Ultimate Courage (True Heroes #2)(46)
Thinking of Souze, Rojas amended his thought. Some dogs took longer than others. But he was making progress with Souze.
He could use the same patience with Elisa, and he had the gut feeling she was worth every bit as much effort. More.
*
“Welcome to Philadelphia, Mr. Corbin. I hope your flight was smooth.”
Joseph Corbin Jr. settled into the back of the town car without bothering to glance at the young woman already seated inside. “Baggage handling is slow as ever.”
“It is.” The assistant made a sympathetic noise. “The driver will bring your bag as soon as it comes up on the carousel and we’ll get you to your hotel. Your contractor will be ready to meet you first thing in the morning.”
“No,” Joseph snapped. “He’ll meet with me tonight. I want an update and confirmation that my item of interest is ready for acquisition.”
There was a moment of hesitation, then, “Of course. I’ll arrange for a meeting at the hotel tonight.”
It was already late at night, but his man wasn’t far away from the city. Joseph stared out at the bustling Arrivals pick-up lanes. The East Coast was supposed to move at a faster pace than the California lifestyle but whenever he visited his offices either in Philadelphia or DC, all he saw was an insane amount of traffic. Not much different from LA. He preferred the steadier climate and temperatures back in California.
What had possessed Elisa to run here?
It didn’t matter. Phase 1 of his highest priority project had completed this week, ahead of schedule. They were on the brink of finalizing the statement of work on Phase 2. It was time for Elisa to come home, where she belonged. He needed her.
“Arrange for a second contract, different vendor.” He reached over and tapped the surface of the assistant’s tablet. “I want a backup team on standby to ensure my item is acquired as soon as possible.”
Chapter Fifteen
Elisa slept better than she had in months. That didn’t mean she hadn’t woken up in the middle of the night. More than once. But each time, the presence of Souze was a reassurance. He’d have given some sort of alert if something wasn’t right.
The phone Alex had given her was another reassuring presence, cool and slim, just under her pillow.
One signal from Souze and she could call Alex for help.
As a result, every time she’d awakened, she’d been able to slip back into sleep. Free of fear and more quickly than those heart-pounding, agonizing late night hours she’d spent second-guessing herself and wondering if she should roll out of bed, get in her car, and keep driving.
So it took her a few seconds to come to her senses when she woke up slowly to the sound of snuffling, followed by a long sigh right next to her ear.
Groggy, she opened her eyes and turned her head, wondering what could be right…
A big, wet, black nose was inches from hers.
She sat straight up, and Souze backed away from the edge of the bed, sitting with his ears tipped back, scanning the room. Maybe he was looking around for whatever had startled her.
“You.” She swallowed against a sleep-dry throat. “I didn’t realize you were tall enough to have your head on the bed without even putting your paws up here.”
Souze tilted his head then rose to his four feet, stepping forward and extending his head right over the edge of the bed to touch her hand with his nose. Damn, but he was a big dog.
“No need to prove it again.” She grabbed the clothes she’d worn yesterday, because she didn’t have anything else, and swung her legs over to set them on the floor. “I’m guessing you need to go out?”
Souze only sat again and stared at her expectantly.
Well, he wasn’t going to start talking to her, but a bark or soft woof or something might have helped give her a clue.
Maybe not. She didn’t exactly speak dog, and this wasn’t a movie or television show. But Souze was a smart dog. And she, theoretically, was an intelligent human. If Alex Rojas, Brandon Forte, and David Cruz could figure out what their dogs were thinking, then she should at least be able to figure out one instance of Souze trying to communicate with her.
He had to be. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have woken her up. All night, she’d heard nothing but the occasional rustle as he laid down or changed position on the rug next to her bed. Each of those times had been right after she’d tossed or turned in bed. Otherwise, he’d been extraordinarily quiet for something his size. All of her ex’s guard dogs had been the type to bark. A lot.
Souze was both different and more than them, in her opinion. And since the moment she’d met him, he hadn’t exactly been generous with the direct tactile contact.
It’d be worth an experiment to see if she could get a clearer response out of him. Standing, she headed to the door and placed her hand on the knob as she craned her neck to watch Souze. As soon as her fingertips touched the rounded surface of the doorknob, he came to his feet and wagged his tail once.
“That’s pretty clear, then.” She wondered if he could hold it a minute or two longer. “Just let me swap clothes and get a bra on, then we’ll head downstairs. Hopefully, Gary and Greg are already down there and they can let us out the back door.”
Alex had told her not to go outside until he’d returned in the morning, but she couldn’t very well leave Souze in distress. She personally hated the feeling of needing a restroom and having to wait. Didn’t seem fair not to care about Souze in a similar circumstance. Besides, she really didn’t know how good the dog’s discipline would be, and she didn’t want him ruining the nice carpet up here. Somewhat gross, but could she get him to stand in the shower?