“You still there, man?” Beckhorn brought him back.
A cold chill passed through Cruz as he realized he’d come to his feet. Maybe he hadn’t completely put the other him to rest yet, but it’d take some time to ease back and he hadn’t been all too relaxed as it was. It’d been why he’d come to spend time at Hope’s Crossing. “Yeah. Here.”
Now. Just a minute ago? Not so much. Seemed like Miss Evelyn Jones had a way of pushing all sorts of buttons with him without even trying to.
“You wanna share what you’re thinking? I can almost hear the gears turning in your head.”
Way across the field, Lyn had come to a halt. It was Atlas’s posture that got Cruz moving. “I’m going to have to call you back.”
*
Atlas noticed the stranger first. Lyn thought it might be one of the other trainers, but in seconds it was clear he wasn’t. She’d met both through the course of the day and neither of them had the same build or stance. Dressed casual in dark jeans and button-up shirt, the stranger came through a thick grouping of trees out of nowhere. He caught sight of her and grinned. She recognized it. Oh God, she’d recognize that grin anywhere.
Fear rushed through her and she stumbled back a step, instinctively bringing her hands up to ward off the stranger without thinking.
A deep growl broke through her shock and Atlas surged forward, ripping the leash off her wrist before she could close her hand securely back around the leather.
“Atlas!” Oh no, no. She couldn’t leave him, wouldn’t. Last night, the intruders didn’t seem to have any weapons on them, but this man might.
But he blanched white at the sight of the oncoming dog. He backpedaled a few steps and then turned and ran straight back through the copse of trees.
Atlas plunged through after him.
Lyn ran after them both.
“Are you crazy?” The bellow came from behind her but Lyn ignored David and kept going. His angry shout was gaining on her. “Stop! I got this.”
Reckless, more afraid for Atlas than anything, Lyn sprinted through the trees and came out in another field. The stranger lay on his back, yelling in pain with Atlas over him. He’d only made it halfway to the fence.
“Los! Los!” David caught up and passed her by. “Los!”
Atlas didn’t let up.
“I’m just lost! I came in here by accident!” The man was shouting.
David let loose a curse and turned to her. “Lyn, come here.”
Her heart in her throat, she ran to his side. She should say something, tell Cruz who the man was.
The man’s screaming became shriller and words scattered from her mind.
“Here, focus here.” David’s words cut across the awful sound. “You can do this. Go to Atlas, grab his collar, tell him ‘Los.’”
“What? I…”
He grabbed her good arm and gave her a light shake. “Quick. Before he gets through this guy’s guard. Atlas can and will kill. You need to do this.”
His gaze caught her, steel blue and hard. Not cold. Urgent.
She nodded.
He let her go then and she stumbled toward Atlas. She needed to get to him before he killed this man.
“Not on his left, go to his right.”
Obeying David’s instructions, she changed the direction of her approach.
Atlas was so fast, he was a blur. He had the man’s forearm between his teeth and was shaking his head back and forth. As she hesitated, there was a sickening crack.
“Los!” The word fell out of her mouth as she lunged forward and grabbed for Atlas’s collar. “Los, Atlas, los!”
Atlas released his hold and she dragged him back as the man crab-walked away from them on one good arm. David was on him in a split second.
“I’m going to sue! You’re all crazy here! I’m going to sue!” The man babbled as David hauled him to his feet.
He was covered in blood and his arm hung at an awkward angle.
Lyn swallowed back bile and knelt down next to Atlas, keeping a firm hold on his collar. She couldn’t stop shaking. “Good boy, Atlas. Good boy.”
Atlas’s attention was on the man and he whined with eagerness but stayed with her.
“Lyn.” David sounded calm, completely ignoring the threats of the injured man. “Take Atlas back to the kennel and check him over.”
“What about…”
“Police are en route. The silent alarm went off when he broke the perimeter. I’ll wait here for them; you take Atlas back. Go around the trees so I have you two in my line of sight.”
That, she could do. The farther away she could get from the man, the better. “Okay.”
She fumbled for Atlas’s leash with her bad arm, ignoring the ache in her shoulder. Didn’t want to chance letting go of his collar until she had the leash in hand. When she stood, she had to tug twice for Atlas to come with her, but he did.