Chapter 6 - The Innocent Witness
Dr. Lin was standing in the doorway, holding a ring of master keys and a duffel bag filled with veterinary medical supplies, IV bags, and pain medication.
"I've already disconnected his main monitoring alarms," she said softly, stepping into the room and closing the door behind her. "If Animal Control arrives at six, they're going to find an empty cage. But Marcus... if you take him, you're a fugitive. They will hunt you down."
"He took a bullet for a kid, Sarah," I said, unhooking the IV line and wrapping Titan in a warm thermal blanket. "I don't care about the badge anymore."
Before Dr. Lin could answer, the front lobby doors of the clinic shattered with a loud, metallic crash.
Heavy footsteps echoed down the main hallway, followed by the harsh, raised voices of multiple men.
"Search every room!" a stern voice barked. It was Captain Harrison. "Vance’s personal vehicle was spotted on street cameras three blocks from here! If he's inside, take him into custody!"
"Damn it," I muttered, lifting Titan’s heavy, blanket-wrapped body into my arms. He weighed like lead, his head resting heavily against my shoulder. "Is there a side exit?"
"The laundry chute leads to the lower garage," Dr. Lin said quickly, pointing to a stainless-steel service hatch at the back of the treatment room. "Go! I'll slow them down!"
I squeezed through the utility door, lugging Titan through the narrow service hallway toward the rear exit. But as I rounded the corner leading to the garage bay, I ran directly into three figures standing by the door.
I froze, shifting Titan’s weight in my arms, preparing to fight my way out.
Standing in the dim light of the emergency exit was Thomas Sterling, his wife, and the little girl from the park—seven-year-old Lily.
"Stop!" Sterling called out, stepping forward with his hands raised in a defensive gesture.
"Get out of my way, Sterling," I growled through gritted teeth, my jaw throbbing. "I'm taking my dog."
"Marcus, wait," Sterling said, his voice completely stripped of the loud, arrogant political bravado he had displayed at the park. He looked pale, exhausted, and deeply shaken. He looked at his wife, who gently nudged the little girl forward.
Lily was holding a plush dog tightly against her chest. She stepped up to me, looking down at Titan’s blanketed face with big, tear-filled eyes.
"Is... is the hero dog gonna be okay?" she asked softly, her small voice echoing in the quiet garage.
I blinked, thrown completely off guard. "What?"
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Sterling stepped beside his daughter, looking at me with genuine remorse in his eyes. "When we got home from the park, I was furious. I was writing press releases demanding the police department destroy your K9. But then Lily started screaming at me."
"He didn't hurt me, Daddy," Lily whispered, reaching out a tiny hand to gently touch Titan's ear. "The bad snake was right there. He jumped on top of me so the snake wouldn't bite my face. He saved me."
