Pierced Hearts (Southern Charmers 1)

“Y’all are not going to rain on my parade. This wedding is going to be fabulous,” he yells again from the background.

“What are the chances of keeping him away from Mom and Jill for the foreseeable future?”

“Zilch, he’s already called your mom twice today to see if the secret had been revealed.”

“Ugh, that explains the texts to hurry for dinner. She’s itching to openly discuss this. Most likely, the gossip chain has been activated.”

“You can count on it. Call me tomorrow and we can—”

“What the hell?” I cut her off when Pierce’s house comes into view. He, Maya, and Cole are wandering around the yard, a rope hanging from Cole’s hand.

“What’s up?”

I tell her what I’m seeing, and then I recognize the rope in Cole’s hand. It’s not a rope at all; it’s a leash. “Oh my God! Runner!” I slam to a stop at the curb, switch the car off, and disconnect the phone to her shouts.

“What’s wrong?” I run to the edge of the yard.

“Runner got out,” Pierce tells me firmly.

“Runner got out? He doesn’t do that.”

“It was an accident,” Maya replies faintly, her skin pale with streaks down her cheeks.

Cole locks eyes with me briefly, seeming equally as miserable.

“Runner! Runner!” I scream at the top of my lungs.

“Darby, calm down. We’re going to find him.” Pierce clasps my wrists, standing in front of me, and brings my attention to him.

“How long ago did he get out?” My voice is unsteady as I pivot in all directions, searching for his golden body. “You know how he likes to explore unfamiliar places. He hasn’t been here enough to know your layout.”

“He’s been gone maybe fifteen minutes. I was in the shower.”

A hushed cry gurgles from Maya as fresh tears roll down her cheeks.

There’s no time to comfort her because the loud thumping of bass comes from a car rounding the corner. A young man is behind the wheel, and the sun hits a reflection of his phone in hand right as a flash of fur appears from around a huge tree across the street.

“Runner, stay!” I shout, but the sound of my voice sends him barreling toward me.

It happens fast. The boy looks up in time to slam on the brakes, but over-corrects, fishtailing into a large brick mailbox a few houses down.

There’s the squeal of tires, the crunching of metal, the explosion of bricks going everywhere, then the unmistakable agonizing howl of Runner’s doggy voice piercing my ears.

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” My own earsplitting wail fills the air.

“Holy fucking shit,” Pierce growls, but I can barely make out his words.

With superpower strength, I wedge my wrists free, shove him out of my way, and streak toward the wreckage. Twice, I almost trip, but I stay upright, dropping to my knees and skidding the last few inches to Runner’s side. Pain rips through my knees, shins, and feet as the concrete tears my skin.

“Oh my God. Oh my God,” I chant, tossing bricks aside to get to his head. Blood covers his back leg, an open gash cutting his hip.

I gently crawl over him, whispering his name. He strains his face in my direction. Sobs wrack my body, my arms circling his neck so I can nuzzle into him.

“Is he okay?” The young man appears at my side, and I glance at him.

Blood dribbles from his nose and mouth, his lip busted open. His eyes are wide in shock. “Are you okay?” I manage to croak.

“Yeah, I think so.”

“Darby, scoot back so I can check him out,” Pierce instructs me, but I shake my head in refusal.

“No.”

“Baby, we need to see Runner’s injuries. There’s a lot of blood.”

At the mention of blood, I go lightheaded, burying my face back in my dog’s neck. Runner’s tongue licks up the side of my cheek. “It’s okay, sweet boy. I’m going to get you fixed up,” I say to him.

A strong hand rubs up and down my back, Pierce moving me a few inches and whispering soft words to Runner.

“His tail thumped,” Cole stammers in a shaky voice.

“I only see one cut. We need a towel,” Pierce soothes.

“I have a blanket,” the young man offers.

I suck in my tears and kneel back, running my hands everywhere to search for any more damage. Gently, we peel Runner forward to check his other side. The cut on his hip is the only visible wound.

“I’m going to pull my truck around so we can load him up.”

I nod, not taking my eyes off Runner.

Pierce stands, and there’s a loud hiccup, followed by wailing. I glance up to see a flicker of pain pass through his eyes as he scowls at Maya. My already broken heart aches for her.

“It was an accident.” I try to help the situation, sticking up for her.

There’s an eerie tension in the air. I take in the scene. Cole’s gripping the leash with white knuckles and a look of panic. Maya is openly weeping. Both exhibit signs of shock at seeing an accident and a dog hit by a car. It’s the blinding rage set on Pierce’s face that turns my blood to ice. His eyes are cold and hard, his lips drawn in a taut line, and his eyebrows are pulled together sharply. He’s pissed, and not in the general Pierce way of being pissed. He’s holding on by a thread, ready to snap.