Chapter 4
ONE WEEK EARLIER
Caitlyn Weiss was having a great day.
She’d finished her surgeries early and sent the staff to lunch. There were no sick animals to take care of, just routine spays and neuters. The only appointments this afternoon were vaccinations with the vet tech. Caitlyn didn’t have to stick around for those. As soon as she finished walking this dog, she could go home and sleep.
Sleep.
She’d been in dire need of sleep since she’d moved to San Diego four months ago. She worked as a relief vet at La Canada Pet Clinic in addition to her regular job at the emergency animal hospital in Otay Mesa. She wanted to work days, but it was a competitive market and she didn’t have enough experience to secure a better position. So she slogged through night shifts and relief jobs, paying her dues.
The dog she was leading stopped to lift his leg at a cluster of purple wildflowers that were pretty but smelled like skunk. The scent tickled her nostrils as she waited for the dog to finish. She tipped her face toward the sun, enjoying the moment. The field behind the clinic was no paradise. It was a dry lot littered with weeds and bits of flyaway trash, but it was a convenient space for dogs to pee.
After Oliver was finished, she tugged on his leash to urge him forward. As she entered the back door of the clinic she noted blood splashes on the floor. They’d drained Oliver’s ear hematoma on the exam table this morning. She checked his bandage for seepage and found none. She shrugged and put him in a clean dog run. He wagged his tail at her, tongue hanging out.
“Good boy,” she said, and stepped back.
Right into someone.
Someone…scary. She hadn’t heard him approach, but she could smell him. Fresh blood and male sweat and another odor, like firecrackers.
Gunpowder.
She was suddenly aware of the gun pressed to her side. She’d heard several loud pops a few minutes ago, but she’d dismissed it as artillery testing at the nearby Naval Weapons Station. They made a lot of noise over there.
“Don’t move.”
His voice was raspy. Spanish accent. He wasn’t a tall man, but he was taller than her. He oozed menace and adrenaline. He was also bleeding profusely. Big red drops splashed at her feet. Oliver made a whining sound.
She stood still, her heart pounding. She should have locked the back door. The receptionist was always telling her to lock the door because there were homeless people all around this area. There were gang members and drug dealers in the neighborhood too. They were located at the edge of downtown San Diego, less than ten miles from the border.
“Don’t scream.”
She took a deep breath and tried to remain calm. If she didn’t panic, he wouldn’t hurt her. He’d go away and leave her alone.
He moved the gun away from her side and stumbled backward. She snuck a glance at him as he staggered toward the exam table. He looked terrible: ash-gray skin, purple-tinged lips. He had dark hair and a compact physique. His eyes glittered with a punchy sort of exhaustion. “I need a doctor,” he said, resting his gun on the table.
She gaped at him, incredulous. The front of his shirt was soaked with blood. “You’ve been shot.”
“It went in and out.”
“I’ll call an ambulance for you.”
He managed to boost himself up on the exam table without falling over. Then he collected his gun again, wearily. “No. You can fix me up.”
“I’m a veterinarian!”
“Do your best,” he said, teeth clenched.
She walked toward the drug cabinet and stared at the shelves, her mind blank with panic. He wasn’t a dog or a cat, but shewasa board certified surgeon. She knew how to slow bleeding, apply sutures, and check internal organs.
She also knew how to put him to sleep. It was worth a try. She filled a syringe with shaking hands. When she approached him, he locked his fingers around her wrist. For a man on the verge of losing consciousness, he was strong. “What’s that?”
“A numbing agent.”
“Let me see.”
She picked up the vial and showed it to him, figuring he wouldn’t have a clue what Telazol was. She was wrong. With a low growl, he threw it across the room. The vial of fast-acting intramuscular sedative shattered with a tiny liquid splash.
