CHAPTER 35
The next morning I slept in late, but when I awoke I felt lighter somehow. After sharing a silent cup of coffee Raki motioned me into the living room. I plopped down onto the couch across from him, still feeling drained from the night before.
"So there is one more very important thing I think we need to talk about." he began. I was filled with apprehension, knowing how hard yesterday's hurdle was.
"Relax." he smiled, sensing my uneasiness.
"Okay Yoda. I trust in the force."
"Why do you keep talking about this force?"
"Raki…you've got to get out more. You have to be the only person on the planet that hasn't seen any of the Star Wars movies."
"Why see movies when there are books, theater, and museums?" he chided me.
"We are not having this argument again." I groaned. He smirked.
As I finished my coffee he began speaking. "Stephanie…I'm concerned about you continuing as a bounty hunter without assistance. It is not the sort of thing that can be safely done alone, especially with the high bond cases."
"I told you about Lula." I answered. He just stared at me, unblinking.
"Okay…so Lula is doesn't exactly count as backup." I admitted.
"From the stories you've told me, she's sort of like a cross-eyed javelin thrower. Not great on accuracy but she sure does keep the crowd's attention." he quipped. I laughed so hard I almost spit out my coffee.
"But I can always call the guys…" I started.
"No you won't. You want to prove to them and yourself that you can function independently. You always have, so you wait until you are in over your head."
"No I don't!" I blurted out. Yes I do. Always. He had my number.
"Stephanie…you need a partner. You can't deny that Rangeman is only capable of the higher bond cases because they work as a team, not individuals." he stated adamantly.
Before I could voice the dozens of objections forming in my mind, he abruptly stood up and yelled loudly in what sounded like German.
"Hier!" he commanded. All of the sudden I sensed movement on the stairwell and a huge brownish black blur shot past me. I reacted quickly, vaulting over the couch and landing by the fireplace.
"Sitz! Blieb!" he ordered the mass of fur that sat down promptly in front of him and remained perfectly still and at attention.
"What the fuck is that!" I yelled, taking my hand off my holster and peeking over the couch.
"It is a dog." he answered matter of factly.
"No! That is not a dog! That is a Kodiak bear!" I exclaimed. I'd seen pictures once of the Alaskan brown bear once and knew it was the largest, and from my cursory glance that's what the brown blob in front of me resembled.
"It is a German Shepherd…with a few larger breeds mixed in."
"That is the biggest freakin' German Shepherd I've ever seen! His thighs are bigger than mine for God's sake! He must weigh over 200 pounds! "
"205 pounds to be exact. Meet your new partner." he said with a smile. He motioned and the dog stood up on his hind legs and put his front legs on his shoulders. Raki was 6 feet tall but he had nothing on the dog.
"You are coo-coo for cocoa puffs my friend." I glared at him. He looked confused at the reference.
"Okay, setting your complete lack of pop culture knowledge aside…have you lost your mind? You want me to partner with a dog?"
"Since he is technically a mutt I got him on discount for $15,000. He can sniff out even the smallest hint of narcotics and explosives, track scents, perform search and rescue, and is highly trained in personal protection." he explained.
"$15,000? The thing must shit solid gold!"
"No, but he is trained to shit only once a day at exactly 11pm, and will urinate and eat only at your command." Raki beamed.
Holy crap! This dog was the anti-Bob. "So what else can he do?" I asked, coming out from behind the couch. The dog watched my every movement, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't just a little bit terrified of him. The thing was enormous.
"I think it is best to show you. He arrived early this morning, and since I've worked with canines in the military I took the liberty of setting up a demonstration downstairs and he's been practicing to impress you." he said, getting up from the chair and starting towards the stairs to the basement gym. "Fuss!" he commanded. The dog bounded to his side and followed alongside him with military precision.
"Just be sure not to make any sudden movements." he warned casually. I had really hoped I would never be in a real life situation where someone would say that to me, but here I was. I followed them, keeping a safe distance. The dog occasionally looked back to keep tabs on me.
Once we were downstairs I saw that he had set up an obstacle course, and there was a padded dummy laying on the ground. He ran the dog through the course with a series of shouted German commands, jumping over barriers as tall as I was and crawling through a tunnel. The dog could jump an across an amazing span, and even walked across a beam the width of two fingers. When he yelled "Hopp!" the jog jumped up and down. When he ordered "Gibb laut" the dog barked while continuing to jump. When he yelled "Halt! Platz!" the dog stopped and laid down at his feet, not even breathing hard. He pointed to a dumbbell and shouted "Bring" and the animal grasped it in his mouth and brought it over to Raki, dropping it at his feet on command.
"Okay…so I'm impressed. The dog can probably kick ass doing gymnastics on a pommel horse too. But how is this going to protect me?"
"Once this dog bonds with you as his master, he will defend you to the death. Watch this." he chuckled, pointing at the dummy laying on the ground on the far side of the room.
"Packen!" he yelled loudly. The dog ran like he was on fire, and bit down on the dummy's arm, growling and snarling so viciously I almost wet my pants.
"He won't let go. Not until commanded to." he explained.
"What if someone else commands him to?" I asked.
"He will only take commands from his master or someone he has been trained to follow commands from. He will not even eat something given to him by anyone else. If an unauthorized person tries to issue the German commands to him, he will go on full attack automatically."
"Sweet."
"Indeed." he agreed. The dog seemed to be enjoying itself immensely, dragging the life sized dummy around like it was a tiny doll. I had practiced with that dummy before and it weighed 180 lbs.
"Entlassung! Pass auf!" he bellowed. The dog released the dummy, and instead paced back and forth in front of it, snarling and snapping.
"What is he doing now?"
"I just commanded him to guard the dummy. He won't let anyone approach. Not without severe consequences."
"Okay…so maybe this isn't such a bad idea." I relented, still eyeing the dog cautiously.
"Zwinger!" he commanded. The dog abruptly ceased standing guard and went into a huge plastic kennel near the basement door. He plopped down inside, and I think he looked pleased with his performance.
"So are you convinced?" Raki asked expectantly, also looking pleased with himself.
"Maybe..." I replied cautiously.
"I have a padded suit you can put on and I'll give you a running start." he offered.
"No! That's okay…really. I believe you. It's just that this is a huge commitment and responsibility! That dog could kill someone if I don't know what I'm doing, and I've never learned to work with a partner before. The human ones are hard enough!"
"You leave for the K9 Solutions Center in Brookville Ohio for a two week handler's course at 5pm tonight. I'm a guest instructor there." Raki answered.
"What if I say no?"
"I hid some weed in your panty drawer just in case you need another demonstration." he declared with a boyish grin.
"Ass."
"I try."