Page 82 of Take My Kiss
“I’m gonna reset the router, hold on.”
“Maybe give it a good kick,” Bodie quips.
“More like gonna put my fist through it,” I grumble, whipping the door open.
I mess with the device, unplugging and resetting it a few times before it finally shows up on my app.
“Alright, I think it’s?—”
Remy barks in the distance, but it’s not his usual playful one, it’s more aggressive. Then, a loud, piercing scream.
“Oh, shit. Sam!” I sprint down the steps with Bodie close behind. “Where’re you?”
He screams again, but it’s closer than before. Remy’s still aggressively barking.
“Think it’s an animal?” Bodie asks as we rush down the driveway past our trucks.
“Maybe. Where the fuck did they go?” I call his name again, then Remy’s.
Moments later, Sam runs out of the woods, nearly panting. “It’s…a…big cat.”
I capture Sam in my arms, then look him over to make sure he’s not injured.
“Bobcat, maybe?” Bodie asks.
“It had kittens,” Sam adds. “Remy tried to scare it away when they got close to me.”
Oh shit.Bobcats don’t typically attack larger dogs or humans unless they’re sick or feel threatened. It’s not uncommon for bobcats to be in these mountains, but they rarely cause a problem since they tend to stay away from people. But if she has babies with her, she’d be more on guard.
I carry Sam toward my house, then set him down on the first step of the stairs. Opening my truck door, I pull out my rifle that I keep under the seat for emergencies and quickly load it. Remy stopped barking, which either means he’s hurt or he scared them away.
But I’m not taking any chances.
“Bodie, take Sam inside.”
“No, I don’t wanna leave you!” he cries.
“I gotta find Remy and make sure he’s okay. I’ll be back.” I kiss the top of his head. “Listen to Bodie.”
“C’mon, Sam. We’ll be safe in the house.”
“I’m scared for Remy.” His bottom lip trembles.
Bodie grabs his hand and leads him up the staircase, and I walk into the area Sam ran from, calling Remy’s name. My heart beats wildly at the fear that something happened to him or I won’t find him at all.
Not only will I be crushed, but Sam will be too.
I told him not to go too far and to stay in the driveway, but knowing how much Remy loves to explore, Sam followed wherever he went.
“Remy! Home!”
There’s whimpering to my left, and I rush through the trees toward the sound, calling out his name a few more times. And then I see him.
He’s lying down, still breathing, but just barely.
“Remy!” Kneeling, I lift him in my arms the best I can with my rifle under my arm. There’s blood around his neck, but it doesn’t look too deep. A single claw scratch. At least that’s all I can see when I rush out of the woods and to my truck.
I manage to get him in the backseat and tear off my shirt to put pressure on his wound.
