“In the closet.”

Growl nodded. “He was the enemy.”

“And I’m not?”

For some reason he seemed closer than before, and his scent finally registered. Not of sweat and blood and death like last night, but fresh and musky. It seemed too normal for someone like him.

“No. Enemies need eliminating because they mean danger, and often death. You don’t.”

“I tried to kill you last night,” I said indignantly.

He didn’t say anything, and that was worse than an insult.

I crossed my arms. I was starting to tire of this conversation, of the situation, of everything. I closed my eyes but the moment I did, images from last night came back up, and I quickly opened them again.

I really wished Growl would stop watching me with that intent expression. He looked like an explorer who’d discovered a new species. “What’s going to happen now?” I asked quietly.

“I have work to do, and you’ll stay here and watch TV.”

I laughed. Had he misunderstood me on purpose? “That’s not what I meant. Will you keep me locked up here until I die or you grow tired of me?”

“I haven’t given it much thought yet. I didn’t know Falcone would give you to me or I would have made plans,” he said.

Plans for my captivity, how considerate. “So what now?” Everything seemed so meaningless. My life had never been free. There had been rules and expectations, but now I had no choices at all.

“I will go to work and you will stay here.”

I gave up. Either he couldn’t or he didn’t want to understand me. “Will you take them with you?” I nodded toward the dogs.

Growl shook his head. “They will stay here with you.”

Their white teeth drew my attention toward them. “Are you sure they won’t tear me apart?”

Growl turned to his dogs. “Coco, Bandit.”

They didn’t hesitate. They waggled toward him, then sat down and looked up at him in adoration. “They are well-trained,” he explained. “You can come closer.”

I nodded, but didn’t move from my spot against the kitchen counter. The way they were panting, I got a good look at the size of their teeth.

He frowned. “You’ll have to get used to them. You’ll spend a lot of time with them in the future, and I won’t always be around to help you.”

The idea of him being helpful to me was ludicrous. I certainly wasn’t eager for his presence.

“If you want to touch them, you should always give them the chance to smell you first. At least until they know you better. They are distrustful dogs. Most people haven’t given them much reason to be trustful.” He held his hand in front of Coco’s, then Bandit’s nose before he patted their heads. “If they move back, let them. Don’t try to pet them if they don’t want you to.”

How was I supposed to know when they wanted to be petted? Not that I had any intention of touching them without good reason, or without Growl close by. They scared me. I couldn’t help it. They looked like they knew how to tear things into shreds. Their many scars spoke of their hard past.

“They are fighting dogs, right?”

Growl nodded. “They both fought in many fights. They won most of them.”

“I bet you won a lot of money with them then,” I muttered, hoping he could hear my disgust. Why would people enjoy watching dogs tear each other apart? But I’d never understood the appeal of boxing matches either; the boxers, at least, chose to fight of their own free will.

He patted Coco and Bandit once more before he turned his full attention to me. “I never sent them into fights. I bought them when they were getting too old to win.” His voice was gentler when he talked about his dogs, even though it still held the hard edge of a growl due to his injured vocal cords.

“Why?”

“Because they would have been killed and after what they went through, they deserve to live in peace for the rest of their lives.”

Was there actually a flicker of kindness in this man? It seemed unlikely, but the way he took care of his dogs, I couldn’t deny the possibility. Maybe he felt a connection with the dogs because they’d been forced into a life of violence. There wasn’t much known about Growl’s past, but nobody was born like that, nobody was born evil. Perhaps he, too, had been forced into this existence. Perhaps he’d never experienced a normal life.

It didn’t justify his actions, but it was an explanation that helped me understand him better, and understanding was always the first step to a solution. If I wanted to get out of my horrible situation, I’d first have to find out more about my captor, even if that meant actually spending time with him.

“So you never bet in dog fights? I hear some people made millions with it.” Looking at his shabby home, I was certain that he could use the money.

He shook his head. “I don’t care about money and even if I did, I wouldn’t want to win it by letting dogs tear each other apart.”

This man was an enigma.

He gestured for me to come closer again. “Come. You need to get to know each other, and I don’t have much time left.”

I took a few hesitant steps closer and when neither dog stirred, I bridged the remaining distance between us.

“Get down on your knees,” Growl ordered, and the words brought another image into my head that unsettled me even more than the dogs with their big teeth. I quickly shoved the memory away and crouched down.

Growl took my hand, startling me. I barely stopped myself from pulling away. His palm was callused and warm, not unpleasant. I held my breath when he positioned my hand in front of the light brown dog’s muzzle. It sniffed, then wagged its tail mildly. Next Growl put my hand down on its back. “This is Coco. She’s eight years old, and I’ve had her for two years.” Coco seemed like too tame a name for a dog like that.

I ran my hand down the length of Coco’s back. Her fur was soft and I marveled at the feel of the dog’s muscles. She felt strong, even stronger than she looked. I could only imagine what a sight the dog had been in the fighting arena, and pity for her rose up in me again. Her brown eyes were curious and kind. I couldn’t see a hint of aggression.

Growl took my hand again and held it out for the other dog, Bandit, to inspect. He too sniffed a few times, but he didn’t wag his tail or react in any other way. He didn’t seem to care much about my presence.

Growl shrugged. “He needs to get to know you better. Give him time.” He let go of my hand, and I withdrew it quickly and rose back to my feet. This was too strange. Growl was acting like we were going to be some kind of family.

Growl stood as well, towering over me. “I need to go now.” He grabbed his mobile from the kitchen counter and headed into the corridor.

“Are you meeting with Falcone?” I blurted, following him. The name stung like acid on my tongue.

Growl frowned over his shoulder at me. He didn’t say anything.

“Can you ask him about my sister and mother?” I said, then added, “Please? I’m going crazy not knowing if they’re okay.”

“Falcone will either tell me or he won’t. If I ask him, he will be more likely to keep it to himself because it’s an additional piece of power.”