Chapter 17 - The Reunion
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Inside the diner, the sharp bark echoed through the silence like a gunshot.
Brier dropped her coffee cup. It shattered against the linoleum floor, but she didn't even flinch. She sprinted toward the front of the restaurant, her hands fumbling wildly with the deadbolt.
Posie woke up with a start in the booth. "Mama? Was that him?"
Brier threw the heavy glass door open.
Brutus didn't run. He moved with a heavy, limping urgency, pushing his massive body through the doorway before it was even fully open.
"Brutus!" Brier sobbed, dropping to her knees on the dirty diner floor, throwing her arms around the dog's thick neck. She buried her face in his dirty, blood-matted fur, weeping uncontrollably.
Brutus licked the tears from her bruised cheek, whining softly, but his eyes immediately searched the room. He gently pulled away from Brier, his massive paws clicking against the tiles as he hurried toward the back booth.
Posie was sitting up, her unseeing eyes wide, her small hands reaching out desperately into the empty air.
"Brutus?" she whispered.
The massive dog pushed his heavy, scarred head directly under her outstretched hands.
Posie let out a cry of pure, unadulterated joy that shattered the heart of every hardened criminal standing in the room. She wrapped her tiny arms around his massive snout, burying her face in his fur.
"You came back," she wept, pressing her forehead against his. "You promised you wouldn't leave me."
Brutus let out a long, rumbling groan of absolute contentment, his tail wagging so hard it shook his entire body. He carefully laid his massive chin on her lap, anchoring her back to the world.
Gabriel stood in the doorway, watching the reunion. His dark coat was stained with Silas's blood, and his knuckles were bruised, but his face was completely relaxed.
Brier stood up from the floor, wiping her eyes. She walked slowly toward the mafia boss. She didn't cower. She didn't look away.
She stopped two feet in front of him, looking up into his dark, terrifying eyes.
"You brought him back," Brier whispered, her voice choked with overwhelming gratitude.
"I gave my word to the little bird," Gabriel said softly, glancing at Posie. "I do not break my promises."
"How much do I owe you?" Brier asked, her voice trembling as she remembered the horrific debt she had offered to take on.
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Gabriel looked down at her. He saw the fierce, protective fire in her eyes, the same fire he had seen in the dog.
"You owe me nothing, Brier," Gabriel replied, his voice dropping to a low, intimate rumble. "The debt is paid."
