master, it was coming straight for them.
But Levi was fast. He grabbed for it, and there was a blur of motion—the dog’s jaws snapping, Levi grabbing, twisting, and then when it was all over, Levi was straddling the dog’s back with its mouth clamped firmly shut in his hand as he kept its body pinned between his legs. It wined faintly, but with its jaws held closed, it couldn’t bark.
“The leash!” he snapped.
Hurriedly, Harper kicked the stand down. She ran over to his side, her hands shaking as she pulled the lead free.
“Unhook it and tie it around the dog’s mouth and head,” Levi ordered.
“You have to be kidding me,” Harper muttered, but she did as his said, wrapping it around the animal’s muzzle and neck as it whined and tried to snap at her fingers.
“Harder. You’re not going to hurt her, but if she gets loose, she’s sure as hell going to hurt us.”
“Well, all right, then,” she said, pulling the webbing tighter before she tied it.
“Rin!” one of the cops called suddenly from the circle of light. “Hey, Rin!”
“What’s up, Hooper?” another asked.
“It’s Rin. I dropped her lead. Come, Rin!”
The dog wriggled manically in Levi’s grasp, whimpering louder, and Harper fumbled with tying off the end in a secure knot.
“You have to kidding me, Hooper. Can’t you ever keep ahold of that dog?”
“Shut up. She always comes when I call. Rin! Come!”
The whimpering got louder.
“I think I hear her!”
Levi met Harper’s eyes over the dog’s head.
“We’re going to have to run, won’t we?” she whispered.
He nodded as the dog thrashed even more frantically in response to its master’s whisper.
“Ready?” he whispered.
“No. But do it anyway.”
Levi released the dog, and she streaked back to her master.
“What’d you find out there, girl?” the man asked. “Hey—what the hell? What happened to your lead?”
Levi and Harper were already running. He was faster than she was, so by the time she threw her weight against the back of the motorcycle, he had the kickstand up and was pushing the handlebars.
“Hey, Mercer, Washington, take a look at this. Someone got hold of Rin’s lead.”
Harper grunted as she slammed against the back of the motorcycle. The three hundred-plus pounds of machinery moved only reluctantly, and in the clear light of the moon on the road, Harper could see Levi’s muscles bunching with effort.
“What are you talking about? There’s nobody out there.”
“You think? Somebody did that. Look at that! She’s got a scent.”
Oh, shit.
They pushed, faster and faster, until she was jogging behind it with her arms braced on the back of the seat. Headlights danced in the trees in front of them—a car was coming from the opposite direction, just around a bend in the road.
“Get on!” Levi ordered.
Harper scrambled into t he seat, putting her feet up on the foot pegs and jamming her purse, still looped over her body, between her belly and the front of the motorcycle as she leaned over. There was a helmet hanging from the handlebars. Levi let go of that side so she could pulled it free, and she quickly buckled it on.
“You think that Harris did that?” Another voice came from behind them.
“Well, it wasn’t Bigfoot.” The voice was breathless—from running, Harper realized.
Double shit.
“Captain! We’ve got a scent!”
There were more sounds now—heavy footfalls hitting the asphalt and coming toward them.
“When the car passes us, start the engine and go,” Levi said, huffing with the effort of keeping the motorcycle going under her added weight. “Maybe the noise will be hidden in the sound of the car.”
“Got it,” Harper said , making sure the headlights were off before switching the ignition on, ready to start up the engine.
The car came quickly around the curve, and she flicked on the headlights, pulled the clutch, and hit the starter. Levi swung up behind Harper, wrapping his arms around her
But Levi was fast. He grabbed for it, and there was a blur of motion—the dog’s jaws snapping, Levi grabbing, twisting, and then when it was all over, Levi was straddling the dog’s back with its mouth clamped firmly shut in his hand as he kept its body pinned between his legs. It wined faintly, but with its jaws held closed, it couldn’t bark.
“The leash!” he snapped.
Hurriedly, Harper kicked the stand down. She ran over to his side, her hands shaking as she pulled the lead free.
“Unhook it and tie it around the dog’s mouth and head,” Levi ordered.
“You have to be kidding me,” Harper muttered, but she did as his said, wrapping it around the animal’s muzzle and neck as it whined and tried to snap at her fingers.
“Harder. You’re not going to hurt her, but if she gets loose, she’s sure as hell going to hurt us.”
“Well, all right, then,” she said, pulling the webbing tighter before she tied it.
“Rin!” one of the cops called suddenly from the circle of light. “Hey, Rin!”
“What’s up, Hooper?” another asked.
“It’s Rin. I dropped her lead. Come, Rin!”
The dog wriggled manically in Levi’s grasp, whimpering louder, and Harper fumbled with tying off the end in a secure knot.
“You have to kidding me, Hooper. Can’t you ever keep ahold of that dog?”
“Shut up. She always comes when I call. Rin! Come!”
The whimpering got louder.
“I think I hear her!”
Levi met Harper’s eyes over the dog’s head.
“We’re going to have to run, won’t we?” she whispered.
He nodded as the dog thrashed even more frantically in response to its master’s whisper.
“Ready?” he whispered.
“No. But do it anyway.”
Levi released the dog, and she streaked back to her master.
“What’d you find out there, girl?” the man asked. “Hey—what the hell? What happened to your lead?”
Levi and Harper were already running. He was faster than she was, so by the time she threw her weight against the back of the motorcycle, he had the kickstand up and was pushing the handlebars.
“Hey, Mercer, Washington, take a look at this. Someone got hold of Rin’s lead.”
Harper grunted as she slammed against the back of the motorcycle. The three hundred-plus pounds of machinery moved only reluctantly, and in the clear light of the moon on the road, Harper could see Levi’s muscles bunching with effort.
“What are you talking about? There’s nobody out there.”
“You think? Somebody did that. Look at that! She’s got a scent.”
Oh, shit.
They pushed, faster and faster, until she was jogging behind it with her arms braced on the back of the seat. Headlights danced in the trees in front of them—a car was coming from the opposite direction, just around a bend in the road.
“Get on!” Levi ordered.
Harper scrambled into t he seat, putting her feet up on the foot pegs and jamming her purse, still looped over her body, between her belly and the front of the motorcycle as she leaned over. There was a helmet hanging from the handlebars. Levi let go of that side so she could pulled it free, and she quickly buckled it on.
“You think that Harris did that?” Another voice came from behind them.
“Well, it wasn’t Bigfoot.” The voice was breathless—from running, Harper realized.
Double shit.
“Captain! We’ve got a scent!”
There were more sounds now—heavy footfalls hitting the asphalt and coming toward them.
“When the car passes us, start the engine and go,” Levi said, huffing with the effort of keeping the motorcycle going under her added weight. “Maybe the noise will be hidden in the sound of the car.”
“Got it,” Harper said , making sure the headlights were off before switching the ignition on, ready to start up the engine.
The car came quickly around the curve, and she flicked on the headlights, pulled the clutch, and hit the starter. Levi swung up behind Harper, wrapping his arms around her
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