Chapter 9 - The Bite of Retribution
Elena didn’t think. There was no strategy, no tactical calculation. She merely locked eyes with Titan, whose ears were fully erect, his tail rigid with combat awareness.
“Titan! Defend!” she screamed into the wind.
The mastiff didn’t hesitate. He reversed his momentum with terrifying agility, tearing across the open ground faster than any human could react. The mercenary adjusted his aim toward the charging beast, but the split-second hesitation cost him everything.
Titan launched himself into the air, all 150 pounds slamming into the mercenary’s chest. The rifle fired into the dirt as both bodies crashed down the embankment. The screams of the operative were short-lived, choked off by the merciless, crushing jaws of the war dog.
Elena sprinted back, sliding onto her knees beside Julian. She threw his heavy arm over her shoulder, ignoring the warm, sticky blood soaking through her clothes.
“I told you to run,” Julian hissed through clenched teeth, his face deathly pale, sweat dripping down his temples.
“I don’t leave family,” Elena snapped, pulling him upward with every ounce of strength in her core.
Julian stared at her through heavy eyelids, a flicker of something human finally breaking through his impenetrable facade. With a grimace of agony, he pushed off his good leg, leaning heavily against her.
“Titan! Heel!” Elena called out.
The dog broke away from the motionless soldier, blood staining his muzzle, and flanked their right side, keeping his eyes glued to the burning estate on the hill above.
Together, they stumbled through the remaining brush until the dark, misty expanse of the lake appeared before them. A dilapidated wooden boathouse sat nestled among the reeds, its rotting dock rocking gently in the dark water.
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Julian pointed a trembling finger toward a weathered wooden shed tucked beneath the weeping willows. “In there... key hidden under the stone threshold... boat is fueled.”
Elena dragged him inside, kicking the door shut. She secured the heavy wooden bar across the entrance just as headlights swept through the cracks in the wood. The search party had reached the lake perimeter.
