Chapter 3 - The Chemical Scent
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Before Hannah could ask what he meant, a breathless man in a rumpled suit shoved his way to the front of the crowd. It was the handler.
"Mr. Moretti!" the handler gasped, holding the broken end of the leash. "I'm so sorry, sir! The beast just snapped. I'll get him back in the cage immediately."
The handler reached out to grab Nero’s collar.
Nero let out a vicious, guttural snarl, his teeth flashing as he pressed himself tighter against Hannah.
"Don't touch him!" Hannah snapped, throwing her arm protectively over the dog's neck.
The handler glared at her, his face flushing red. "Listen, lady, you did your good deed, now back off. He's a liability."
"He's been poisoned," Hannah shot back, her maternal fury rising. "Look at his pupils. Look at the foam. Smell his breath. Someone slipped him an amphetamine-based stimulant to make him aggressive."
The handler went pale, his eyes darting nervously toward Lorenzo. "That's absurd. She doesn't know what she's talking about, Boss."
Lorenzo stood up slowly. The air around him seemed to drop ten degrees. He didn't raise his voice, but the sheer menace radiating from his frame made the handler take a terrified step backward.
"Marco," Lorenzo said, not taking his eyes off the handler.
"Yes, Boss," his second-in-command answered instantly.
"Take Mr. Evans to the basement. I want to know exactly what he fed my dog, and who paid him to do it."
"Wait, Mr. Moretti! Please!" the handler begged as Marco and another massive guard grabbed him by the arms, dragging him away from the garden.
Hannah watched in stunned silence, realizing just how much power the man beside her wielded. This wasn't just a wealthy socialite. This was a man who gave orders that terrified people.
"He won't be handling Nero anymore," Lorenzo said, turning his dark gaze back to Hannah.
"Good," Hannah said, smoothing Nero’s fur. "But he still needs a vet. Now. His heart rate is dangerously high."
"My private veterinarian is already waiting in the garage," Lorenzo said. He looked at her, his expression unreadable. "But there is an issue."
"What?"
"Nero trusts no one," Lorenzo explained. "He barely tolerates me. If my men try to move him now, in this state, he will fight them until his heart gives out."
Hannah looked down at the massive wolfdog trembling against her curves. She knew what Lorenzo was asking without him having to say the words.
"I'll carry the puppies to the van," a fellow shelter volunteer called out nervously from the crowd. "We can meet you back at the clinic, Hannah."
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Hannah took a deep breath. She looked up at the terrifying, magnetic man standing over her.
"Show me the way to the garage," she said.
