Kill Switch by Penelope Douglas

My phone was still downstairs—hopefully fully charged,
given that it was almost eight at night—but I heard a whine
and veered into my father’s room, instead.
I heard the faucet run in the master bath, but I didn’t give a
shit if Damon was in there or not.
“Mikhail.”
My dog’s wet nose hit my leg, and he breathed happily,
licking my fingers.
I knelt down, smiling and relieved. “Hey.” I petted and
hugged him, the dreariness of the last couple of days gone all
of a sudden.
Thank you, thank you, thank you…
I’d been pretty sure Damon wouldn’t have taken him out
and had him shot, but tears sprang to my eyes, so happy he
wasn’t gone for good.
“Why were you in here?” I scolded in a playful tone,
taking his collar in my hand and standing up. “Stay away from
him, boy.”
“Ke nighg-ya,” an order came from the bathroom, Russian
again.
Mikhail pulled out of my grasp and ran away, the nails of
his paws tapping against the bathroom tiles.
“Mikhail?” I said sterner.
“The dog was a mistake,” Damon said. “He won’t protect
you from me. I know how to handle him. I know how to get
things to obey me.”
“GGive him to me.”
“Sure,” he chirped. “Take him. If you can.”
“Mikhail,” I demanded, tapping my leg. “Mikhail, come
here!”
But my dog didn’t move, not a single jingle from his leash
or sound of his nails.
My chin trembled, but I refused to cry.