Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 27534 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 138(@200wpm)___ 110(@250wpm)___ 92(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27534 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 138(@200wpm)___ 110(@250wpm)___ 92(@300wpm)
My explanation didn’t help at all, and they made me go through every detail of what happened last night. Of course, I skipped the part about Kade putting me in one of his shirts while I slept and only focused on the fact that he’d watched over me from a chair.
“Who is this Kade guy, and why don’t we know about him?” Andrew demanded once I was done.
“He’s a friend of a vet I’m working on pairing with a service dog. Kade came in with him for his appointment.” The silence on the other end of the line was deafening, and I knew they wouldn’t budge until I gave them more details. “We went out for dinner a couple of nights ago, and he was supposed to foster Tucker before he was taken. That’s why he was there last night. To start his foster training. Which was a lucky thing for me.”
“He has my gratitude for that,” my dad begrudgingly conceded.
“Where does this guy live?” Andrew asked. “I’ll come get you and bring you to Dad’s.”
Kade’s name was on the police report too, so I figured they would get his full name and details as soon as we hung up. And more if Andrew hadn’t been joking about looking into anyone I dated.
But that didn’t stop me from insisting, “I’m fine where I’m at for now. All I want to do is eat the breakfast Kade made me. If you really want to do something to help, ask Phillip if there’s any progress in finding Tucker. I’m safe, but he isn’t.”
“I was already planning to do that,” Andrew confirmed.
“Not sure how I feel about you staying at some man’s home when I haven’t met him yet,” my dad grumbled.
I sighed. “I’m twenty-two, Daddy. I was bound to meet a guy sooner or later.”
Andrew made a gagging sound while my dad murmured, “You’ll always be my baby girl, no matter how old you are.”
I sniffled. “I know.”
“Which means you’ll send me texts to confirm you’re okay every two hours,” he demanded.
“Me, too,” Andrew chimed in.
“Fine,” I huffed. “But you better not show up on his doorstep unless it’s to surprise me because you have Tucker with you.”
8
Kade
Icouldn’t hear whatever Annalise’s dad said, but her frustrated expression had me seconds away from yanking the phone out of her hand and telling them to fuck off. Luckily—because that wouldn’t be the best way to win them over—my phone vibrated in my pocket.
I jerked my chin toward the living room, and Annalise nodded. As I left, I swiped the screen of my phone to answer.
“Deacon,” I answered in lieu of a greeting.
“I did some recon and found the vehicle, but it had been ditched in a grocery store parking lot.”
“Fuck.” We didn’t really have anything else to go on.
“You said the dog bit him?”
“Yeah, it looked like he punctured the guy’s skin pretty deep. Enough for stitches, if I had to guess.”
“Then I doubt he was able to walk far. Chances are high that he lives within two clicks of that store.”
He had a point.
“Unless he had someone pick him up.”
“Shit.”
“Although, from what you’ve told me about his state of mind, I think that’s unlikely. Our best bet is to monitor the nearest hospitals and urgent cares. If the dog got him bad enough, he’ll need treatment.”
I growled in frustration. “The one thing I got a good look at was his jacket. He was a combat medic.”
“Shit.”
I grunted in agreement.
“Still, other than plastering ‘Have you seen this dog’ posters all over the neighborhood, it’s our best shot. Even if he can sew, he probably doesn’t have what he needs to really treat the injury.”
“Keep me informed,” I ordered. Then I figured, why the fuck not? “And put someone on those posters, too.”
Deacon chuckled, then muttered, “Hooyah.”
I did the same, and we hung up.
Annalise was off the phone when I strolled back into the kitchen. She looked frustrated as she stabbed the food on her plate.
“Ouch. I’m glad that chicken is already dead,” I teased as I returned to my seat.
One side of her mouth kicked up, but she was obviously still upset, making me want to kick her family’s ass.
“Want to talk about it?”
She sighed, and her expression turned apologetic. “I just want to say I’m sorry right now in case there comes a time if—or more likely when—my dad or my brother do something idiotic.”
I laughed and shot my hand out to grab her chair and drag her closer to me. “I won’t hold their actions against you, baby. Remember?” I banged my fist on my chest in a dramatic fashion. “Big, strong sailor, not a wimpy flyboy.”
Annalise giggled, and the sound went a long way in soothing my ire. My head dropped down, and I kissed her temple before picking up her fork and holding it in front of her perfect mouth. “Eat, gorgeous.”