Xander rolled his shoulders and bucked. A bull of a man. He rained fists behind him, catching Luke a couple of times, but Luke felt nothing. He tightened his stranglehold, the gauze cutting into his hands, turning his knuckles white. He planned on leaving something else for the vultures to feed on.

Light washed over him as Ramón turned his van around and started down the driveway. At the same moment, Luke’s makeshift garrote frayed and snapped. He stumbled off balance, holding a tattered strip of gauze in his right hand. Xander sucked in a huge breath, yanking at the fabric around his throat, pulling it over his face and off Luke’s left forearm. Luke bustled forward, kicked Xander in the back, and knocked him onto his ass.

“Lisa,” he gasped.

He took a few ragged steps and watched the Econoline swing left out of the driveway. The tears in his eyes magnified the brightness of the taillights.

“Motherfucker,” Xander wheezed behind him, pushing himself to one knee. His eyes blazed in the dusky gloom. “You are so fucking dead.”

Luke didn’t hesitate. He hobbled toward the rottweiler’s cage, holding his ribs, dragging in every hard breath. The dog clawed and snapped. Luke threw the bolt and opened the door in one fluid move. He knew it was risky; the rottweiler could just as easily go for him, but as a wise man once said, when you don’t got nothin’, you got nothin’ to lose.

He ducked, tucking himself behind the cage door as he opened it, removing himself from the rottweiler’s sight line. It bolted from its cage with furious purpose, like a greyhound out of its trap. Xander had just regained his feet when the dog leapt at him. It clamped its heavy jaws onto his shoulder, twisted him back to the ground, then planted itself—front paws on his chest. Xander screamed, trying to keep those teeth at bay. His boots kicked up flowers of dust.

Luke swiped a hand across his face, smearing away the blood, tears, and dirt. A weak sigh seeped from his chest. He stood for a moment, watching the rottweiler lunge and snap, then reeled toward his car. The sunset filled his glistening eyes. In the sky opposite, a vastness of stars.