Then, in a blur of movement, the dog lunged with explosive force. The leash ripped free from Wade’s grasp, the violent jerk pitching him forward. He slammed onto the ground, pain jolting through his palms as they raked across the rough earth.
Heart pounding, he scrambled to his knees, calling after Milo with a voice already fraying at the edges. But the dog was gone, swallowed by the looming shadows as swiftly as he had bolted. “Milo!” he yelled, watching the dog vanish among the trees, trailing the leash behind.