Page 352 of Rangers Last Promise

Trigger yelped and threw both hands into the air.

Coffee hit the wall.

“MAX!”

The dog stopped three inches from Trigger and looked at me.

“Friend,” I said.

Max sat.

Trigger stared at him.

Then at the coffee dripping down the wall.

Then at me.

“You could have said that sooner.”

“You could have knocked.”

“I brought you coffee.”

“You broke into my room.”

“I opened an unlocked door.”

“Without knocking.”

“We didn’t knock when we were Rangers.”

“We also carried weapons and slept in buildings where people wanted to kill us.”

Trigger looked at Max.

“He wanted to kill me.”

“He wanted to stop you.”

“With his teeth.”

“They’re effective.”

Trigger lowered his hands carefully. “Is he going to eat me?”

“Not unless you touch his food.”

“I don’t want his food.”

“You ate my last protein bar in Afghanistan.”

“That was fifteen years ago.”

“Max holds grudges.”

Trigger took one slow step backward.

Max watched him.