For a long moment, there was no sound except Abby’s ragged breathing and the distant rush of cars on the freeway.
She stared at Arnie’s body. The pool of blood beneath him spread slowly across the concrete, dark and glossy under the flickering fluorescent light. His eyes were open, fixed on the ceiling, empty.
Archer stood over him, massive and still. Blood and saliva dripped from his snout, splattering onto the floor in slow, heavy drops. His chest rose and fell in powerful breaths.
“Archer,” Abby whispered.
Her legs gave out and she sank to her knees.
He came to her immediately.
One second he was looming over Arnie’s corpse. The next he was at her side, pressing close. She reached for him without hesitation, her fingers sinking into thick, warm fur. She buried her face against his
