I could’ve gotten myself lost in his playful gaze. That is, if I hadn’t heard loud, thumping paws hit the ground. I glanced back at Brody to see a big droopy bloodhound by the car. The dog gave his whole body a shake, turned and barreled toward me with his ears flapping in the wind.
I wanted to move, run in fact, but my feet were glued to ground. “Oh good Lord.” Everyone around me laughed, even Kipp, but as Duke jumped up to place his two paws on my chest and sent me straight to the ground, I didn’t feel like laughing. Dogs and I were usually sworn enemies.
My worries vanished immediately as Duke licked my face like a lollipop. “Eww.” I tried to push him away. “Get him off me.” He weighed me down and moving him became impossible. Even as I turned my head from side to side, he just seemed to anticipate my every move.
“Hier,” Brody shouted.
The dog jumped off me and went to sit at Brody’s feet. Everyone still laughed as I wiped my face in disgust to rid myself of the goobers. “First of all, yuck, and second, what language is that?”
“It’s German.” Brody gave the big dog a scratch on the head. “I said here.”
I continued to wipe the slobber from my face. “Why do you speak to him in German?”
Brody shrugged and glanced away from the dog to me. “It keeps the pups from getting confused when English is spoken around them.”
Zach offered his hand. I took it, then stood and gave my face and neck a final wipe. I approached Duke and scratched his ear. “If you wanted some scratchies, you don’t have to eat me, you know.”
Duke’s tongue wagged out the side of his mouth. I used both hands to squeeze his cute, loveable face. “He’s a sweetie.”
Brody laughed, a rich sound. “If only women had the same reaction to me as they do to the dog.”
I glanced up at him and wasn’t mistaken when I thought a sultry nature had hit his tone, his expression declared it. “Er…”
“Try it and die, fucker,” Kipp said.
I smiled, unable to stop it. His protectiveness pleased me and I didn’t mind one bit he had staked his claim.
Brody smiled seductively. Oops, shit! He apparently misread my smile. He must have thought I meant it for him. I needed to rectify my mistake. “I can see why women like the dog, he’s a beauty. Zach, we should get a dog just like him.”
Brody’s smile vanished.
Kipp’s frown melted into a satisfied grin.
“Whatever you want, babe.” Zach laughed and Eddie joined in.
“So, what do we have to do?” I released the dog’s squishy cheeks and straightened up.
“Well,” Brody said, glancing out to the forest. “What exactly are we doing here?”
Before any of the men could voice just how weird that was, I blurted out, “Shouldn’t you know that?”
Brody shifted on his feet and kicked some of the stones along the road. “Nah, Max just told me to meet you out here with Duke. He didn’t give me specifics.”
Zach handed him the phone with the GPS coordinates. “You know the Hannah Reid case?”
Brody nodded, looking down at the phone to read the location. “Yeah, I remember it.”
“We’re about to find her body,” Zach said.
Brody jerked his head up. “You want me and Duke to search the entire forest?” He appeared less than thrilled.
Eddie shook his head. “No, we got a lead pointing to the exact location. It’s flagged there.”
Brody’s eyes widened. “A lead from what source?”
Zach and Eddie’s expression swept with confusion and unease, but I had this one covered. “Someone came forward who’d been too scared at the time of her disappearance to say anything, but now wants to set the record straight.”
Kipp groaned. “Watching you smooth-talking him to believe you makes me hard…”