Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 72154 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 361(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72154 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 361(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
I looked down at her, and shit you not, she nudged her head toward Parker’s truck.
Smiling at her greatness, I backed away until Parker’s truck was at my back, and Carmen seemed to relax.
Parker seemed to as well.
Especially since we’d gathered a crowd since it’d all started.
A family of five was staring at us from their minivan while an elderly couple was standing in front of their RV, arms crossed.
Then there was a man standing beside his car, leaning against it casually.
I frowned and stared at him.
He was staring at the entire situation with amusement on his face.
I narrowed my eyes at him, but his eyes were too focused on Parker and the woman to be aware of my aggravated look.
I opened the back door for Carmen, but she didn’t so much as twitch.
That was when I saw her muscles quivering as if she was ready to react at any second to any preconceived threat.
Whether it was to protect me or Parker, I didn’t know.
But I’d take either at this point.
Especially when the man that had been leaning against the car started walking over toward Parker.
I watched him as did Carmen, and when he was nearly to the sidewalk that separated the grass from the concrete, Carmen left me for Parker.
She turned so that her butt was to the woman and the dog, making sure that Parker’s back was protected. It was all so practiced as if they’d done it a thousand times before.
And it made me curious.
Had they done it a thousand times before?
Surely they had, otherwise she wouldn’t have known how to do that.
The man who’d started over paused, staring at Carmen.
Parker looked over his shoulder, spotted the man, and positioned himself better so that both woman and man were in his sight.
Carmen moved with him.
I found myself smiling.
I loved that they had that.
“Carmen, kennel.”
Carmen looked like she really didn’t want to, but she did.
Reluctantly.
Very, very reluctantly.
She moved to me, stopped once to look one more time over her shoulder, and then hopped in the truck.
I closed the back door, then circled around to the passenger side and got in.
I would not be using the facilities at this particular gas station.
Not with the weirdo couple there who didn’t seem to know what boundaries were.
My luck, they’d find me in the bathroom and ask to use the same stall as me.
No, thank you. I’d wait until I literally couldn’t wait anymore, then I’d beg Parker to stop.
Speaking of Parker, without another word, he turned his back and started to walk away.
The woman, seeing her opening, threw what looked like a bag of poop at him.
Parker stepped out of the way, as if he’d anticipated that, and kept walking.
I bit my lip to keep the laugh inside. The woman looked pissed that she’d missed, then turned and glared at the man.
The woman crossed the grass and stopped next to the man who’d been watching the entire spectacle, and I shook my head. I should’ve known that was her car and her man. They were both stupid.
Obviously.
The woman pointed at him with a finger in his face, and he pushed her backward.
Parker got inside and stared with me.
“If he hits her, can I laugh?”
He grunted. “We’re not staying long enough to find out if he does or not.”
With that, he started the truck and pulled out.
I bit my lip.
“You never told me what happened to Carmen,” I whispered softly.
I mean, I assumed something bad had happened, but what I assumed, and what really happened, were night and day.
“Carmen was stolen from us while we were on a mission. Then she was given to a radical group, who tried to make her work for them. At first, she resisted. However, after they beat her enough, she started to perform. Unfortunately for them, we found her before she could be used against us. But when she finally got back under our command, she was no longer a sane dog. The only person that she could stand to be around was me. I don’t know why. We were never really trainer and K-9, but whatever. I love her now. She’s mine.”
“Like to like.”
“What?” He looked over at me.
“I said, like to like. Broken recognizes broken.”
He grunted in reply.
To change the subject we were currently on, I made a blanket statement, knowing he’d answer, and that he would no longer be on such a sensitive subject.
“Where in Florida are we going?” I asked.
“It’s a small town just east of the state line. We’re almost there,” he answered.
“Who is the memorial service for?” I pushed. “Is it something to do with the military?”
He shook his head.
“Next weekend I’ll be participating in the Wreaths Across America ceremony…if you want to come. But this memorial service isn’t for anything to do with the military. It’s for my nephew,” he murmured quietly.