"Only Dillon keeps screaming saying she doesn’t know anything and is begging us not to take her back.
“She's so out of it I don't think she knows where she is. Or when she is. She made it into the living room and is rocking in the corner like a mental patient.
"The dog is in there now guarding her, and the only way we can secure Dillon is if we shoot the bitch and I really don't see that diffusing the situation any.”
“Do not shoot the dog.”
“Man, I don't want to, Nasa.” Veracruz punched out a sigh of frustration. “Duke is taking Tobias to the hospital right now. I've pulled everyone back, and we've set up a perimeter around the house, but if for some reason we have to mobilize and the dog gets in the way of us protecting Dillon, I might not have a choice.”
Nasa looked to Top and got a tight nod of approval from the older man. “I'm on my way. I'll be there as fast as I can.”
*****
It took him just under four hours to get to the town of New Hope and pull down the driveway of Dillon's little homestead.A foot past the fence, flood lights came on to banish every shadow around the entire one-story brick farmhouse.
Not sure what all he'd need, Nasa had driven like a bat outta hell the whole way, Raid and Damon riding silently alongside him, both armed to the teeth and prepared for battle.
They had tranqs too, just in case they needed to neutralize Elka without hurting her, but Nasa worried being shot with another dose of tranquilizer so soon after whatever Ghost had done to her would have nasty side effects.
The front yard was crowded with bikes and trucks. Tobias and his partner Duke sat together on the front steps, Duke looking as serious as Nasa had ever seen him.
Tobias had a brand new 3-D printed cast on his arm, the tanned skin of his face gray as he stared sightlessly at the pavement in front of him, his expression completely blank.
Kris came around from either side of the house, carrying his favorite assault rifle, which meant Matt was somewhere on the roof looking at him through a scope.
As he unfolded himself from the truck, Nasa didn't hear any barking or growling coming from the open door of the house. In fact, everything seemed eerily quiet.
The whole drive up here, Nasa imagined all the things that could have happened to Dillon to make her have the breakdown Veracruz described, and from the few clues he had, none of the puzzles Nasa put together were pretty.
Scenario after scenario came and went, each one worse than the last, to the point where he was so keyed up, he'd assumed the truth couldn't possibly be worse.
He thought that right up until he walked into the house and found Dillon huddled in the corner, trying to make herself as small a target as possible.
Little noises of pain and distress passed her dry, cracked lips with every breath, her eyes rolling white with terror so intense it actually had a scent.
Looking at her, Nasa knew it wasn't an act. She wasn't a government spy, and she sure as fuck wasn't Ghost's operative. She was a victim caught in the web of whatever game Ghost was playing.
As soon as she caught sight of him, Elka got up from where she'd been trying to use the same technique he'd seen at the compound, pressing her full weight against Dillon to try and bring her back to reality, and curled her lips back over her teeth in a warning snarl.
“Jesus Christ,” Raid rasped from behind him, gripping Nasa's shoulder to let him know Raid was still with him. “Whatever you're gonna do, I've got a bead on the hellhound.”
Nasa found it nearly impossible to speak, but after a few false starts, he managed and gave a short nod to Raid.
“The tranq gun, not a bullet.”
“You sure? The tranq's might not take her down in time—”
“I'm sure,” he hissed, flinching when Elka ripped off a series of vicious barks.
He'd thought about how to get the dog to back off, and the only thing he could come up with might cost him his hand. Considering the circumstances, it was a small price to pay.
Bracing himself for the pain, he tore his gaze away from Dillon and focused on Elka.
He stuck his hand out, and firmly said, “Shake.”
Elka blinked, rocking her weight back on her hind legs with an expression of canine uncertainty, her lips still curled back over her teeth as she struggled to decide how to react.
Dillon told Ever the dog was trained to know friend from foe, and the cue was to shake. Nasa figured if Lyon could face down this monster without pissing himself and shake her huge paw, Nasa could nut up and try it before resorting to shooting her full of sedatives.
“Shake, Elka,” he repeated in a voice that had made many a woman drop to her knees in submission, and after a few more moments of indecision, the huge beast slowly lowered her ass to the ground and hesitantly lifted her paw.
A fine tremor went through him, but he bent—putting his throat within chomping distance—and took the offered paw to give it a firm squeeze.
“Good girl. You're such a good girl.” He kept his voice low and soft, cautiously blowing out a breath of relief to see Elka's slick coat quiver and lose some of its tension. “We're going to help Dillon, okay? You and me.”
Elka seemed to understand, because she gave a whine and went back to pushing herself against Dillon's side, but Dillon was lost in her head.
Twitching and rocking, hugging her knees to her chest, trembling so hard it was a wonder she hadn't pissed herself in
