Chapter 20
Teslyn took her life preserver off, then pressed a hand into the stitch at her side and worked to catch her breath.
“Stinky,” said Ivy, holding her nose as Wyatt put her down and took off her life preserver.
“We have to be quiet,” whispered Teslyn. She turned to Wyatt. “Do you think they’re on this side of the lake?”
“I don’t know,” he said. The distant sound of barking came from the direction of the park. “Fuuu…” He looked at Ivy. “Darn it,” he corrected. “How much do you want to bet those are police dogs?”
Jett whimpered, clearly wanting to play with the animals.
“Heel,” Wyatt said in a deep voice, the dog instantly sitting down and looking to him for further direction. But the police dogs barked again, more closely this time, and Jett was clearly having a difficult time obeying Wyatt.
Teslyn frowned with concern. “How well trained is he?”
“He’s a puppy. Not that well trained.”
“I was afraid you were going to say that.”
The police dogs yelped, and Jett barked back. “Heel!” snapped Wyatt, but it was too late. The dogs were clearly getting closer, their enthusiasm for the hunt raising an answering enthusiasm in the puppy. He barked several times despite Wyatt’s attempts to quiet him.
Panic gripped Teslyn and wouldn’t let go. Being chased by a pack of dogs was her greatest fear, and knowing the animals were baring down on them left her barely able to function.
“Focus on your breathing,” commanded Wyatt. “There’s a fence all around us. They can’t get to you.”
Her eyes latched onto his, her diaphragm working hard to follow his orders, and she imagined this was exactly what Jett was feeling right now. Ivy took her hand. “It’s okay, Tessie. The puppies won’t hurt you.”
She was going to be sick or pass out, she wasn’t sure which.
She held tightly onto Ivy’s hand and bent at the waist, helping the blood to stay in her head as she all but hyperventilated.
The dogs were so close now, she could hear the voices of their handlers.
Weren’t dogs great with scent? They’d be able to track them to the dumpster no matter the fence that hid them from view.
Maybe they were attack dogs, trained to go after fugitives like her.
“Talk to me, Tess,” said Wyatt. “Tell me what you like to do.”
“I want to live.”
“For fun, Tess. What do you do for fun?”
“Dancing.”
“What kind of dancing?”
“Any kind. I always wanted to take dance lessons when I was a kid, but I never got the chance, so I took them as an adult.” She knew what he was trying to do, and it was working. “I had my first recital on my twenty-third birthday. I got to wear sequins and everything.”
“Ooh, pretty!” said Ivy.
“You want to learn to dance?” Teslyn asked her, tilting her head to see the girl, who nodded enthusiastically.
“Yes, please.”
If they got through this and managed to clear Teslyn’s name, Ivy would be living with her.
Teslyn would be her guardian, and she’d be able to give the girl everything she herself had missed out on.
Up until that moment, she’d only been thinking of it as a huge responsibility, but now she realized what a gift it could be, how healing.
“When we get out of this,” said Wyatt, “I’ll take you dancing. Both of you. Two-stepping, slow dance, you name it.”
Teslyn smiled despite herself. “I can’t picture it. You, slow dancing?” She slowly righted herself and eyed him. He was so damn masculine, she had a hard time imagining him putting a softer side on display.
He looked downright playful. “I’ll have you know, I’ve swept many a girl right off her feet.”
“I’ll bet you have. I just didn’t imagine there was an actual dance floor involved.” Heat flooded her cheeks as attraction washed over her. What was it about this man that drove her plum wild?
The barking of the police dogs was back, and far closer this time. Wyatt immediately dropped into a squat and used his hands like a muzzle over Jett’s mouth while telling him to heel.
A man’s voice could be heard in the distance. “…search the shops and businesses, anything that isn’t locked.”
Suddenly, she heard a vehicle coming toward them and saw the glimmer of a large pickup truck visible between the slats of the fence as it came to a stop.
“That’s Cowboy,” said Wyatt. “Let’s go!”
He didn’t have to tell Teslyn twice. She grabbed Ivy, lifting her up and into the truck, followed by the dog and finally herself. Wyatt closed their door and climbed in the front seat. “Go, go, go! Ladies, get down.”
“Dog paws on my leather seats, Bulldog?” asked Cowboy. “Really?”
“We’ve got company. Georgia’s finest are on our tail. Not sure if they have vehicles on this side of the lake or if they’re on foot.”
“I saw three squad cars head into the park a minute ago.”
Wyatt cursed quietly. “I guess that’s a yes. Take us to HERO Force.”
“I figured as much. You hear about what happened?”
“Yeah.” Wyatt barely got the word out. “I can’t believe Ralph’s gone.”
Cowboy turned his head to look at Wyatt. “You don’t know about Hawk?”
“Steele’s men beat him, tortured him.”
“Bulldog, Hawk went into cardiac arrest a couple of hours ago. Internal bleeding. They had to shock him six times. They brought him back, but he needed surgery to fix the damage. He’s in rough shape.”
“Is he going to make it?” asked Wyatt.
“I don’t know, man.” Cowboy took the ramp to the expressway. “I just don’t know.”