these dogs,” Percy said, hating the way his voice lifted up anxiously at the end, giving him away.
“Nunez has that under control,” the cop told him.
Fuck that whore.
She shouldn’t even be allowed on government property.
“Look, I’m gonna level with you, man,” Percy said, trying to stifle his anger and sound sad. “I really miss my canine partner. I’d be willing to drop a hundred bucks right now if you could just, like, turn your back for five minutes so I could say good-bye to him.”
He pulled out his wallet.
“Are you offering me a bribe?” The big guy sounded horrified.
Well, fuck him.
“Look, you numbskull, I was trying to be nice, but now you’ve pushed me too far,” Percy yelled. “I’m Percy Reeves, of the Reeves Foundation. And if you don’t get the fuck out of my way, I’m going to pull your grant and then pick up my dog from the pound when you morons have to surrender them all because you can’t afford to fucking feed them. Do I make myself clear?”
“You sure do,” said a cold female voice.
He spun to see Nunez, who must have arrived just after him. Standing behind her was that idiot Lobo. And on the end of Lobo’s leash was Biscuit, crouched on the ground trembling in fear at the sight of Percy.
“The jig is up, Reeves,” Nunez said.
Unsure what else to do, Percy darted past her. He managed to take them all by surprise, so that neither Nunez nor her big dopey friend could grab him.
He dodged the guard too, and made it out of the kennels.
The sunlight was so bright it was hard for his eyes to adjust.
So it caught him totally off guard when someone clotheslined him, taking him completely off his feet.
He let out a barking cough and fell hard on his back in the dirt.
The breath was knocked out of him, but he managed to get back to his feet. By then he could see that three more cops had arrived.
“Thanks, guys,” Veronica said. “Not a minute too late.”
“Glad you called us,” one of the uniforms said. “What did he do?”
“He’s been abusing Officer Biscuit,” Lobo said loudly, gesturing toward the dog, who obligingly cringed away from Percy at just the right moment. “He also framed Biscuit for a crime he did not commit.”
“Bullshit,” Percy spat.
“What crime?” the cop wanted to know.
“He accused Officer Biscuit of attacking him,” Lobo said. “But what he really did was injure himself, and then blame the canine.”
“Whoa,” the cop said.
“That’s ridiculous,” Percy said. “Why would I hurt myself? Why would I set up a dog? These are crazy accusations. Where’s your proof?”
Lobo didn’t even acknowledge him. Instead he gestured to the officers. “Would you please follow me?”
They all followed along, dragging Percy with them, back into the kennels.
“If you search carefully in the straw near the corner I think you’ll find what you’re looking for,” Lobo said.
They all watched as one of the officers pawed gently through the bedding and came up with Percy’s carving fork.
How the hell had the big idiot known about that?
“I think you’ll find that this item is missing from Percy’s kitchen knife block,” Lobo explained.
“And if you test the blood it should be a match,” Veronica added.
The three cops stared in wonder at the thing. As well they should. Percy had been incredibly brave to shove those cruel tines into his own hand.
Despite that fact, they were laughing at him. He could tell. Right now they were staring bug-eyed at the fork, but in half a minute they’d be cackl
ing at him and jeering.
Veronica was already observing him with her stupid pert expression and dancing eyes.
Nothing upset Percy more than being laughed at, nothing.
Especially by a woman.
Taking advantage of their brief distraction, he lunged forward and grabbed the fork out of the officer’s hands.
Things seemed to go in slow motion.
He stepped toward that insufferable bitch, Veronica, slashing at her with the fork.
But before he could reach her, he found himself knocked through the air to land on the ground like a rag doll for the second time in five minutes.
But this time, the officers had not moved.
A set of sharp teeth held his wrist, securing the hand with the fork in it, as a terrifyingly deep growl emanated from the dog that held him down.
Percy howled in pain and fury.
“Aus,” Veronica cried from above. “Aus. Release, Biscuit.”
The hold on his wrist was immediately released.
Percy scrambled up again and glared hatefully at the dog, who sat happily between Veronica and Lobo.
“That’s not supposed to happen,” he spluttered. “I broke that dog.”
“That was a perfect Schutzhund move, right down to the hardest part, the release,” Veronica said. “Biscuit isn’t breakable. He’s the best damned dog in the whole unit.”
A slow clap began from outside.
Percy squinted against the sun to see who had joined them.
“Very nice work, Officer Biscuit,” Henderson said. “I suppose your suspension is over, Nunez.”
“Thank you, Captain Henderson,” Veronica said.
“Take him away, boys,” Henderson said, indicating Percy.
“No,” Percy said. “I just—”
“Reeves,” Henderson said. “The best advice I can give you right now is to shut your damned mouth before you get yourself into an even bigger heap of trouble.”
“What about him?” Percy yelled anyway, indicating Lobo with his chin, since his hands were already being cuffed behind his back.
Henderson ignored the question.
“Son,” he said to Lobo instead. “I’m afraid he’s right. You absconded with government property. It’s a federal offense.”
“I did what?” Lobo looked super scared.
“He means you left the property with Biscuit,” Veronica explained softly.
“Oh,” Lobo said. “That’s true. I have done what you said. Do not worry. I will come with you peacefully.”
Biscuit pressed his shoulder to the big man’s thigh as if offering him moral support.
And Lobo offered up his hands to be cuffed just as the sun set enough to cast a freaking glow under the roofline of the kennel, lighting him up like a stained glass window of Saint Francis of Assisi or something.
Then the cops dragged Percy out and he could see no more.
27
Lobo
Lobo waited patiently in his cell, listening to his new roommate describe the injustice of his imprisonment.
“And then,” the man said, waving his arms, “they took me down. I didn’t even do anything wrong.”
