Page 100 of A Snowy Escape

“Oh my god,” I whisper-hiss. “He’s going to try to take Echo.”

“Your ex?” Bryant asks.

“Yeah,” I choke out. “I’m going to jail.”

“You’re not going to⁠—”

“Echo, heel,” Lawson growls, cutting Bryant off. “I’m taking her inside. Don’t say a word about her being here.”

“I think the cat might be out of the bag on that one,” Bryant says.

I’m still frozen in shock, blinking as Tommy’s vehicle gets closer.

“You heard what I said,” Lawson growls, and my head whips in his direction. Echo’s back rests against his chest as he carries her up the porch steps.

“Hey, it’s okay.” Bryant pulls me into his chest. “Why don’t you go inside too? We’ll handle this.”

I hear his words, but what comes out of my mouth is, “How did he even find me? I didn’t just turn off the tracking app, I uninstalled it from my phone.”

“Who knows?” Bryant says. “But you’ve been at our house while your car was at the restaurant. Maybe he has a tracker on your vehicle?”

“That has to be illegal, right?” I ask, rolling my face around Bryant’s shirt to try to find where his scent is strongest.

“As long as you own the car, it’s highly illegal,” Lawson says, coming around the front of my car. “It can be charged as stalking in New York.”

Tommy’s vehicle comes to a stop, and he tosses open the door.

My entire body quakes.

Lawson comes over, standing on Bryant’s other side. He leans in, whispering something in Bryant’s ear. He speaks so softly that I can’t even hear what he says. That could be due to the blood rushing in my ears.

Bryant’s hand tightens on my ass. “I’ll be up on the porch if you need me.” He bends, kissing the top of my head.

Then he’s gone.

Tommy approaches, and a lump forms in my throat.

There’s every possibility that he has a right to hate me. What he didn’t have the right to do was track me after I left a note explaining that I was breaking up with him.

Except, maybe legally speaking, he has a right to search for Echo?

God, I have no idea.

Lawson wraps his arm around my shoulder, and he doesn’t bother lowering his voice when he says, “He won’t put his hands on you, sweetheart. I can promise you that.”

“I don’t know what kind of lies she’s been telling you, but I never raised a finger to her,” Tommy says, stopping ten feet away. “You stole my fucking dog, and I want her back.”

“You’re on my property, talking to my bonded omega,” Lawson growls back. “I’d change your tone real fucking quick.”

“Oh yeah, or what?” Tommy asks with a mocking laugh. “You’re lucky I haven’t called the police, at least not yet.”

“The sheriff’s department responds out here,” Lawson says, running his hand up and down my arm as he sends steady comfort through the bond. “I can go ahead and call them for you. I’ve got Ed’s personal cell phone number on hand. That’s the sheriff. I trained Ruby for him a year and a half ago. I’ve also worked with both dogs in their canine department.”

Tommy’s head tilts.

He’s used to knowing everyone, since his brother is a cop and his dad was the former fire chief.

His jaw clenches, and he gets that cold, dead look in his eyes.