“I’m sorry. I know how hard that is.” Jack answered honestly as he got down on one knee and started petting Spock.
“In more ways than one.” Jenniffer mumbled as Xena came back and sat down at her feet. “Ok, I think we can call it a day. When you guys come in tomorrow to do some more work with your partners, we’ll work some on their seeking for specific items. All three dogs excelled at drugs. Spock and Hercules actually tested off the charts for both drugs as well as finding explosives. Most dogs are only good at one or the other and are rarely used for both. But both those two just tested off the charts which is a rare thing. Xena, she’s good and does better with explosives. I thought Officer Monroe was with the bomb squad as the K-9 which is why I brought out Xena but I’m starting to wonder now.”
Jenniffer stopped herself when she realized she was rambling on as she kneeled down herself and started scratching Xena behind the ear, giving her praise for behaving well. She didn’t pay attention to either man looking at each other before looking at the female officer ignoring them all.
“We are actually trying to figure out why she’s in the K-9 unit ourselves.” Jack admitted softly.
“Okay, normally I’d have you guys take the dogs home, let them get acquainted with their new surroundings, but I’m honestly hesitant to do that with her. God that makes me sound horrible.” Jenniffer huffed, her head going down, chin to her chest.
“How much longer are we going to be here? I have plans for after shift.” Officer Monroe asked, walking back to the group, popping a bubble with her bubble gum.
“Um, I guess I can let you guys go now. I have your boxes with everything you’ll need to get you through the night, including their favorite toys and their beds…”
“Uh, I’m sorry what? Why do I need boxes with favorite toys and bed?”
“Because…Xena is supposed to go home with you so that you two can start the bonding process tonight and you can report to me tomorrow how they did?” Jenniffer answered hesitantly.
“Yeah, no. That’s not going to work. I live in an apartment.” Officer Monroe announced, popping another bubble with her gum.
“Then how are you part of the K-9 unit?” Jenniffer questioned, her voice going hard.
“Duh! My dad got me the position to get me out of my last unit, such a drag. I thought the dogs were supposed to stay in a kennel and we just get them when our shift starts. I can’t be responsible for a dog. I have things to deal with, people to do!”
Jenniffer sighed deeply and rubbed her forehead. “What about you two?”, she asked Officers Pratt and Axelson.
“I’m good with taking Hercules home with me.” Officer Pratt answered right away, looking over at his friend.
“I’m good taking Spock home. Probably a good thing I had planned to start a Star Trek movie marathon this weekend.” Jack answered, causing his friend to groan as Jenniffer shook her head, trying to hide the smirk.
“Fine, you two take your boy’s home. I’ll keep Xena with me tonight. Officer Monroe, if you’re going to be a K-9 officer, you need to figure out your priorities and realize the responsibility you have for your partner. If you can’t or won’t take responsibility for Xena, then you need to inform your supervisor, or I will.”
Jenniffer didn’t wait around for an answer as she walked away, leading Xena back to her stall. Once she got the dog situated, she turned around and walked to the table she had set up with the boxes that had the bag of food, dog dishes, toys and the beds for each of the dogs. When she turned around, she walked smack dab into a wall…a wall of hard muscled man, actually.
“Shit, I’m sorry. I thought you heard us.” Jack caught the box at the same time he used his other hand to help steady Jenniffer before she fell.
“I’m good. Sorry I actually didn’t hear you. Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, I came in to help you with the boxes and was going to ask if you needed to inspect our vehicles the boys were going home in.”
Jenniffer shuffled from foot to foot not sure how to proceed. She felt his stare and knew it was intense. She wasn’t used to a man’s stare unnerving her like his was. Hell, the girly parts of her that had been dormant for the last four years suddenly make an appearance and she wasn’t sure how she felt about that.
“Are you guys here with your police cars or personal cars?”
“Actually, Reaper and I rode together since we live across the street from each other.”
“Reaper?” Jenniffer asked, quirking an eyebrow.
“Shit, habit. Dom, or Officer Pratt as you’ve been calling him. We were in the Special Forces together. He was a sniper, and I was demolition. He’s the reason I’m here in San Diego and on the force. He practically saved my life after an injury I received, and I was struggling.” Jack quietly admitted, shifting the box in his arms.
Jenniffer smiled sadly and looked down at Spock who was leaning into her while standing between the two adults. “Let’s get you guys ready to roll out. Need to get some stuff done and run into town to do some much-needed errands before everything closes.”
CHAPTERFIVE
After dropping the dogs off at their respective homes, the men decided, after talking with Jenniffer about how best to get the dogs acclimated to their new homes, that they were going to the local pet store to get what they needed to add a doggie door to the back doors for the so the dogs had the freedom to come and go at their leisure.
Once they had gotten everything, they needed from the pet store, they decided to grab a quick bite to eat at their favorite watering hole for a burger and a beer. They had just placed their order with their waitress when the door opened and they noticed Jenniffer walking in, looking like she was having a bad day.
When he saw Jenniffer looking around for a seat, he knew she wouldn’t find any since the place was packed. Standing up, he waived over at Jenniffer, noticing her startle when she recognized him, Jack looked down at Dom in confusion before looking back at Jenniffer.
