Lethal Consequences by Elisabeth Naughton Page B

toolbox under the seat in the ATV.”
    “Lucky,” she whispered, turning to scan the area. Lights shone over the cobblestone street, but they were few and far between. “So interesting. There are murals and phrases written all over the buildings. But I can’t read them. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
    Landon jerked up on the screwdriver, and the entire lock mechanism broke free. “That’s because they’re in Italian. They’re political murals. They date back to the sixties.”
    Olivia turned to face him. “Italian? How do you know?”
    “Because I recognize them.” He rose to his feet, turned the knob, and shoved the door open for her. “We’re on the island of Sardinia. The village of Orgosolo is famous for its political murals. As soon as I saw them, I knew where we were. I figured they couldn’t have taken us too far from Barcelona.”
    Olivia moved into the dark store while he closed the door behind them. “I’ve never been to Italy before.”
    “Hopefully you won’t be coming back.” If it were up to him, he’d keep her tied up in her house in Boise.
    Pushing that thought aside—and the little fantasies it sparked—he handed her a small plastic bag from the table to his right, then said, “Fan out and find what you need. I want to be in and out before anyone notices.”
    It was a small all-purpose shop, with some groceries, a few clothing items, and knickknacky tourist items. Landon immediately moved for the clothing and pawed through the stacks of sweatshirts until he found a couple that looked like they’d fit. He grabbed a small blanket, stuffed a couple bottles of water in his bag, and was just reaching for a box of crackers when he heard the low growl.
    His hand froze on the shelf, and he turned his head slowly, until his gaze rested on the snarling German shepherd focused directly on him.
    Shit. He hadn’t thought to check for a dog. Hadn’t even crossed his ever-lovin’ mind.
    “Um, Olivia?” Eyes pinned on the dog, he took one slow step backward, toward the door. “We need to go.”
    “Oh, what a cute puppy,” Olivia’s singsong voice echoed through the small store. “I bet we scared you, didn’t we?”
    She was moving toward the beast, not away from it. Landon’s nerves shot into the stratosphere. “Olivia, get back.”
    “You’re not a mean dog, are you?” she said in that same sweet voice, continuing to inch forward instead of back. “You’re just misunderstood. Yeah, I bet people just don’t give you a chance, do they?”
    She held her hand out so the dog could sniff her. Every muscle in Landon’s body tensed, ready to pull her back. Goddamn, but the woman never did anything he told her. “Olivia—”
    “Gentle,” Olivia said, continuing to hold out her hand and move even closer.
    The dog sniffed several times, and Landon had a flash of the beast’s teeth clamping around her slim hand, of the dog ripping it from her arm, of blood and screams filling the quiet space. And just when he thought it was about to happen, the dog closed its lips, then sat back on its haunches and whimpered.
    Olivia’s hand landed on his head, and she smoothed her fingers down the ruffled fur of his neck. “That’s it. What a good dog you are. Yes, you are.”
    Air slowly refilled Landon’s lungs. His hands shook. He flexed his fingers against the bottles to try to settle his raging pulse. “No way that just happened.”
    Olivia ran another hand down the dog’s back and smiled. A beaming, beautiful grin that lit up her entire face. One he hadn’t seen since he’d opened his hotel door and found her standing on the other side.
    “Everyone just needs to know someone cares. Isn’t that right”—she reached for the collar around the dog’s neck and read his tag—“Rex? Yes, you’re a good dog,” she added, ruffling his ears. “Aren’t you, Rex?”
    Breathing easier, Landon stepped out from behind the shelf. “Olivia, I don’t think—”
    Rex lurched to his feet,