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Adam offered, his fingers gripping the slender shaft of metal.
    David took a moment to weigh his options. The rod hurt like a son of a bitch, but it was probably the only thing keeping him from bleeding out. They needed to get away from the scene and back to the car before police or fire arrived, and that wasn’t going to happen if he ran down a couple quarts.
    “We’ll pull it out later,” he finally said, his breathing strained. He held a hand out to Adam. “Help me up. We need to get out of here before anyone shows up.”
    “But you’re bleeding—”
    “No shit,” David hissed through clenched teeth. The metallic tang ran thick in his throat so he swallowed hard, forcing the taste back down. “I’ll bleed a hell of a lot more when you pull that stick out of my chest. If I pass out from blood loss, you’ll have to carry me back to the car.”
    Adam looked David over, sizing him up. “You’d be a bitch to carry. Dead weight and all.”
    “Exactly. We’ve got to get moving before I lose too much blood.” He tossed the keys to Adam. “You’re driving. Now let’s go.”
    As if sensing their pending departure, the dog let out a deep howl of protest.
    “What about the dog?” Adam asked.
    “What about it?”
    “We can’t just leave him out here.”
    David gave his trainee an “are you kidding me?” look. “Why not?”
    “Because.” Adam glanced back at the dog, still barking its head off. The massive pit bull lunged, only to be jerked back when it ran out of chain. “He’s tied up. What if there’s no one left to feed him? He might starve out here, all by himself.”
    “He’s not going to starve.” Feeling dizzy, David leaned against the hood of one of the junk cars. If he didn’t get out of there soon, he was going to lose consciousness. “The police will take care of him.”
    “The police will just call animal control, and animal control will take him to the pound,” Adam said, a hint of distress in his voice. “They’ll probably put him to sleep.”
    “Jesus, didn’t your parents ever get you a puppy when you were a kid?” David’s unsteady gaze traveled from Adam to the dog. The big lug stared back at him with those huge, black eyes, its nub of a tail wagging a mile a minute. Hopeful. Excited.
    Goddamn it.
    “Fine,” he bit out, cursing himself for being such a softy. “Let the damn dog loose. But be quick about it. And if he turns around and chews your head off, don’t come crying to me.”
    By the time they made it back to the car, darkness had fallen and David was so low on blood he could barely stand on his own. Still, he pushed forward, determined to pass out in the comfort of his own vehicle.
    Adam walked a few yards ahead, the dog close at his heels. The dumb mutt hadn’t left his side ever since he unchained it. It bounded around the kid like a puppy, nudging him with its massive head until Adam gave him an affectionate pat.
    “Whoa,” David said when Adam started to unlock the back door on the driver’s side. “What do you think you’re doing?”
    “I figured the dog could sit in the back,” Adam replied, his voice nonchalant but his eyes averted.
    “Oh, no you don’t.” David braced a hand against the doorframe, wishing the kid would hurry up and unlock the passenger door so he could collapse with some semblance of dignity. “I said you could let the dog go. I didn’t say anything about taking it with us.”
    “Oh, come on,” Adam said, placing a protective hand on the dog’s head. “Just until I find a home for him.”
    “No.”
    “It’s just as cruel, leaving him out here with no way to fend for himself. He’s not a wild animal. He needs a home.”
    With an audible groan, David thumped his forehead against the roof of the car. “I don’t need this shit.” He looked back up and saw two Adams floating in front of him. Any other time, he’d crack the whip and tell the kid to get rid of the damn dog, but right now he was too tired and too