Shackled (The Lord Series) by Amy T

148. Ansel
Rueben stands, and before going to his room, he says over his shoulder, “You don’t understand what its like to lose a sister.” Diva follows him.
I take anothe: drag from my cigar, this time a longer one. “Camila was like a sister to me, and I miss her too,” I say to no one in particular.
Moments later, Tyson also stands. “I am going to call it a night as well,” he lets Mose and me know as he grabs his book and disappears into his office.
When I finish my cigar, I turn off the music before I start cleaning the living room with the help of Mose. He always stays out of it, when it comes to Olivia, since he wasn’t our friend at the time Camila was killed, but tonight, he has
something to say.
“I don’t think I like her.” He stacks up the pizza boxes before putting them in a trash bag.
I take the empty plates to the sink. “Because she killed Camila, or is there another reason?”
“Ever since she came to live here, she has destroyed our peace. Jasper no longer wants to be under the same roof as us, and Rueben and Tyson are like two grumpy old men.”
I start washing the dishes. “Things will settle eventually.”
After we put everything in place, Mose goes to his room while I smoke another cigar and scroll through my phone until Diva barks. I grunt because it means she wants to go out.
A door opens, and by the squeak it is the one from Rueben’s room. He probably got up to let Diva out. Knowing how cranky he is when he doesn’t get enough sleep, I say, “I got her.”
“Thanks, man.” He sounds half-asleep.

Diva walks into the living room, and I get up, grab my coat, and go to the kitchen to open the back door.
“Come on, you little pain in the a s s.”
Rueben could have picked a nicer dog than Little Attitude. But she is loyal to Rueben and is a great asset to our career choice. I never thought I would end up as a bounty hunter, but there are worse jobs out there.
Diva snifts the snow-a small set of feet is visible, and I squat to take a better look at them. The light coming from outside is enough to allow me to inspect the footprints. They are small, like those of a child. A child on the farm?
My heart pounds a little faster.
Why is there a kid here?
Diva keeps sniffing the snow while I try to figure out where the kid came from until I see that the footprints are coming from the guest house. I let out a sigh of relief.
148 Ansel
Wait.
If it wasn’t a kid who made the footprints, then was it Olivia?
Shouldn’t she be in bed?
The footprints lead to the barn. She must be in there.
Diva keeps sniffing until she lets out a growl and runs to the barn. F uc k! I should have put her leash on, but who would have guessed that Olivia would be out in the barn when she is supposed to be in bed, getting better?
1 rush after Diva, hoping to catch her in time as she is not that fond of women, but she slips inside the barn before I can reach her. My heart is pounding hard as I expect to hear Olivia scream any moment now, but there is only silence.
Maybe I was wrong, and Olivia is not in the barn.
I rush inside. Instead of seeing Olivia on the ground with her neck torn open, I see her sitting on the floor petting the dam n dog, who has her head on Olivia’s lap.
Olivia tenses, her hand pausing, as she looks at me with eyes that once used to sparkle, but are now full of dispare. Bruises cover her skin. My stomach turns in knots. In the forest, I was more focused on Rueben than on her, I barely paid took note of her, but now it’s only me and her in here.
I fold my hands against my chest. “Are you some dog whisperer or something?”
She blinks, confused by my question. “No.”
“Diva must really like you then. She never lets me pet her.”
Her gaze goes to the dog. “Diva,” she murmurs. “I like her name.”
Miss Attitude licks Olivia’s face.