Hounded (Going to the Dogs) by Zoe Dawson Page A

scooped up Daisy, hailed a cab home, got his truck and drove to Poe’s apartment building.
    He left Daisy in the truck snoozing and cased Poe’s apartment complex. There were two entrances, but both had security doors. That was at least something. However, even though a visitor had to be buzzed up or use a code, it wouldn’t take much to piggyback into the building after the door was opened for a legitimate guest. He would get one of his techs to rig up security cameras on both doors. Jared would be able to monitor them with one device. He entered her building right behind another tenet. Just as he thought. Not all that secure. He located her apartment in case he needed to get to her in a hurry, making a mental note where it would be on the outside of the building.
    He also needed to work up a schedule. Since he did have to sleep, he’d need to put some of his elite people on her to keep her safe. Several of his employees came to mind. Two men and two women. He called each and left them a message to get in touch with him for their assignments.
    As for tonight, he was going to sit in his truck, watching out for her until he saw her head off to work.
    It was past ten when he settled back in his truck. Daisy didn’t even stir, even when he absently petted her while he watched the building. There were some stars in the sky, making him wish for the wide-open spaces of the Texas range. The vastness of the sky above and the endless twinkling of the stars that lit up the night sky were truly a thing of beauty. He’d enjoyed ranching to a certain extent. It was hard work, but satisfying. Some of the best days of his youth had been spent with his father, learning to ride, rope, and brand. How to “read” cattle and those slippery calves, anticipate a horse and break him in. There was nothing like a good cattle horse under him and the nights below that huge, starry sky.
    He’d felt both incredibly insignificant and, at the same time, somehow strangely empowered. As if the vastness was a coded message once unraveled told the story of a huge universe, but that he wasn’t as earthbound as he thought he was.
    The night sky still had the power to make him feel that way. It was just a little harder to really see it in New York City.
    He shifted his gaze back to Poe’s building and the glow of light emanating from somewhere in her apartment. He kept expecting the light to go off, but it didn’t. He had the sudden overwhelming urge to go up there and find out why she needed the light on all night.
    His mind drifted to Colin, and he again felt sorry for the shy, smitten teenager.
    Jared would classify himself as pretty square compared to Poe. He was staid and boring, just like his brother had said. No way would a woman like Poe be interested in him, except maybe in a physical way, tearing up the sheets. He swore softly under his breath at the vision of what Poe would look like all mussed up beneath him. He shook his head to clear those provocative thoughts. He wasn’t here to date her or bed her. He was here to protect her. So, whatever she thought about him was moot.
    He needed to create distance and it all had to be mental. He had plenty of practice during Afghanistan in schooling his mind. But Poe was the wild card, as unpredictable as which direction a bucking bronc would go. He couldn’t afford to be clouded, and especially didn’t want his judgment to be off because of his attraction to her. One misstep could be disastrous, just as it had been in Afghanistan. He closed his eyes at the cries of agony and the cacophony of shells and gunfire that still echoed in his mind. The mind-bending pain of his wounds and the bitter agony of his regret nearly overwhelmed him again.
    Daisy licked his hand. Startled, he snapped out of his reverie and looked down at her. She made a soft sound and then went back to sleep. Could she have sensed his emotions? Dogs were somehow aware of such things. Jared looked back up at Poe’s apartment, saw