Bonedust

Gabriel snapped into action. His back slammed against the couch, nearly tipping it over as it scraped across the carpeted floors. Finding himself stuck, he leapt over the couch and put it in between them. The dog barked, high and keening, and hopped over the couch as well, padding towards him. Her teeth gleamed in the dim fluorescent lighting.
    “Stay back,” Gabriel hissed, kicking at the beast. The dog ducked, then snapped at the air. Her teeth clicked together and Gabriel scrambled away from it, slamming back against a wall. A cry tore up his throat before he could stop it just as the dog leapt.
    “Pandora!” Urban’s voice was sharp and immediate. The dog jerked as if stung, whipping its head towards him. Gabriel thought for one wicked moment that the dog would ignore its master—what the hell Urban was doing with a beast in his apartment was beyond him—but then Pandora wagged her tail and hurried over to Urban. She plopped ungracefully down in front of him and he patted her head like one might stroke a friendly house pet. “Leave it.”
    Pale eyes met Gabriel’s, but instead of the smirk Gabriel expected, his lips were pressed into a grim line. “Have an issue with dogs?”
    “Yeah. That…thing is your partner?” Gabriel couldn’t stop his voice from shivering slightly at the end. He watched the dog wag her tail and stare adoringly up at Urban before taking off at a bound down the hall. She skidded down the carpet and slammed into the bathroom door like a rabid pinball in a machine. She disappeared inside a room and Gabriel winced at the crash.
    “Yep. Best dirgehound money can buy. She’s the one thing in my life that stays constant. Well, for the past two years, anyway. She’s still young and feisty—I’m sure she just wanted you to scratch her ear.”
    “No way in hell.” Gabriel straightened before realizing he’d dropped the picture in his haste to get away. It lay on the floor, the glass broken. “Shit. I’m sorry.” He bent down to pick it up at the same time Urban bent down and their heads knocked together. Gabriel backed away as stars swam in his vision. “Sorry…”
    “No prob, babe,” Urban said, looking down at the picture for a long moment.
    “That your kid?”
    “One of them…” He slid the cracked glass together so it lay flat with merely a slice separating the girl’s left side from her right. Then he sat it back on the shelf. “That’s Annabelle. She’s four now.”
    “She’s beautiful.” Gabriel watched Urban, watched the slick lines of water drip down his chest like empty, saltless tears. He wore only a striped towel around his waist and it rode a little low on one side, giving Gabriel a flash of milky hipbone. He pondered telling Urban his towel was slipping, but he doubted the man would care if he was naked.
    “Takes after her father,” Urban said with a small smile. “Her mother’s a dog, that’s for sure. A prime class bitch that doesn’t let me visit her and—” He cut off with a shake of his head and Gabriel felt his chest tighten. So Urban wasn’t too much of a cold hearted snake if he wanted to see his kid. For some reason, that made Gabriel smile, though he looked away so Urban didn’t see it.
    “Please tell me that…dog of yours isn’t coming hunting with us.”
    “Of course she is. She’s the nose of the operation.” Urban smirked. “And you’re the bait. So get cleaned up—shower’s open, clothes are on top of the cabinet and towels inside it. Get ready. I want this done before dusk, otherwise we’ll have one hell of a time catching her.”
    “And the dog?”
    “Pannie won’t bite you, Gabe-babe,” the man said, shooing him off.
    Gabriel cautiously crept down the tiny hall and shut the door behind him. His bare feet were soothed by the cracked tile floor and he cranked the water to hot. It only got lukewarm, but that was good enough for him. Washing the sweat and grime from himself, he rested against the side of the shower stall and let the water pour down around him, pattering on the fiberglass floor and sliding down the drain.
    He dried off with a ratty towel and pulled on a pair of tight black pants and a loose shirt with a dragon emblem up the side. He found a roll of bandages after shuffling around under the sink and wrapped his arms from elbow to wrist to hide the scarred designs etched into his skin. He ran a brush through his hair, tied it back, and looked at himself in the mirror. His eyes were wary, but he