Chained: A Bad Boy Romance by Nora Flite, Leah Holt Read Free Book Online Page A

felt good to have my mind redirected for the moment. I was relieved to be thinking about something other than him.
    Yet, he still weighed on my thoughts. The issue was just paused for the moment.
    Glancing up, I saw the room was clearing. The morning coffee rush was over, but that meant... “Shit! What time is it? I have to be at work for eleven.” I glanced down at my phone and saw I had fifteen minutes to get to the prison. “I have to go, sorry! We need to do this again!” I stood up swiftly and frantically grabbed my things.
    She jumped up, sticking her arms in her coat. “I have to go too, I'll walk out with you.”
    We exited to the street, getting blasted by the cool air. The snow fell at a steady pace, a thick layer already covered the ground. The road was hardly visible beneath the white blanket that coated it.
    “I'm over there.” I pointed to the right. Just then, I noticed a small dog briskly walking across the street in my peripheral vision. He looked mangy, most likely a stray.
    Poor thing stuck out in the cold. I hated seeing pets without a home. Who would abandon an animal like that?
    My ears pricked at the sound of tires squealing. In front of me, a car slid into the intersection. I knew something was wrong when it twisted, losing traction as it glided on the snow.
    I watched in slow motion as it barreled towards the defenseless dog.
    No!
    I threw my purse down and burst into the road. I pushed myself, desperately trying to reach the dog before the inevitable happened. There was no care for my own safety. In that moment, all that mattered was the frail animal.
    I'll save it, I have to! Oh god, please!
    My eyes grew large and my heart raced as I watched the dog make a feeble attempt to run out of the way. His small feet tried to scramble, but the icy conditions made it impossible.
    A high pitched whimper split the air.
    I was too late.
    The car slid into a snow bank, coming to a halt with a metallic crunch.
    My heart sank in my chest. Not once did I slow down, I hurried until I neared the body of the dog. From the corner of my eye, I watched as everyone ran to the aid of the driver. They helped push the vehicle out of the snow, but no one was coming to help the dog.
    Somehow, the responsibility had fallen to me.
    Kneeling down, I touched the cold, shivering body of the animal. It was a small dog, some sort of mutt. The white fur on its side was stained with blood.
    I had almost forgotten Sara was there until she crouched beside me.
    “Wow, that was crazy, huh? Is he alright?” she asked as she rummaged around through her purse. Her tone was much more casual than I would've expected.
    “Sara, call the animal hospital, let them know I'm on my way with a dog that just got hit.” I removed my scarf and proceeded to carefully wrap him inside it.
    “Charlie, it's just a stray. Don't you have to be at work?”
    I glared up at her, forehead knotted, saying nothing. She could see how concerned and upset I was. Immediately, her demeanor changed.
    Plunging her hand into jacket pocket, she pulled her phone out. “Okay, I'm calling.”
    Turning back to the animal, I curled it in the scarf and pulled him to my chest. I didn't care if he was a stray or not, he was a living creature. I couldn't leave knowing he needed help.
    I carried him carefully over to my car. He was breathing heavily in my arms. A soft whimper escaped as he looked up at me.
    “Don't worry, I'm going to get you help,” I whispered as I approached my vehicle. I rested him delicately on my passenger seat.
    I hope he's going to be alright. Poor thing. I softly pet the top of his head, his eyes looking up at me in distress. Tears welled up and fell as I looked down at him, knowing he was in pain.
    Hopping into my seat, I turned my key in the ignition and sped as quickly as I could down the icy road. I wanted to floor it, but I didn't want a repeat of the earlier accident.
    On the drive to the animal hospital I pulled out my phone and dialed the