Chapter Eleven
S tepping into the hot September sun, Justice took a moment.
He didn’t normally have regrets, but now that was all he seemed to have.
Placing his fingers to his lips, he let out a shrill whistle and Axel came crashing from the trees that bordered the rear of the parking lot.
“Heel,” he said when Axel reached his side.
The dog sat tightly against his leg, muzzle open, tongue lolling out, eyes locked on him. Justice ruffled his fingers behind the dog’s perked ears and plucked out a few weeds sticking to the top of Axel’s head.
An SUV pulled into the parking lot and Ice and Echo got out along with their chocolate-colored Labrador Retriever.
“Shit!” Echo shouted when Grit charged across the asphalt toward him and Axel.
Justice grabbed the handle on the back of Axel’s vest and swung the dog up and around his back. He slipped his arms through the backpack straps that would put the animal safely on his back.
As the big body of Grit barreled toward them, Justice braced himself for impact.
Going on a few months now, they had avoided the two dogs going toe to toe—it appeared they were out of time. If this ended in a blood bath, then he wasn’t footing the bill.
“Down!” Ice snapped, his voice ringing with authority.
The Labrador immediately dropped to his belly in the parking lot about halfway to where Justice stood.
Grit was fucking impressive.
“Nice,” Justice called over.
Echo slammed the door to the SUV and jogged over to grab Grit by the collar.
The next moment, Echo blasted him with a glare full of anger.
He understood why…Fisher and Echo were friends. They went way back…all the way to boyhood.
Ice gestured to Grit and then Axel. “Think they’ll ever be friends?”
Justice turned his head slightly to find Axel laser focused on Grit. With a protective streak a mile wide, Axel typically didn’t take to animals or humans.
“Doubt it,” he drawled.
“I trust Grit, if I tell him to stay still he will.”
“Same,” Justice agreed walking forward. “But sometimes shit just pisses Axel off.”
“Sometimes shit pisses me off too,” Echo snapped at him and stalked around him before disappearing into the building with Grit in tow.
Ice didn’t follow Echo but rather approached him instead. “You going after Fisher?”
“I’m going to try.”
“What are you going to do when you find him?”
“I’m going to beg for forgiveness. If he doesn’t kill me first.”
“Good plan.” Ice slapped him on the shoulder and didn’t even wince when Axel snarled and bared his teeth.
Owen and Creed stood next to their SUV watching their exchange of words.
After a quick wave to the Pegasus operatives, Ice disappeared into the building after Echo.
“Owen,” Real yelled, stepping out of the warehouse door and approaching the man at a quick pace. Whatever conversation Real had had with Savage, it hadn’t taken long at all.
“What?” Owen said, aggression in the one word.
“I gave the order.” Real faced off with Owen.
Justice took a few slow steps closer.
“So you fucking said. Are you telling me that you would have killed Fisher and Rogue if they got in your way?” Owen snapped, not even bothering to keep his voice down. It was a good thing the parking lot was deserted.
“You’re fucking right I would have. There is a bigger picture at play.” Real’s voice had turned deadly.
“Oh, and nobody crosses you.”
“That’s right. If Fisher and Rogue got in the way of taking down Blue, they wouldn’t be breathing air.” Real’s words were so softly spoken that Justice had almost missed them.
From what he knew about Real, plus the man’s former military experience before he’d turned assassin extraordinaire, made the man’s words even more chilling. He’d heard about Real’s war stories and combat rumors and Justice respected the hell out of him.
“Are you justifying his actions?” Owen jerked his chin toward Justice.
“Yes.” Real crossed his arms.
“And how’s that working out for you? Blue is still breathing and out there doing fuck knows what and now Fisher is gone on top of that,” Owen spat.
“Stand the fuck down,” Real ordered.
Nobody could miss the danger rolling off of Real. Owen must have felt it too because his face flushed like he was going to hyperventilate.
When Creed put a calming hand on Owen’s shoulder, Justice was glad because Real was not one to fuck with.
“Let’s go,” Creed said and pushed Owen toward their SUV. The pair slid inside the vehicle and drove out of the parking lot with Creed behind the wheel.
Real turned to him and Justice held the man’s gaze across the short distance.
“Find Fisher and make it right,” Real said.
“Are you done keeping him out of this?” Justice asked.
It had been a shit plan to begin with. If they had had Fisher with them, then Blue might not have gotten away.
“For now.”
“Why are you taking the blame? It’s my fault.” Justice squinted at Real.
“You weren’t even in the office the day we planned how to take out Blue,” Real reminded him.
“No, but I was given orders as a part of that mission.”
Real studied him with a flat gaze and Justice wondered if the guy ever smiled. If he did, Justice had never seen it. Not once had he heard the man speak softly unless it was to put the fear of god into someone.
“Enough. You did your job. You are not responsible.” With those last words, Real slid behind the wheel of a chunky gray jeep that appeared to be custom-made.
After the Genesis commander drove away, Justice continued toward his truck. Removing Axel from his back, he placed the dog in the back seat and readjusted the backpack-type straps in place.
“You were a good patient boy.” He caressed Axel’s ears and cracked open a water bottle to fill the bowl he kept on the back floorboard for the dog. After Axel drank his fill, Justice slid behind the wheel.
“Where are you, Fish?” He gave a heavy sigh and stared out of his bug-peppered windshield.
Axel placed his front paws up onto the center console and nuzzled his shoulder.
“Yeah, I’m going, boy.” He turned the ignition and pulled his truck out of the parking lot.
Was Fisher still in California? Or had he bailed to greener pastures? Perhaps a new employer? And if so, what the fuck was he going to do with that?
Justice drove down the deserted streets and even though the sun was shining…
The world seemed a dismal place.