the photos, examining them one by one to find the perfect matches for what Yavin needed. "This one on your desk," I said, pointing to a picture of her smiling at the camera in what seemed to be a candid moment. "And this on your shelf." The photo was more posed, her doing some kind of dance leap on the edge of a fountain with the water splashing behind her. With her strawberry blonde hair like a halo and her long legs perfectly displayed by pointed toes, jealousy struck me. I wanted legs like that.
Life wasn't fair.
I dropped the phone on his desk, moving to the door. "I have to pee. Can I do that alone since it's two doors down, my jailer?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest. He smiled at me finally as his printer whirred to life on the other side of the room.
"Sure. If you aren't back in five minutes though, I'll tell Enzo you beat me up before you ran."
"Asshole," I laughed, tripping as Rebel ran out the door in front of me. "I guess Rebel is coming to the bathroom with me."
"Okay," he responded, already turning his attention back to his phone as he typed furiously. Hopefully, he'd take my advice and work to nurture his relationship with Aoife, otherwise I didn't see it going anywhere fast.
"Oh, tell Aoife she should come to our next girls' night!" I shouted as I made my way down the hall. The bathroom was small with only two stalls inside it. Neither of them was handicap accessible, so when Rebel insisted on cramming herself inside with me, it was less than convenient. "What's up with you, baby?" I asked, reaching down to scratch behind her ears before I went about my business.
Public bathrooms were the bane of my existence, but I managed not to touch anything in a move worthy of a contortionist. Rebel stuck her nose underneath the stall, sniffing in deep breaths of air. It was a clean bathroom, with none of the lingering stench that came in public restrooms.
Quite the drama queen, my dog was.
When I pulled open the stall door, she moved out first. Her bark was the first warning as I stepped out, a forearm locking around my throat was the second.
"Shut her up before I shoot her." The man's voice was deep, unfamiliar as the pressure of a gun pressed into the back of my head. I raised my hands up, locking eyes with Rebel.
"Quiet, Rebel," I said sternly, willing her to listen. She stopped immediately, staring at the unseen attacker behind me as her mouth twitched and she bared her teeth in the first sign of real aggression I'd ever seen from her. When the man's body relaxed slightly, I spoke. "I don't have any money on me." Locking my left hand over the hand on the front of my shoulder, I threw my head forward at the same time I raised my right elbow into the hand holding his weapon. Ducking and spinning my body quickly as the force of it shoved him to the side and fucked up his aim, I locked his gun arm between my bicep and my torso to control his reaction. Both hands surrounded the gun, fighting for control as I jabbed an elbow into his face. Blood sprayed from his nose, and I stomped down onto his foot with all my strength.
Using his distraction, I locked my left hand across the barrel of the gun and spun his entire arm until it faced him. With the gun pointed at him, he froze. He stared up at me with wide eyes, and with satisfaction I watched his chin split when I raised my foot and kicked him in it. He fell to his back, releasing his hold on the gun as I moved to his feet and aimed it at his face.
Rebel's vicious growl echoed through the bathroom as she ran between my legs, jumping on top of his chest and looking like a vicious predator I never could have expected. She stood guard, and I fell a little more in love with her as she fought to protect me. When the attacker grabbed her by the scruff to yank her off, she bared her teeth and wrapped her jaw around his throat.
"Rebel!" I yelled in shock as she bit down, shaking her head side to side as she tore his throat open and blood pooled quickly on the floor. It spread across