Ultimate Courage (True Heroes #2)(32)
Abruptly she froze. Her heart jumped up and fear constricted her throat.
“What?” Boom stopped with her, small hand trapped in hers.
Her heart beat so loud the sound filled her ears as Elisa watched a man idly stroll by her car and look inside. Could be a random passerby. Maybe. But she didn’t think so. Most people came to a shopping center with a purpose. They parked their cars and headed into a particular store. There was a purpose to what those people did.
“Boom, do you know if there’s ever been car robberies in this area?” Elisa tried to keep the question light and mildly inquisitive.
Boom craned her neck to look for her father’s car. “Not really. Sifu Gary and Sifu Greg say we should always pay attention to who is around us out in the parking lot and lock the car door as soon as we get in. They say we shouldn’t ever sit in the car checking our phones or playing games. Because someone could just walk by and jump in the car with us or break the window to get at us and our stuff. But that’s any parking lot and mostly at night.”
“Those are good things to keep in mind.” Elisa forced out the response in a whisper as the man she’d seen took a lap down the row of cars and came back to hers. Hers was the only car he peered into. And then he bent down to check out something near her tire.
Nope. She was not sticking around to watch more. If she and Boom headed to Revolution MMA, it’d be toward her car and the man messing with it, too. Better to go to Alex’s car and put some distance between them. Now.
“Let’s go.” Elisa grasped Boom’s hand more firmly and almost yanked the girl off her feet in the rush to leave the store and break for Alex’s car.
Boom exclaimed in surprise but stretched her long legs to keep up.
Keeping her head down, Elisa hustled Boom into the car and then hurried to the other side. Every time she glanced back, the man was still on the ground between her car and another one, studying something under hers.
Boom’s comment about never sitting in the car checking phones echoed in her spinning thoughts and Elisa decided not to call Alex, just get back to him. Locking the car doors, Elisa forced herself to pull out smoothly and drive away at normal speed. First of all, she wasn’t sure if she knew how to peel out of a parking lot but it didn’t seem like a good idea and would definitely attract the stranger’s attention. Second, she needed to drive safely with Boom in the car.
Going for the calmest tone possible, she cleared her throat. “Boom, why don’t you call your dad and tell him we’re on our way back.”
“Sure.”
That way, if they were delayed, Alex would know something had gone wrong. Hopefully, it wouldn’t.
Her heart raced the entire ride home and she could only give Boom lame excuses as to why she’d rushed them out of there. After a few abortive rounds of questioning, Boom settled back into the passenger seat.
When they pulled through the gate of the kennels and up the long drive, Boom reached over and patted Elisa’s arm. “Don’t worry, Elisa. We’re home now and Dad’s here.”
*
Rojas had Souze on a lead, working through standard obedience training, when the girls returned. Boom rolled out of the passenger side with a smile and waved at him with her good arm. Elisa emerged from the driver’s side more slowly.
Grinning, he returned the wave and headed toward them. Souze walked at his side in a perfect heel position, attention on Rojas. The dog was good, very good, on most days. He had the energy, desire to work, and intelligence to easily complete his training every day. What seemed lacking on some days was his level of aggression and prey drive.
Oh, he’d go after the usual tennis ball Rojas and the other trainers used as a reward during training. And Souze had amazing scent skills. But when it came time for bite work and some of the more violent aspects of training key to ensuring dogs were ready for military or K9 work, Souze hesitated. The dog was wary, and when prodded to actually bite, he was formidable. More than capable of taking down a full-grown man. But a handler in a combat situation needed instantaneous precision from his dog, an eagerness Souze was lacking.
Rojas was convinced Souze had it in him. They just needed to work together to find the trigger. As Cruz’s companion, Lyn, might’ve said, they needed to get inside Souze’s head and understand his motivation. Until then, Souze wouldn’t be a good fit as a military working dog or K9, no matter how otherwise capable he was.
“Dad!” Boom skipped toward him, completely unworried about the big dog at his side. “Elisa helped me come up with the best idea for my presentation!”
Rojas grinned and came to a stop, murmuring a command for Souze to sit. The GSD’s big ears were up and forward, listening to Boom with detached interest. “Yeah? So the mission was a success.”
Boom’s face was flushed with excitement, but her eyes were somewhat glazed. She was running out of gas quickly, and it was just about time for her next dose of pain meds for the broken arm. “Getting the supplies was a success. There’s still a lot to do.”
“Yup, and to do it right, you’re going to need proper rest.” Rojas dropped to one knee and opened his arms to her, keeping an eye on Souze’s reaction. The big dog sat obediently and otherwise could care less. In fact, Souze’s gaze had settled on Elisa, who was approaching at a slower walk with bags of random craft supplies.