“Let’s go sit down and wait for the cops,” I said.
He was in shock as well. I led him to the front desk that had been absolutely trashed. He flopped into one of the chairs. “My phone!”
He dove under the desk and came up grinning. “My phone didn’t get smashed.”
“Are you hurt?” I asked him.
I couldn’t see any injuries, but I wasn’t sure.
“No.” He shook his head. “I hid the whole time. Thea tried to call the cops and they saw her. I better call my mom.”
“Yes,” Thea said. Her hand was bandaged, and the blood washed from her face. “Maybe I should talk to her.”
Lucas grinned. “I got this. She’s going to lose her shit.”
“Language, young man,” Clay barked.
“Sorry, sir,” Lucas quickly corrected.
“What happened?” I asked. I could hear the muffled sounds of the dogs still barking. I imagined they were pretty worked up and would need some time to settle.
She ran her hand over her face. “It happened so fast. Lucas and I were just finishing up with closing duties. I didn’t set the alarm yet. We were on our way to the back when they tried to get in through the front door. We ran and hid in the dog kennel room. They got in the building and just went crazy. I was worried they would find us. I snuck through one of the kennel back doors and tried to make it to the phone but they saw me. I ran out here and was pushed. I fell into the glass on the floor. That’s how I got cut.”
My heart was in my throat while she spoke. Scenarios were running through my head with outcomes that had me on the verge of vomiting. I pulled her against me. I needed to feel the warmth of her body that was somehow whole and in one piece.
“You kept Lucas safe,” I assured her.
“Actually, he kept me safe.” She smiled up at me.
Lucas had already called his mom, who hung up on him in the middle of a panic attack. We all expected to see her before the police. “You totally kicked a—” He stopped when he saw Clay. “Butt. You kicked butt.”
“I was trying to fend them off with a tiny piece of glass,” Thea said. “They were drunk, and I don’t think they were going to stop. I thought it was over. I didn’t know what to do. Then I heard Kona. I had left her hiding with Lucas. Kona jumped in and tried to save us, but they would have hurt her. They threw stuff at her. I should probably make sure she’s okay.”
“She’s fine,” Lucas said. “I checked her.”
“Thank you. Anyway, after Kona came out, Lucas released a bunch of the dogs who went after the men. I don’t think they were trying to kill them, but they are intimidating. Kona was keeping them fired up. I told the men to run or be torn to shreds. They chose to run. Then you guys showed up.”
“Yeah, they ran right over me,” I said.
“You saw them?” she asked.
“Barely,” I said. “It happened fast.”
“Were they the same that attacked you?”
I thought about it. “I’m not sure,” I answered.
“I have security cameras,” she said. “I should probably get that for the police.”
“You did good, Lucas,” Clay said.
Lucas shrugged while blushing. “I felt stupid hiding in the corner while she was out here trying to fight them off.”
“If something would have happened to you, I would have to go into witness protection,” Thea said. “Your mother would hunt me down. She’s probably going to kill me as it is.”
We heard the sound of sirens in the distance. “Sounds like the cavalry is coming.”
“Dad, what are you doing here?” Thea asked again. “I’m so confused. What are you both doing here? How did you know?”