Diesel's growl settled somewhere deep in his chest, and every hair along his back stood on end. I stopped halfway across the parking lot with my apartment keys still in my hand.
"What is it?" I asked.
The German Shepherd never looked at me. His eyes remained fixed on the darkness beyond the edge of the security lights where the alley disappeared between the neighboring buildings so I followed his gaze.
At first I saw nothing. Then a faint movement caught my attention. A shadow slipped behind the corner of the old warehouse across the street.
By the time I focused properly, whoever had been standing there was gone. The silence returned almost immediately. No footsteps, no engines. Nothing.
I crouched beside Diesel and rested one hand against his shoulder.
"You saw somebody." I said an
