The Wager Read Online Free Page A

registered that Gloria was screaming, as Gigi was clutching onto her and whining piteously.
    He noticed the woman with the cane stand up, move close to Gigi and hold her damaged cane up high in the air. Turk realised that the spunky little woman meant business. He grabbed onto Trump, pulled him away from Gloria but the large Sheep Dog broke free. Cursing, Turk seized his own dog and dragged Dogzilla over to one of the metal and wood benches along the walkway, put the end of his leash through the handle and attached the dog to the bench. He watched
    with approval as Gus then grabbed Inuvik, leashed him and attached him to a neighbouring bench. He noticed Art Maloney grab his Greyhound, Bookkeeper, slip on his leash and then hold him. Turk frowned as he noticed that Trump was still thundering around causing havoc and that all the dogs were barking fiercely at each other. He stared back at the ocean and realised there was an even worse problem happening. Malcolm was even further out to sea.
    "Malcolm is in big trouble out there," he advised. "And the ocean is swallowing up his jacket. The tide's coming in."
    Turk watched as the dog club members rounded up the last of their freed dogs. He approved of the way most of the dogs obeyed. As Turk kept a close eye on the scene, Tyler Thompson's Rhodesian Ridgeback, Inferno, sat as ordered. His own dog, Dogzilla, cowered and stopped trying to pull free of the bench as Turk threatened him with obscene curses. He watched Frank Simpson's Blue Healer, Mozart, collapse to the ground with exhaustion. As Trump approached again and made for Gigi he made sure he grabbed the dog securely this time. Within a minute the former race car driver had the Sheep Dog securely attached to Dogzilla's bench with another leash.
    "That's the way to handle these dogs," Turk noted with approval as Art Maloney's Greyhound, Bookkeeper became immobile as the stockbroker placed an electric collar around his neck. He watched Honey Pratt grab an exhausted Bourbon when he finally arrived, take him over to another bench and fasten him to it. He smiled with approval as Linda Daniels told Cleo to freeze and she obeyed as she always did. He noted that Angus, Bea Broughton's Pomeranian was in her arms cowering and Virginia Kelly's Boston Bull Dog, Lazarus, was hiding under a log.
    "Damn, Malcolm is still swimming out to sea even though the tide is coming in," he shouted as he anxiously scanned the ocean again. "My God, he's missed the edge of the final sandbar."
    He and the other walking members started shouting Malcolm's name frantically. Turk and the other men left any unattached canines to the ladies and moved out toward the rapidly advancing water's edge.
    Back in the ocean, the shouting penetrated through to Malcolm Brooks in the midst of his frantic paddling. Some part of his brain registered that the noise was coming from another direction than the one he was heading in.
    "My God, I am swimming the wrong way," he groaned. Malcolm turned his body in the direction of the howling and shouts. His body was telling him that it was exhausted and his one good knee was becoming harder and harder to move. Malcolm realised he had better go over on his back and rest for a while if he wanted to regain his energy. He managed to roll over, assumed as much of a float position as his knees would allow and tried to ignore the waves crashing over his head. Malcolm felt movement and realised that the tide was now coming in and it was moving him toward the shore.
    "He's managed to turn around," Gus told the others as the men stared out at the ocean at Malcolm and the incoming tide. The water was starting to swirl around Malcolm's jacket.
    "God, the tides coming in fast. We've got to get that jacket out of there."
    "To Hell with the jacket. What about Malcolm?"
    "He'll float in."
    "He's been in that water for quite some time. Might be getting hypo-thermic."
    Turk muttered some obscene curses, rushed down the
    now disappearing beach and