the corridor. “Where are you?” I clutched the box tighter. “What do you need?”
The dog yipped and I glanced down at it. At him . Don’t know why, but I knew it was a him .
“I’m right here. Locked in this fucking cage.”
Chapter Two
The first thought that leapt into my head was, his mouth didn’t move. As if a dog could really be speaking to me.
“Cage?” I repeated, my eyes fixed on the beast behind the bars. It was enormous for a dog, with thick, dark fur, and a lighter splash of colour on its face. And those eyes. I’d never seen anything like them.
“You have to help me. I can’t stay here.”
I took a deep breath. If this was a stunt, if a hidden video camera watched me talking to a dog, I’d feel like a right idiot. A quick glance left and right showed there was a camera above the door. “This is a trick, yeah?” I jerked my chin at the camera. “I find myself on YouTube later?”
“No trick.” The blue eyes beseeched me. “You’re the only one who can hear me. All you have to do is unlock this cage, and let me out.”
“Why are you locked up?” Why was I even replying?
“Because I made a mistake.” He snapped the words out, and I realised I was hearing them inside my head. My spine prickled.
“Please.” I couldn’t miss the urgency in his voice. “In about ten minutes, all hell is going to break loose. There’s going to be a media-fucking-frenzy here, excuse my language, and I really don’t want to be in the middle of it.”
I blew out a breath, and then dumped the box on the floor. Was I going to do this? “Are you talking to me? Is that why they’ve locked you up?”
“Yes. I’m talking to you. We’ve got about nine minutes left, so if you could just open this door, I’d really appreciate it.”
“Where are you going to go?” I peered up at the video camera again. There’s no way it could miss me. “I mean, where does your owner live? And how will you get there?”
“Eight minutes. Please. Just open the fucking cage.” He sounded scared rather than angry, and I made a snap decision.
“My car is right outside, and the back door is hanging open. If you really understand what I’m saying, go and get into my car and I’ll drive you away from here. Okay?”
“Yes. Please hurry.”
The cage was fastened with bolts, top and bottom. They were shiny and new, and stiff to open, and I struggled with the first one. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.”
“I can’t believe you heard me.”
The top bolt squealed when I dragged it back, the noise ringing out in the quiet of the corridor, and I froze. The only thing I could hear was my pulse banging in my ears. I could do this.
“You’re doing great. Don’t stop now.” The second one was easier. The moment it released, the dog shoved against the cage door and tumbled to the floor in a tangle of legs. “Thank fuck. I mean, thank you.”
This was unreal. I shouldn’t even be in this corridor, let alone releasing a dog, and my common sense screamed at me to run. The dog scrambled to its feet, and once standing, it was even larger than I’d expected. It took off, racing toward the door and I followed.
Chapter Three
The dog lurched onto the back seat, his legs giving way beneath him, and I slammed the door shut. I’d left the keys in the ignition, and seconds later I started the engine, and spun my aging car to face the exit.
“Go, go .”
I didn’t need him to urge me on. My foot slammed onto the accelerator and the car shot forward in a flurry of squealing tyres. The dog pound was at the end of a quiet road and it would take a minute to reach the highway. How soon would they realize he was gone? Would they come after me? My heart raced every bit as much as the engine.
I swung around a tight bend, way faster than I’d normally drive, and saw the dog moving in the rear view mirror. “You okay back there?”
“Yeah. Thanks. Really.” His words slurred together and I glanced in the mirror
The dog yipped and I glanced down at it. At him . Don’t know why, but I knew it was a him .
“I’m right here. Locked in this fucking cage.”
Chapter Two
The first thought that leapt into my head was, his mouth didn’t move. As if a dog could really be speaking to me.
“Cage?” I repeated, my eyes fixed on the beast behind the bars. It was enormous for a dog, with thick, dark fur, and a lighter splash of colour on its face. And those eyes. I’d never seen anything like them.
“You have to help me. I can’t stay here.”
I took a deep breath. If this was a stunt, if a hidden video camera watched me talking to a dog, I’d feel like a right idiot. A quick glance left and right showed there was a camera above the door. “This is a trick, yeah?” I jerked my chin at the camera. “I find myself on YouTube later?”
“No trick.” The blue eyes beseeched me. “You’re the only one who can hear me. All you have to do is unlock this cage, and let me out.”
“Why are you locked up?” Why was I even replying?
“Because I made a mistake.” He snapped the words out, and I realised I was hearing them inside my head. My spine prickled.
“Please.” I couldn’t miss the urgency in his voice. “In about ten minutes, all hell is going to break loose. There’s going to be a media-fucking-frenzy here, excuse my language, and I really don’t want to be in the middle of it.”
I blew out a breath, and then dumped the box on the floor. Was I going to do this? “Are you talking to me? Is that why they’ve locked you up?”
“Yes. I’m talking to you. We’ve got about nine minutes left, so if you could just open this door, I’d really appreciate it.”
“Where are you going to go?” I peered up at the video camera again. There’s no way it could miss me. “I mean, where does your owner live? And how will you get there?”
“Eight minutes. Please. Just open the fucking cage.” He sounded scared rather than angry, and I made a snap decision.
“My car is right outside, and the back door is hanging open. If you really understand what I’m saying, go and get into my car and I’ll drive you away from here. Okay?”
“Yes. Please hurry.”
The cage was fastened with bolts, top and bottom. They were shiny and new, and stiff to open, and I struggled with the first one. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.”
“I can’t believe you heard me.”
The top bolt squealed when I dragged it back, the noise ringing out in the quiet of the corridor, and I froze. The only thing I could hear was my pulse banging in my ears. I could do this.
“You’re doing great. Don’t stop now.” The second one was easier. The moment it released, the dog shoved against the cage door and tumbled to the floor in a tangle of legs. “Thank fuck. I mean, thank you.”
This was unreal. I shouldn’t even be in this corridor, let alone releasing a dog, and my common sense screamed at me to run. The dog scrambled to its feet, and once standing, it was even larger than I’d expected. It took off, racing toward the door and I followed.
Chapter Three
The dog lurched onto the back seat, his legs giving way beneath him, and I slammed the door shut. I’d left the keys in the ignition, and seconds later I started the engine, and spun my aging car to face the exit.
“Go, go .”
I didn’t need him to urge me on. My foot slammed onto the accelerator and the car shot forward in a flurry of squealing tyres. The dog pound was at the end of a quiet road and it would take a minute to reach the highway. How soon would they realize he was gone? Would they come after me? My heart raced every bit as much as the engine.
I swung around a tight bend, way faster than I’d normally drive, and saw the dog moving in the rear view mirror. “You okay back there?”
“Yeah. Thanks. Really.” His words slurred together and I glanced in the mirror
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