Page 8 of Sheltering Instinct

And now, he was at the beginning of this new life.

Conroy had been shuffling his feet as though he was trying to come up with a topic of conversation.

When he’d brought his finger down from the pink ball, Levi imagined Conroy had expected Casper and a handler to come charging toward them. But with the field still empty, he was stuck with, “Reaper said a nose and a bite.” Conroy squinted at the horizon. “I know your team picked Casper and Diabla to see today. But I’m not sure why you all landed on those two dogs. If I knew a bit more about your needs out in the field, I might be able to make a suggestion.”

Just like Conroy wanted to hold his cards to his chest about Beast Mode training, so did Cerberus.

What did they do? Anything required to keep their client safe. Saving kidnap victims, close protection, pulling people out of mudslides or from under earthquake wreckage, Levi’s job was basically SEAL-shit but for non-military client needs.

“It can run the gamut,” Reaper answered Conroy. “If they have a keen nose and a strong bite, if they can work off lead following commands, my training team can work on specifics.”

Conroy’s phone beeped, and he checked the readout. “Pete’s bringing Casper around now. I think you’re going to like him.” Conroy lifted a bladed hand and looked past the sun to a field. “They were out for his morning jog. They’re coming up now.” Conroy seemed relieved he didn’t have to make any more small talk.

Some folks were like that; they just preferred to keep to themselves.

Standing shoulder to shoulder, the Cerberus team watched as Pete and Casper pounded toward them.

Slender with a marathoner’s body, Pete’s black hair was damp with sweat. His T-shirt had more wet spots than dry. He looked like he’d been pushing hard.

Casper looked like he was just getting started.

It was curious that they had Casper running before the inspection.

Levi thought that didn’t bode well.

From this setup, he’d guess that Casper was hyperdrive instead of the high drive they were looking for.

While Levi was willing to change his mind, and he was giving Beast Mode the benefit of the doubt, this didn’t sit right with him.

A long, hard run could wear out a dog enough that it could stay on task and make a good presentation.

Levi bet that if they showed up tomorrow, Casper would be running before they got there.

In Afghanistan, Levi had been the recipient of that trick at the military kennels. When Levi arrived, he thought he was signing out an easy-going doggo, but as soon as the K9 got a bit of rest, he turned into a maniac.

If Reaper and Goose ended up liking Casper, Levi would insist the team drop by unannounced and see how Casper performed his skills.

With a hand signal from Pete, Casper sat and stayed as his trainer walked slowly over to the group, showing that Casper could follow the orders to stay in place.

Beautiful dog, Levi thought, but he wouldn’t say anything out loud that might send signals, positive or otherwise, of how he felt. An unemotional face was part and parcel of his special forces training and one of the reasons he’d had to learn body language subtleties in others.

As soon as Pete came to the mat, he nodded a greeting to the Cerberus team, then turned to Casper. Pointing at the suspended ball, he called out, “Get it,” then he turned and scrambled to the top of the mat, where he bent in half, squatting to lower his profile. With an arm fixed on the wall to support himself, Pete formed a launch pad with his back. Extending the leg closest to Casper out like a tripod, Pete braced his body against the force of nature pelting his way.

This was the posture Levi took when he needed to get his dog over a wall.

Casper flew over the space.

Power rippled his muscles, making his fur seem liquid. Five feet out from his trainer, the front paws came up for the leap, landing on Pete’s hip. The back legs tucked under, and Pete pressed himself up to catapult Casper.

Front paws on the side of the building, Casper took two vertical strides before arching back like an Olympian on the high dive. Now horizontal, belly to the air, Casper stretched to his full length, mouth wide, as he pulled his legs over his head in a back flip, ball clasped between his teeth. With his paws pointed toward the ground, he floated down into Pete’s arms.

They both collapsed onto the padding as Pete broke Casper’s fall and kept him from injury.

It was a feat of athleticism that brushed goosebumps over Levi’s skin.

Damned impressive.

Goose and Reaper took hard stands, maintaining a poker face while Pete played tug with the ball, giving Casper his reward for a job beautifully executed.