She needed someone. Staring at her now, he felt it so strongly. Maybe she didn’t know it, but he could help. Whatever it was, he knew people who wouldn’t turn her away. The Academy could do amazing things for the right type of person.
One, one-thousand. Two, one-thousand. He counted, only because he didn’t know what else to do. The waiting was difficult.
When he got to ten, the girl moved. She picked her foot up, and placed it on the street. She turned in his direction and started to walk. Slowly, keeping to the shadows.
He had to take a chance. In the few seconds she started moving, he came up with a thousand different scenarios, each one he didn’t like. He wanted her to trust him, to talk to him. How?
“Max,” he said. He shifted Max’s lead in his hand, gripping it.
Max stood quickly, his nose pointing out, waiting for the command.
Kota bit his lip, debating one last time, but the Academy doesn’t want team members to hesitate. If it really is the right thing to do, go for it. Kota could only hope she wasn’t going to get hurt, as this was already risky.
“Get her,” he commanded. “Take her down.”
Max took off in a shot, heading right for the girl.
Sang
Kota cringed as his dog took off toward her. The moment Max ran at her, Kota was sure he’d made a big mistake. She’d run into the garage. She’d scream. She’d break her arm.
Max didn’t hesitate. Once the order was given, he’d see it through. Kota held the leash and ran after him.
Max collided with her, and the shadow dropped back. Her book bag fell away. No scream.
A sudden thought that Max might have knocked her out scared him. “Hey!” He called, hurrying. “Are you okay?”
She moved, looking at him. She was in shadow, so he couldn’t get a good look, but the fact that she was moving was a good sign. Max sat on her legs, holding her down like Kota had trained him to do.
Kota slowed to a jog so as not to scare her. When he got to her, he caught Max licking her arm. At least Max knew she wasn’t a threat. Maybe he went easy on her. “I’m sorry,” Kota said. He made a motion with his hand. “Max, get off of her.”
Words tumbled around in his head, mostly a billion questions. He was worried she was really hurt. He wondered if she’d run once she was upright. He wanted to say something, anything to make her not run away. Give me a chance. You can talk to me.
The fact that she wasn’t saying anything, not even yelling at him about his dog, worried him.
When Max climbed off of her, Kota’s instincts took over, and he knelt beside her. He slid an arm around her shoulders and started to lift, but then hesitated. It was a normal reaction, helping someone when they’ve fallen, but he could already feel her stiffening. “Are you hurt?” he asked.
She shook under his touch. Now that he had an arm around her, she felt small, fragile, and he had a strong desire to lift her at that moment, away from the dirty street and wet ground and out of the rain. He resisted the urge.
She shifted, shoving her arm toward over her chest, and spoke through gritted teeth. “It’s okay,” she said, her voice soft. He’d never heard her voice before, but it had a flowing sweetness to it. “It’s fine.”
He could only see the outline of her face—shadows covered her features—but he knew she was lying. “No, you’re not,” he said, trying to keep his voice light and friendly. “You scraped your arm.” She hadn’t pulled away yet. She’d barely even moved. He shifted and put an arm around her waist. Maybe she’d run, but at least he’d help her up. “You can stand, right?”
“I think so,” she said.
He stood slowly, testing her to see if she winced at any point. The wind picked up, sending a fresh wave of rain and chill around them. Kota moved, trying to shield her from it as much as possible. What a night to be out.
But now that he was up close, he clearly saw the book bag was packed full, and she seemed nervous, even in the shadows. She stayed quiet. She didn’t want anyone to know she was out there. She wasn’t pulling away now. Maybe this was his chance. Maybe he shouldn’t risk it, but if he made what he was thinking sound like it wasn’t a big deal, she might go for it. “I’m going to take you to my house,” he said, realizing after it probably sounded more like a command.
She turned her head, and her face caught a bit of light from down the road, giving her features an angelic glow.
His heart was pounding as if he’d done a hundred pushups. His cheeks heated as he realized he was hanging on to her. He wanted to help, but couldn’t stop thinking about how pretty she was.
He sucked in a quiet breath. No need to get carried away. She’s in trouble.
He spotted the book bag, and moved to pick it up. It was heavier than he’d expected. Was she carrying books with her? How long was she planning on being gone for? Maybe she was trying to run away.
Maybe he caught her just in time.
“Let me take it,” she said.
“No.” Kota lifted the bag over his shoulder and then wrapped an arm around her. He turned her toward the street. Her clothes were soggy. His poncho stuck to her. How far was she planning to go in clothes soaked like that? “Let’s get you out of this rain. We’ll assess the damage inside.”
“What about
