Rhys raised a questioning eyebrow, then shrugged, handing Bosch back without comment.
At last, the introductions over, Geo bent to dig a bite sleeve out of his duffel and slip it on his forearm. “I’ll play decoy, if you want to do the honors.” He took off Bosch’s muzzle and handed his leash to Matt. After giving him some quick instructions, Geo trotted a little ways off and took up an offensive stance. He nodded to Matt, who hissed, “Reveiren!” and unclipped his leash.
Bosch streaked toward Geo, a black-and-tan blur of motion, and then he leapt, body fully extended, to clamp hard onto Geo’s protected forearm. They fought, Geo doing his best to dislodge Bosch’s grip on him, but the pressure exerted by a canine in full bite was impossible to loosen.
Shouts from the guys echoed in Geo’s ears as he stumbled around in the sand, sixty-five pounds of fur and muscle firmly attached and not going anywhere. At last Geo raised his free hand in surrender. Immediately, Matt trotted up and gave Bosch the “release” command, then tossed him a Kong.
“Okay, pretty cool,” Mullet called begrudgingly. “But no way can that thing run the O-course with us.”
“Wanna bet?”
Instantly one-and five-dollar bills started flying. A grinning Shane took charge of the money. “I’m restricted from the course at the moment, so I’ll be the bookie.”
Geo took off the bite sleeve and slipped into a chest harness. “I’ll need a swim buddy,” he started to say, glancing at Matt, but Rhys raised his hand.
“I’m in.”
Geo couldn’t help but stiffen as Rhys strolled toward him with a loose-limbed, lazy grace that sparked the jealousy right back to life, a little stronger this time. He and Lani must’ve made a beautiful couple...
“Okay,” he grunted when Rhys reached his side. “There’ll be times you have to lift and attach Bosch to me—”
“I’ve worked with K9 teams before,” Rhys broke in. “I’m an 18-Delta medic, too, so I have vet training. You and Bosch are in good hands.”
If he’d been anyone other than Lani’s ex, Geo probably would’ve indulged in a brief fantasy of the gorgeous Rhys’s hands literally being on him, but under the circumstances, he could hardly keep a snarl from twisting his lips.
Jesus, where the fuck is this coming from? I don’t have any claims on her!
Sucking in a deep breath, Geo pushed Lani back into her designated mental box.
“Okay, Bosch. Let’s show this fucking Mullet asshole what’s what.”
“Amen,” Rhys muttered, and then they were off.
Bosch ran easily next to them as they navigated the different apparatus. He crawled when they crawled, and jumped over the lower obstacles with ease. When it was time for Geo to climb, he waited as Rhys lifted the dog up and hooked him to Geo’s chest harness.
Bosch hung calmly as Geo climbed up a metal ladder, then attached a cam to the thirty-foot rope and slid back down. The whole time Rhys stayed next to him, and as the course went on, they slowly meshed into one smoothly operating unit.
When they crossed the finish line, Geo couldn’t help but reach out for a knuckle bump. “Good work, swim buddy.”
“Thanks.” Rhys’s face was attractively flushed and glistening with sweat. “I wish Devon—my girlfriend—could’ve been here. She would love this.”
Devon? Why did that name sound familiar?
“She’s a badass in her own right,” Rhys went on. “This would be right up her alley.”
Ah, Devon! The CST Matt mentioned. She was Rhys’s girlfriend?
In an instant, the stupid jealousy melted away, and Geo shot him a more genuine smile. “Hey, if you wanted to bring her out sometime, we can do this all over again.”
A bemused expression crossed Rhys’s face in response to Geo’s change in attitude, but all he said was, “Awesome.”
As the guys sprawled about with water and Gatorade to take a break, Bradley approached Geo. “Impressive demo,” he said admiringly. “I can’t even imagine how many hours of training that’s taken you.”
“Bosch and I have been together for years.”
Bradley asked about their previous deployments, his interest gratifyingly sincere. They were deep into talking shop when Mullet suddenly interrupted, “You were in Kalach? Oruzgan Province? Isn’t that the outpost where the dude offed himself?”
Geo stiffened as Mullet went on, “I heard that guy was one crazy mofo. Unraveling in plain sight, and no one did jack shit about it.”
“That’s an unfair judgment.” Rhys’s voice was mild, but his eyes were like chips of ice. “Suicide deaths are very complex. His teammates weren’t responsible...”
“Bullshit.” Mullet rolled to the side and spat in the sand. “Someone’s fuckin’ crazy enough to kill themselves, those dudes shoulda seen it.” He shrugged. “Guess they figured they were all better off just lettin’ him do it.”
A bolt of white-hot anger shot through Geo. “Why don’t you shut the fuck up?” he growled. “You weren’t there.”
“Were you?” Mullet sat up, a prurient curiosity in his gaze. When he read the answer on Geo’s face, he smirked. “Ah. Was the tough love part your idea? Solved your problem, didn’t it?”
A red haze descended over Geo’s eyes, and he lunged, but Rhys was ready for him, his arms wrapping tightly around Geo’s shoulders. “Don’t give this asshole the satisfaction,” he said urgently. “Your teammate wouldn’t want this.”
Across the way, Mullet had surged to his feet and was beckoning to him, his lips twisted in a mocking grin. “Got a lesson you wanna teach me, dog boy?” he taunted. “Don’t worry. I promise not to kill myself after.”
With a howl of rage and pain, Geo fought against his bonds, dimly aware of Shane dragging Mullet out of reach, both fists twisted in the back of his shirt. “Get out of here, you colossal prick,” he snarled, shoving Mullet into the arms of his buddies, who hustled him away, their faces red with embarrassment.
The remaining guys stared at the ground, at the sky, anywhere but at Geo, discomfort written all over them. Fighting back sudden tears, and with a strength born of desperation, he wrenched away from Rhys, snatched up Bosch’s leash and strode off in the opposite direction.
Rhys and Matt appeared to walk next to him, silent while he wrestled for control. At the kennels, they leaned against the wall as he brushed Bosch’s fur clean of sand and fed him some kibble, their quiet, supportive presence along with the routine of caring for his dog bleeding away Geo’s tension and leaving a leaden sadness behind.