new head quickly. This came as no great surprise to him. Knowing what a never-ending battle that was, he did not envy Menes his position.
Their position.
You will have to quit soon, Menes said with little gentility. Surely you realize that? The Politic awaits our leadership in New Mexico. Even your sister has left to go there with Ram as he holds the government center for me during our Blending. What is the purpose of training this animal when you know you must leave him? Menes reached out with Jackson’s hand and rubbed at the dog’s ears. He is a fine beast, and you are making it difficult for him to do his job well if you don’t transition him to a new owner as soon as possible.
Jackson didn’t respond. He knew he was in some sort of denial, and he knew every word was the truth. That didn’t make it any easier. To leave everything he knew? To leave a lifetime’s work behind and force new, unappreciable goals onto himself? He resisted the thought of it with every fiber of his being. He loved being a cop. The law is what he excelled at. What he thrived for. And the K-9 unit … he would have been content to stay in the un know how much he means tovg.it until he retired.
But he’d made a deal with Menes, and now he must honor that. Menes had held up his end. He had brought him back to life. Now …
He knelt down beside Sargent, tousling him roughly, patting his dense, muscular body until the dog was grunting with pleasure. It was then that he realized just how attached the dog had become in spite of Jackson’s months of recalcitrance. Jackson wouldn’t be the only one affected when he was compelled to quit, leaving the dog behind to connect to a new handler. Perhaps he was being selfish, training Sargent now and allowing him to imprint on him as a companion, as if they truly were going to become a warrior team when he knew there was no enduring future for them whatsoever. The understanding made him frown as he stood up, his heart feeling a bit heavier as he entered the building, Sargent trotting perfectly at his side.
Sargent’s training was showing impressively as the dog resisted all the smells of the food the dinner shift was partaking of. Jackson’s dog was especially fond of hotdogs, and Detective Wells had two sitting in a takeout box on his desk. But Sargent simply walked by, only his nose flaring in recognition of the coveted scent.
Then, unexpectedly, Jackson was pulled back by Sargent’s leash. The dog sat dead still, his butt hitting the floor and his heavy body becoming suddenly unmovable. “Come on boy,” he instructed, his hand signal to retrieve the dog automatic as he made the command.
Sargent stayed.
The door he was near opened, and out stepped Marissa Anderson. She came up short at the sight of the dog, rocking back a little on her fiercely high heels. Honestly? As tall as she was, why the heck did she have to wear those killer heels? Other than to accentuate her long, gorgeous legs and the way her snug skirt loved up against her delectable backside, that is.
He saw her hands lift up in withdrawal, as if she were afraid Sargent would bite her.
“He won’t hurt you,” he felt compelled to say, even though she should’ve already known that given all the time she spent among cops and, most especially, her time talking to him about Chico’s death.
“I know. I’m sure he’s a very nice dog,” she said, a tremulous tone underlying the stern bravado she was mustering up. Still, she couldn’t hide the stressed tension in her body as she leaned away from the dog.
“Are you afraid of dogs?” he queried her directly, studying her face carefully for tells. The desperation in her eyes on his told him that he was right.
“Not at all,” she lied. “Could you please move him out of my way? I do have things to do.”
Damn. Damn damn damn. Why was it the more tightly wound and aloof she acted the more he wanted to rip it all down, leaving her vulnerable to him and opening her up to the idea that a grunt cop had a hell of a lot of physical therapy to offer the highly educated, perfectly poised, and consummately professional doctor.
“Chico, come.” Jackson commanded his dog.
The entire corridor seemed to go still. Marissa. Jackson.