Ultimate Courage (True Heroes #2)(77)

Elisa, his Elisa, was running hard down the trail away from him. She was headed toward the next bridge and another set of stairs out of the canal farther east.

He slowed ever so slightly. The resultant clearer vision and hearing allowed him to take in every angle of the situation as he approached.

Between him and Elisa, a soaking wet man was climbing out of the water in the middle of the canal, yelling. Farther down the canal, beyond Elisa, a figure was quickly picking out footing as he came down from an awkward lookout-style perch on the far side of the bridge. The far man was clearly moving to intercept Elisa.

Rojas wasn’t sure what she’d had in mind, but if she was trying to get to the bridge and the next set of stairs, the other man was going to catch her on them. Rojas wasn’t going to be able to reach her in time, not even at top speed.

Without slowing his pace, he pitched his voice to carry and bellowed, “Elisa! Freeze!”

Elisa stumbled to a skidding stop, falling to the side against the steep bank. Thank god for practical, intelligent partners who could think and think fast.

With his previous target stationary and to one side of direct line of sight, Souze wouldn’t misunderstand Rojas’s next command. Rojas dropped Souze’s leash and pointed. “Fass! Fass!”

The German Shepherd Dog streaked forward. He’d been desperate for the command.

The oncoming man’s forward progress faltered, and he even turned to run as an oddly high-pitched little whimpering noise seemed forced out of him—so he did have a brain cell or two. The sight of eighty-five pounds of incoming black-and-tan German Shepherd Dog intent on doing you harm was enough to challenge any person’s courage.

Souze picked up even more speed at the sight. Sure of his target, the dog drove forward, following his instinctual drive to run down prey. In moments, the big dog caught up with the man and launched himself. Strong jaws clamped on the man’s right arm, and Souze’s forward momentum swung him around his anchor point, the man’s shoulder. The resultant forward jerk took the man completely by surprise, and they fell forward to the ground, landing heavily. Souze regained his footing first, jaws remaining clamped on the downed man’s arm.

Rojas turned his attention to the man just stumbling out of the canal.

“Bitch!” the man screamed. “I don’t need you. I could take your hand and your eye and leave the rest of you to rot. How dare you!”

“Stop.” Rojas had to warn the man. Had to give the man the chance to leave off. Minimum force necessary. He reminded himself over and over against the rising tide of rage he was feeling. “It’s over. Leave her alone.”

“Fuck you.” The man squared off with his fists up. “The bitch is my property. She belongs to me.”

“No.” Rojas didn’t bother with more words. He slipped under the sloppy punch the man threw and with a small twist of his knees, foot, torso, and legs buried his own right into the man’s gut with a precise uppercut. He followed up with a left body hook to the man’s kidney as he had so obligingly bent down and forward. When the man arched backward and straightened in pain, Rojas finished his striking combination with a right hook to the jaw.

Joseph Corbin Junior fell backward, back into the canal…and didn’t come up for air.

“Ah, shit.” Rojas waded in and felt around in the water until he had the man’s suit jacket. Yanking the other man up to the surface, he dragged Junior onto the bank where he wouldn’t drown and patted him down for weapons. Clear. He put Junior’s suit jacket back on him. As makeshift cuffs.

Satisfied, Rojas ran down the trail. As he reached Elisa, he asked, “Are you okay? Can you hang on another few seconds?”

Elisa’s gaze met his in one lightning second and relief washed through him. She was alive and all right. And she was going to be safe.

Breathing hard, she waved him on. “I’m okay. Souze. Don’t let him hurt Souze.”

All this insanity and she was still more concerned about his dog. God, he wanted to wrap her in his arms and hold her, but he did as she asked and ran on down the trail.

Souze still had hold of the other man’s arm. The man screamed and beat at Souze’s head and shoulders with his free fist, but the GSD shook him and didn’t let go. The entire struggle was silent on the part of the big dog. No growling. There was only the relentless determination to hold on. Blood was running freely from the man’s shredded forearm, and every time he tried to yank free, Souze shifted his grip for a better hold. The man’s flailing only damaged him more as it forced Souze’s teeth deeper.

“Freeze!” Rojas shouted at the man. “Police are on their way, and you are not going anywhere. Freeze and the dog will let go.”

The man glared at him but stopped struggling.

Rojas issued the quiet, firm command. “Aus.”

Souze let go, stepping around the man to stand with Rojas, never dropping the other man’s gaze.

“Pass auf.” Souze sat and watched his target, comfortably between Rojas and the potential threat. Meanwhile, Rojas warned the man. “Move and he will be on you. Stay where you are and he’ll let you alone.”

Sirens were approaching. It’d only be another few minutes and Elisa would be safe. Rojas turned and jogged back to her, gathering her in his arms. “Are you hurt?”

She shook her head, burrowing into his shoulder as she held on to him.