Amid all of it, nearly every single person clamoring in on him was shouting his name, trying to get his attention.
“Miki! Is it true you murdered your own dog and blamed it on a stalker?”
He didn’t spare the man a second glance. Dude was done chewing up the tabloid reporter’s pants and was beginning to nip at the tender flesh he found under the fabric. The man’s alarmed shouts were shrill, and Miki precariously bent over to lift the dog off the ground. His knee joint protested being twisted around but held as he stood back up.
“Dude, cut your shit,” he scolded, hefting the dog under his arm.
“Miki! Over here! Is this man your new lover? Have you finally gotten over Damien’s death?”
“There’s a rumor the Mitchells are suing you over the rights to Sinner Gin’s songs. How do you feel about that, Miki?”
“Is this the detective investigating your prostitution charges? Do you have any comment about that?”
That caught Miki’s attention, and he narrowed his eyes at the reporter as he limped past the swarm to where Kane was shouting at the man he’d pushed. Dude squirmed in Miki’s arms, barking his head off at the people trailing after Miki like lost ducklings. The noise level rose and overwhelmed him, a buzzing cacophony he’d not missed since he was released from the hospital. The badgering stalked him with every step Miki took. Questions followed him, voices shouting after him about his injuries, his damaged relationship with Damien’s parents, and the dead man found in his garage.
“Let’s go back inside,” Miki shouted at Kane so the man would hear him above the fray. “I’ll call the cops.”
“I am the fucking cops!” Kane growled back. “God, I’m going to shoot one of these assholes.”
“You don’t even have your shoes on, and I think you left your gun in the house.” He laughed, then nearly toppled over when someone pushed him from behind. “I own this end of the street. It’s private property. There’s a sign and everything. I’ll call them in for trespassing.”
“I’d rather fucking shoot them,” Kane grumbled. “Give me the dog. I’ll hold him.”
“How about if I hold him and you shove us back to the house?” Miki nodded to the front door. Dude snapped at a cheek that got too close to Miki, taking a nip of skin with his bite. The man howled and clutched at his face, a small pinch of pink skin peeking out between his fingers. “Or I could just hold him in front of me like the Cleaners from Labyrinth.”
“I’m going to sue! Your damned dog bit me!” The scream was lost in the blizzard of shouts and cameras whirring for the perfect shot.
“Talk to that asshole.” Miki jerked his chin toward the photographer who lost his camera to Kane’s temper. “You guys can go in on a lawyer. Now get the fuck off my property. All of you.”
It was hard going, much more difficult than most of the paparazzi crowds he’d dealt with before. Not for the first time in his life, Miki wished Damien was around. The guitarist seemed to have snake-charming ability to fend off the packs of photographers who stalked them. With Kane’s arm around his shoulders, Miki held the terrier as firmly as he could while the cop led him back into the house.
The crowd was reluctant to let them escape, blocking the front door. The press of bodies grew too hot for Miki to stand, and he gulped in large pulls of air, hoping to escape the claustrophobic walls of people. Kane shoved hard, pushing through the mass to give Miki room to walk.
It took Miki some time. The dog squirmed, eager to catch another bite of someone’s face or arm. Dude’s teeth came dangerously close to a woman’s nose, and she jerked back, toppling a cameraman behind her. They scattered and fell, human dominoes stacked too tightly together for comfort, taking Miki down with them.
He felt himself falling forward, his foot catching on someone’s leg or ankle. Miki twisted, holding Dude close to his belly when he went down. He hit the pavement and choked on the air rushing out of his chest. Something gave in his leg, a tearing heat spreading out from his knee to hook into his balls before twisting a snarling pain through his body.
Gasping, he let go of the dog and rolled over, covering his head to protect himself from the stampede of people around him. Dude jumped free, landing gracefully on the grass. Waves of pain hit Miki’s spine, and he let his stomach have its way, puking out what little he had left in him. Miki heard Dude barking and snapping at the people around him, but he couldn’t focus on the furry blond blur long enough to yell at the terrier to stop.