Page 5 of Throw Down

Derek couldn’t help but look twice as the kid stepped outside and threw up a hand to shield his eyes from the headlights.

“What are you doing?” Briar shouted over the growl of the truck's engine.

Derek sighed and cut the ignition.

“Battery lost its charge,” he said brusquely, stepping back into the downpour.He grabbed an impact drill and extender from the toolbox behind his seat and then popped the hood.

“Do you need any help?” Briar asked, hovering at his elbow and knuckling rain out of his eyes.

Derek looked him up and down, from the gel in his artfully long hair to the red alligator print of his designer loafers, and said pointedly, “Not from you.”

There was a beat of silence, followed by a huff.“Try me.”

“Help yourself,” Derek said with heavy irony.He flipped the drill around and offered it handle-first, like a duelist offering a sword.“The cables are too short, so I’ve got to remove the battery from the truck and jump it over there.”

Briar narrowed his eyes and thrust out his chin, hyping himself for the challenge, before he grabbed the drill and gave the trigger an experimental test squeeze.

“Okay. You hold the flashlight,” he said.

Despite himself, Derek laughed at his cocky attitude.He pulled a mag-lite from his back pocket and focused the beam on the engine block.

“See that metal bracket?” he asked, wiggling the light at the indicated spot.“Remove the bolt, slide it to the left, and then disconnect the negative and positive terminals.”

“Gotcha.” Briar was so small, he had to lift onto his toes to reach the battery.He jammed the tip of his tongue into the corner of his mouth and concentrated fiercely.

Derek leaned against the fender, amused.

“You k-know, back when I had my car, the only thing in the backseat were some stale French fries and an old condom wrapper.But you’ve g-g-got a whole Home Depot back there.” Briar's words were nearly drowned by the whine of the drill.

His teeth were chattering, and his nose and cheeks were a stinging red in the backwash of the flashlight.From his superior height, Derek watched as a raindrop slid down his pale neck and under his collar.

“I’m Briar, by the way,” he continued, as if he didn't notice the cold.

“I know.”

“I didn’t catch your name.”

“Derek.” He grunted, hauling out the battery one-handed as soon as the terminals were disconnected.“Derek Owens.”

He’d jumped so many batteries over the years, he could do it in his sleep.In less than five minutes, the switch clicked, and the generator gave a metallic whir.The lights inside the clinic flickered back to life.

“W-wow, good job!” Briar exclaimed, like it was magic and not a simple fix.“I was getting worried about the animals.It shouldn't be so cold this time of year.”

“Welcome to eastern Oregon.” Still crouched on his haunches, Derek spared a quick glance over his shoulder.

Briar was clutching himself at the elbows and shivering.No wonder. Beneath his lab coat, he wore nothing but pricey-looking slacks and a thin mesh sweater.Ridiculous clothes for a country practice.Like hogs and cattle would be impressed.The lack of common sense should make Derek angry, but for some reason, his tone came out gentler than expected when he spoke.“Get inside. I’ll finish up out here.”

“I’m fine.”

“Of course, you are. It’s just a little weather.” Derek purposely curled his lip in disgust and pointed toward his truck.“But she doesn’t have much time.”

Briar jolted into action like he'd been zapped by an electric fence.He slogged his way over to Derek’s truck, tilting at the wind with each step.Sabbath was still curled in her blanket.She didn't twitch as Briar scooped her into his arms and hustled into the clinic without a backward glance.

Derek was soaked to the bone by the time he re-installed his battery and locked the truck.The clinic was so cold he could almost see his breath, and the fluorescent lights made his eyes water.

Briar was already hard at work.He’d set up a laptop with an open Zoom call and was relaying information to Nate Silva while he checked Sabbath’s temperature and scrubbed her all over with a soft towel.He’d already shaved a tiny spot on her foreleg and drawn a couple vials of blood by the time he noticed Derek’s entrance.

Derek knew the exact moment he’d been spotted.Briar froze and glanced at him uneasily.Derek met his gaze, and Briar's eyes popped wide before he looked away.