I Just Need You - J. Nathan Page 0,28

German shepherd’s nose.

Doris pointed out the leashes hanging by each dog’s cage, the waste bags I’d need to use to keep the walking path clean, and a variety of dog treats to use as praise. She gave me my pick of dogs to start with, telling me they each needed a good fifteen-minute walk. I could take three small dogs at once, but only one large one.

I gathered the three small dogs I chose to walk first, leashed them, then headed out toward the front door.

“Just stay on the path, sweetie,” Doris called as I opened the door and stepped outside.

Tristan leaned against the SUV staring down at his phone. Who was he texting? A girlfriend? His mother? Whoever it was, he didn’t even look up as the dogs led me eagerly to the path. I heard Tristan’s footsteps trailing behind me as I took the wooded path. Within no time, the dogs pulled me to the side, all lifting their legs on various trees or bushes.

“We have security working at the office too,” Tristan finally said, breaking his long stretch of silence.

I twisted to look at him standing beside me. “What?”

“You asked what I knew. And I’m telling you we have guys at the office who work cyber security who monitor the internet and dark web. They’re privy to all the seedy goings-on that people like you never want to know about.”

“And?” I prompted.

“And…there’s been money exchanged to get to you.”

I sucked in a sharp breath.

“No one wants you to know,” he said. “But it’s your life we’re talking about. You need to know what’s happening so you can be prepared.”

I nodded, totally unprepared for that information. I knew it was always a possibility, but hearing that something was set in motion, and we didn’t know when or where it could occur, sent a shiver skimming down my spine.

“Are you scared?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“But you know that’s why Marco and I are here. To make sure nothing happens to you.”

I nodded. “I know.”

“Should I have told you?” he asked.

“Probably not. But I’m glad you did.” Tears glazed my eyes and there wasn’t a thing I could do to stop them from falling.

He cursed under his breath.

I shook my head, wiping my eyes with the backs of my hands, leashes and all. “No. I need to know. I’m not a child. I have to know these things.”

He moved toward me, stopping when the toes of our shoes nearly touched. I tipped back my head to meet his gaze. For the first time, I saw concern in his eyes. “I will protect you, Kresley. You have my word.”

I closed my eyes, wanting to believe that more than I ever wanted to believe anything in my life.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Tristan

I expected Kresley to want to leave the dog shelter after I’d told her what everyone else had been too nervous to, but she surprised me, finishing the first walk and heading back to retrieve more dogs. I wondered if it was a defense mechanism for her to occupy herself with mundane things to not have to deal with reality. But if that’s what she was doing, it was working.

“Do you volunteer at home, too?” I asked her as the three new dogs pulled her to the same path we’d just walked on.

“Yeah. My parents always instilled in me that it was important to give back. And they were right.”

“Do you always walk dogs?” I asked, following alongside her.

She laughed. “No. I usually visit hospitals and help feed the homeless. I just thought animals were safer this time around.”

She had a point. People were unpredictable. Animals you could rely on to be loyal as long as you fed them and walked them.

“It’s why I’m majoring in hospitality to be an event planner. I want to assist nonprofit organizations with their fundraising events. If they have me, they can solely focus on grant writing, securing investors, and looking for support, while I take care of the event and all that entails.”

People were unpredictable. I expected Kresley’s motives for becoming an event planner to be superficial. Like, making the world better one wedding or fashion show at a time. But I was starting to see Kresley was a lot more real than I initially expected. And I wasn’t sure what to do with that knowledge.

“Why’d you open Elite Security?” she asked.

“How’d you know it’s mine?”

“I did some research. I obviously needed to know who was protecting me. So, why security?” she persisted.

“I wanted to protect people who couldn’t