Page 11 of So Savage (Faith Bold #21)

“Go, Bruce!”

Bruce launched toward the target, and Technical Sergeant Maria Delgado admired as she always did the speed with which the big dog ran. He was nearly as heavy as she was, but she’d seen him top thirty miles an hour when he ran.

It wasn’t just his speed that made him impressive, though. He moved with such grace, his muscles rippling beautifully beneath his short coat. At four years old, Bruce was in the prime of his life, and there was something truly incredible about watching an animal achieve peak performance.

And she was responsible for that. Her careful attention to Bruce’s diet, exercise, and training had allowed him to achieve the pinnacle of canine capability. He had won four different K9 competitions in the Air Force and one joint competition, much to the delight of Colonel Braxton, who very much enjoyed lording that victory over the other branches’ representatives.

But as far as Maria was concerned, the best part of the job was the bond the two of them shared. She used to make fun of people who called their pets fur-babies, but she very much understood that feeling now. She would give her life for Bruce in a heartbeat.

A gust of wind chilled her and brought her thoughts back to the present. She shivered and looked ahead to where Bruce should be returning.

Except he wasn’t returning. She frowned. “Bruce? Bruce, come.”

No answer. A chill ran through her. She started jogging forward, pulling her flashlight from her pocket and switching it on. As she brought the flashlight to her chest, something smacked it hard, knocking it from her hand.

She cried out and dropped to the ground, an instinct retained from basic training. When she hit the ground, she saw a little red puffball in front of her that looked like a miniature cheerleader’s pompom. She followed the pompom to the ground, and her eyes widened. The pompom was connected to a dart that was now nearly buried in the snow.

She leaped to her feet and grabbed her flashlight. She started running forward, zigzagging to avoid being hit. Another dart whipped by her, missing her shoulder by millimeters.

“Bruce!” she shrieked. “Bruce, talk to me boy!” When Bruce still didn’t make any noise, anger joined her fear. “Whoever you are, you better pray to God that you didn’t hurt my dog!”

She caught movement ahead and lifted the flashlight to see a figure crouching next to Bruce’s still form. The figure was hurriedly loading another dart into a gun that looked like some civilian video gamer’s idea of what a sniper rifle should look like.

The figure lifted the weapon, and Jessica hurled the flashlight at his head. It connected just as he pulled the trigger, making a resounding crack and causing her attacker to jerk. The dart sailed high over Maria’s head.

She dropped to Bruce’s side and felt her dog’s pulse. It was there, but it was slow, and his body was limp. “Bruce! Come on, baby. It’s okay, Mama’s here.”

A groan told her that her attacker wasn’t as unconscious as she hoped he would be. She looked up just in time to see a boot heading for her face.

She threw herself backwards, but not enough to avoid the impact. Sparks flew in front of her eyes, and she stumbled to her feet. The attacker drove his fist toward Jessica’s midsection, but she was able to lift her knee and parry the blow.

She kept her leg in the air and kicked out, catching the attacker in his solar plexus. He grunted, but didn’t go down. Instead, he grabbed her ankle and her toes and twisted. She spun and fell onto her elbows in the snow, one of her legs lifted high. She kicked back desperately, but the attacker grabbed her other leg and held it aloft too.

She kicked and screamed for help, but there was no one nearby. The nearest people were on the other side of the airfield, and they were all asleep in their cozy beds. Maria never anticipated that she would need anything other than Bruce to protect her.

The attacker switched both of her legs to one arm and reached into his pocket. He was reaching for another tranquilizer dart, Maia guessed.

With one arm handling both legs, she was able to tear both of them from his grasp. He cursed and reached for her again, and she drove her foot into his groin. He released a soft cry, and she brought her right knee up and smashed his nose. He stiffened and straightened, and Maria backed away and got to her feet.

“You’d better back the hell off,” Maria warned. “Or I’ll finish what I started.”

The man looked at Maria. He wore a ski mask, so all she could see were his eyes, but that was enough to terrify her. There was nothing in that gaze, no emotion, no sanity. It was like looking into the eyes of a lizard.

“I’m going to finish what I started,” the attacker promised.

He lunged at Maria, and Maria sidestepped and brought her knee into his ribs. He grunted and fell, but the awkwardness of the blow caused Maria to stumble too. She scrambled to her feet, but when she did, she saw a pink puffball bouncing along the snow at her ankle.

The puffball was attached to a dart that was buried in her calf. She looked at her attacker, who got to his feet with a very recognizable emotion now in his eyes. Triumph.

“No,” she whispered.

She tried to run, but her legs gave out. Her head lolled to the side, and she saw Bruce’s chest rise and fall. She opened her mouth to call to him one last time, but she was unconscious before she could know if she succeeded.