“And then what?” Lobo asked.
The man looked up at him startled, as if he had forgotten he had an audience to his tale.
“They dragged me off to jail, that’s what,” the man said. His breath smelled odd and his words were slightly slurred. Lobo hoped whatever was wrong with him was not contagious.
“You did not stop for a hamburger?” Lobo asked.
“What?” the man looked stunned. Then he broke into a big grin and cackled. “That’s priceless. You almost had me there. A hamburger. Ha.”
Lobo was now hopelessly confused.
The officers who brought him to jail were most respectful. They asked if he had eaten any dinner. And when he said he hadn’t, they told him the prison food was terrible, and they stopped and got him a hamburger in a paper sack. They had even taken his cuffs off so that he could eat it. It was delicious.
“If you did nothing wrong, then why did they bring you here?” Lobo asked suspiciously.
The man laughed.
“Well, they said I was drunk and disorderly,” he said. “But I was only asserting my god-given right to free speech.”
“Settle down, Curtis,” the police officer at the desk nearby said. “You just need to sober up and we can take you home. You’re not allowed to stand in the middle of the park screaming at people about the last episode of Lost. You scared that lady half to death.”
“Humph," Curtis sighed. But he didn’t complain anymore.
Lobo was relieved and disappointed at the same time. His cellmate’s complaints were irksome, but without them he was left with his own thoughts.
He was horrified that he had let his planet down in failing to properly assimilate. And even more terrible was his betrayal of Dr. Bhimani and his friends at the lab in Stargazer. His crime and capture would surely lead the public eye back to them once the police determined who he was.
But somehow all he could think of was his intended mate.
If the Earth authorities did not put him to death for his crime, he would certainly be shipped back to Aerie and parted from the body that had brought him such pleasure.
But what would become of Veronica?
Lobo would only ever bond to one woman, and that was Veronica Nunez.
But would his removal leave her mate-less and alone for life? Or might she be able to love another?
The thought of his mate bonding with another was unbearable, but it was worse to think of the brave and beautiful Veronica never having a family to love and protect.
He might never see her again, might never be able to thank her for the wonderful adventure of being human with her.
His heart ached and he yearned for just one more moment with her, if only to beg her not to close her heart to love again.
A moment later he heard her voice in the distance, as if he had summoned her.
“Yes, he’s right back here,” one of the officers said.
“Thanks,” Veronica said. Her voice was closer now. She was really here.
Lobo stood.
“Lobo,” she said.
It was odd to look at her through bars. But he was grateful for the opportunity.
“Veronica,” he said.
He opened his mouth and closed it again, all his words lost as he drank in the sight of her face. She was smiling at him. Warm happiness flowed to him through her.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
He nodded. “I don’t mind if they hang me now that I’ve had this chance to see you again.”
“Hang you?” she echoed looking horrified.
“Ha,” his cellmate laughed. “This kid’s a real comedian.”
“Does Pennsylvania use the guillotine?” Lobo asked in confusion.
Curtis flung himself on his cot snorting with laughter.
The officer accompanying Veronica slid the key ring off his belt and opened the door.
“Come on out,” he said. “In light of your recent assistance, the state isn’t pressing charges.”
“What does this mean?” Lobo asked Veronica.
“It means you’re free to go,” the officer said.
She nodded up at Lobo, her eyes twinkling.
He wrapped his arms around her without thinking twice, and hugged her tight to his chest, this valiant woman, who had rescued him again.
He was pleased to feel her squeeze him right back.
“Woo,” Curtis hooted from inside the cell. “Give her a kiss.”
“Settle down, old man,” the officer at the desk told him again.
“Come on, let’s go home,” Veronica said into Lobo’s chest.
Reluctantly, he let her go and they walked down the hallway to the front doors together.
The sky outside was velvet purple, softened by stars and moonlight. The air was cooler now - a gentle breeze lifted the tendrils that had
escaped from Veronica’s ponytail.
“You saved me,” he breathed.
She shook her head.
“You saved yourself,” she told him. “Everything you did, everyone you interacted with, it was all evidence that you are a good person and you were trying hard to do the right thing. You saw an officer in danger, and you made every effort to assist him.”
“Biscuit,” Lobo said, suddenly concerned for his friend.
“He’s fine,” Veronica said. “As a matter of fact, I think it was therapeutic for him to have a chance to confront his attacker professionally, see him taken out in cuffs. There’s no better way to communicate to a dog than through actions.”
Lobo could think of a better way.
But he decided not to mention it just yet. Dr. Bhimani said humans might be frightened by the unusual gifts of the men from Aerie. He didn’t think Veronica Nunez was likely to be frightened by anything. But he wasn’t going to take any chances when they were close, so close, to finally becoming one.
Veronica led him to her car in silence.
It was intoxicating to be seated next to her in the small, private space.
She started the vehicle and pulled away.
“It’s so quiet,” he observed.
“It’s just a regular car,” she said. “Nothing special.”
“I’ve never been in a regular car,” he told her.
“Really?”
“No, only the bus,” he explained. “And the van the officers drove. Oh, and the ice cream truck.”
“The ice cream truck,” she said slowly. “So that’s how you guys got away, huh?”
“My friend Ajeet helped us,” Lobo said, nodding. “He was very kind. He even gave us ice cream. Did you know he had dog ice cream for Officer Biscuit?”
“Everyone you meet just wants to help you and feed you,” Veronica chuckled. “The cops told me they bought you dinner.”
“They were very kind,” Lobo said. “Most people are, I am learning. There are a few exceptions, but most people are lovely.”
Veronica got a funny look on her face. She was looking out at the road, but the moonlight accentuated the slight furrow in her brow.
