I scowl. “What the fuck for?”
Her eyes glisten with unshed tears. “Because I think he’s my dog, Sampson.”
My brows shoot up, and I glance at the dog over my shoulder before looking back at her.
“You didn’t have a dog with you in the car when I pulled you over,” I remark.
She nods and her throat bobs when she swallows. “I know. I left him behind and a co-worker was supposed to check in on him. If I wasn’t back in a few days, she was going to take him for me.”
Fucking hell. This shit just got messier.
I grab her hand and push open the door. I don’t know how long Eden and Jenny were at Remi’s house, but the dog had to have been left while they were gone, or they would have noticed it before now. The dog couldn’t have been out here long, but even so, with the heat of the Texas sun blaring down on the carcass, the flies have already started their feast. It won’t be long before it begins to smell.
Eden’s fingers tighten in my hand and her breath hitches the closer we get. Her bracelets jingle when she throws her other hand over her mouth and releases a choked sound. I step in front of her, blocking her view. She’s seen enough.
I grab her hand from her mouth and place it on my chest. “Is it him?”
From her reaction, I already know the answer, but I need her to confirm it.
“Yes,” she croaks. Her head falls forward and her forehead lands against my chest. “Even without recognizing the nametag I bought him, I’d know it was him.”
My jaw tenses in anger. I manage to unlock my fingers from a fist and gently rub up and down her back. I’ve no doubt she can feel the tightening of my muscles though.
“It was him. Diego did this. He had to have.”
Damn straight it was Diego, and he’ll fucking pay even more for what he’s done.
“Yes,” I answer tersely.
Eden lifts her head and wipes away her tears, but her eyes are still sad. “I need to go call Marian. She’s the one who was watching him. I need to make sure she’s okay.”
I nod, but before she can walk away, I grab her chin and make her look at me. “We’ll get him, Gypsy. I promise.”
She looks at me strangely for a moment, her brows puckered. I’m sure it’s from me calling her Gypsy. She’s in another one of her long flowy skirts, loose spaghetti strap shirt, with her hair in a silk scarf, hiding the flaming red hair. Once again, she reminds me of a gypsy.
After several seconds, she nods and turns away, walking back into the house. I close the door behind her and pull out my phone.
“I need you at Jenny’s house,” I tell Emo once he answers.
“Got it. Be there in ten.”
Just as I hang up, the door opens behind me. Judge steps up beside me as I look down at the remains.
“Motherfuckin’ hell,” he snarls, throwing his hands in his slack pockets. “Any clue who did this?”
“Has to be Diego. The dog is Eden’s.”
His head snaps my way. “She sure?”
I jerk my chin up. “She left the dog at home for someone to watch while she was gone. That means he’s already here. That or he’s sent someone in his place. I don’t think that’s the case though. The day I brought her into town, I pulled her over for speeding. She said she thought she saw him following her. I didn’t see anyone, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t stop somewhere close by out of sight.”
“What kind of sick fuck decimates a dog like this?”
“The same kind who beats the shit out of women or kills them,” I answer his rhetorical question. “Diego’s unstable at best and a psycho at worst. That’s why he can’t get his hands on Eden. There’s no telling what he’ll do to her.”
“I want a piece of him when he’s found,” Judge remarks darkly.
“Not until I’m done with him. And I ain’t promising there’ll be much left.”