Black Ops (Presidential Agent 5)

He came to her rescue.

"Sof'ya, you can wait for your mother, but why don't you come out and watch Max and the pups?"

"He goes in the pool?" she asked.

"Watch."

Castillo retrieved a soccer ball from the top of a refrigerator. It was the only place where the ball could be kept out of the dog's reach.

Max jumped to his feet, having instantly decided that playing with the ball would be more fun than having his offspring gnaw on his ears.

Castillo went to the quincho door and drop-kicked the ball into the pool. Max raced after it, not even pausing before jumping into the water. He swam to the ball and took it in his mouth.

Then Max saw that the pups had not only followed him to the pool but jumped in it after him.

Sof'ya screamed. "They'll drown!"

Castillo didn't think so, but Max was suddenly overcome by paternal emotions. He dropped the soccer ball, swam to one of the pups, and picked it up gently in his mouth.

The pup howled.

Sof'ya screamed again as she ran to the side of the pool.

Max looked confused. There were two pups, but he could get only one in his mouth at a time. He began to paddle in a circle. The pup that had not been rescued paddled desperately after him.

Castillo slipped out of his sandals and ran, laughing, to the pool and dove in.

He swam to the circling dogs and caught in his hand the one that was free. The pup struggled to regain its freedom, but Castillo managed to get it to the decking of the pool, where he set it at Sof'ya's feet.

"The other one, the other one!" she screamed. "He's going to eat it!"

"Max!" Castillo called. "Come!"

But Max kept circling.

With some difficulty--he was now almost helpless with laughter--Castillo went after Max. Max saw him coming and swam away from him to the wrong--the deep--end of the pool.

There he tried to climb out and failed. All he could do was get his paws on the edge of the pool--and slide back in.

Before Castillo could reach him, Sof'ya ran to the pool's edge there and tried to convince Max to give up the puppy. When that failed, she reached over and grabbed a handful of Max's fur, trying to pull him out.

Max's paws again slipped on the poolside tiles. This time he slid backward into the water with two results: He took Sof'ya with him and, when his head went underwater, he let go of the puppy.

Castillo was by then at the scene. He grabbed the now-yapping puppy and put it on the pool deck. Max reached the surface, saw the puppy, and tried again to climb out of the pool.

The puppy ran to pool edge and started yapping indignantly at its father.

Castillo knew Max would not hurt the pup. Sof'ya did not know Max as well as Castillo did.

"He's going to eat him! Oh, God! He's going to eat him!"

Castillo grabbed Sof'ya so that he could hoist her out of the pool. He didn't know how well she could swim--if at all--and she was still wearing her heavy European winter clothing.

She struggled.

At that point, reinforcements arrived. Or, more accurately, erupted from the water next to Castillo.

"What are you doing to her, you sonofabitch?" Lieutenant Colonel Svetlana Alekseeva of the Sluzhba Vnezhney Razvedki demanded, furiously indignant.