Page 78 of Junkyard Dog

Ryan looked down at her, his arms wrapped tightly around the intruder’s warped torso. “Is that your car on the road?”

She nodded, opening her mouth to respond before Bo cut her off, his eyes on Butch. “We’re going to put this bastard in holding and we’ll be back to get your sorry ass out of here.” He held out his hand. “Keys.”

Fumbling in her pocket, she found her car keys and passed them over. “Cell service won’t work until you hit the highway,” she warned.

“We’ll be back in ten,” Ryan replied, glancing beside her at the injured beast. “Hang tight.”

*

Alex’s heart continuedto pound in his chest, the stench of the Pirithous slathered on Charlotte’s skin keeping his mind off his damaged hindquarters and the tremors rumbling underneath them.

She’d held her own against a feral Pirithous.

He nuzzled against her hand, scanning her over in the dim light for injuries and growling low when he caught sight of the numerous bruises and cuts peppering her skin.

“Shhhhh,” she whispered absently, her attention locked on the small crevices that led to the other side of the cavern. “You’re okay, boy.” She continued to tap on the boulder and talk quietly into the darkness. “Five more minutes, Alex. Between the three of us, we should be able to get to you.” She smiled down at Butch and scratched his ears. “Too bad this old beast is hurt. He could’ve helped.”

He lay his head on her lap and listened for his brothers, the clicking of their paws on the rock letting him know they were approaching the smaller caverns of the Chasm. He waited as the faint sounds of the shifting traveled into the cave, followed closely by human footsteps.

“All right, you useless sack. Let’s do this.”

Charlotte’s arms tightened around his neck as Bo entered the cavern. She dropped her head into his fur, slightly disoriented by the tattoo on his chest that perfectly matched Alex’s. And Ryan’s. “Oh, god, you’re still naked.”

“Lucky you,” Bo muttered, crouching beside him and assessing the boulder’s position. “You’re a fucking idiot.”

Charlotte’s eyes narrowed, her mouth opening to respond before Ryan jumped in. “The dog. The dog’s an idiot.” He kept his body angled away from her in a futile attempt at modesty. “We need you to take that flashlight and make your way to your car. It’s an easy path from here.”

Pressing her hand to the rock, she shook her head. “Alex is behind this,” she whimpered. “I think he’s hurt.”

Bo huffed and stood, completely owning his nudity and earning a growl from Alex. “Yeah, he’s hurt. And the sooner you leave, the sooner we can get him out.”

“I’m not leaving until I see him.”

Ryan knelt down beside Alex. “Bo and I are going to try to push that rock off you enough to get you out. But we try once. Then we get you out of our way.” He turned to Charlotte. “His tail is your job. If we manage to get this thing up, get that tail out of the way. Got it?”

She nodded, repositioning herself to be in reach as Bo and Ryan adjusted their stance beside the boulder and counted down. The stone rocked a fraction, easing the pressure on his hindquarters for a moment before it resettled on him, sending a jolt of pain through him and his brothers.

“This is fucking bullshit,” Bo huffed, widening his stance. “I’m barely staying upright.”

“Then push harder,” Ryan grunted, throwing his weight against the boulder and cursing as it moved no more than their first attempt. “Goddammit. We have to do this another way.” He looked down at Alex. “Bo, get Charlotte out of here.”

*

Charlotte attempted toshake her arm loose from Bo’s grip, cringing when he tightened his hold.

“We’re taking the path on the right,” he ordered, balancing them on the narrow top of a smooth rock. “Fifty more yards.”

She glanced back at the Chasm before she took her final steps out of the rocky formation, freezing as Butch howled and the sound of toppling rocks echoed in the dark night. “What’s Ryan doing to him? He’s not… Oh, god, he’s not putting Butch down, is he?”

Bo continued to guide her forward, his vise grip at odds with his gentle lead of her down the path. “No, he’s not putting Butch down,” he replied, a peculiar tinge of humor in his voice. He paused, shaking out his left leg. “They’ll be making their way out here soon. Alex, too.” He kept his hold on her, loosening it slightly as they approached her car. “You’re a tough little thing, aren’t you?”

Her eyes averted from the naked man at her side, she locked her gaze on the trunk of her car, shrinking back when an animalistic shriek echoed in the park. “What’s wrong with that guy?”

“Genetically defective,” Bo muttered, shifting his weight from one foot to the next rhythmically and running his hand over the trunk. “When the others get here, we’ll release him and you can go on your merry little way.”

The seconds slowed as she watched the exit, her heart pounding in her ears until Ryan emerged, a nude Alex in tow. She exhaled loudly, running her hands through her hair and shrugging off Bo’s hand from her shoulder. “Whoa,” she breathed, the relief over seeing Alex overtaking the growing ache in her body. “So is the nudity a cultural thing for your, uh, hunting thing?”

Bo grinned, thumping on the trunk when the noises increased. “Pretty much.”

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