«Cleaning. Kennels.» He pronounced each word like she might be hard of hearing. «Fifty dogs. Every single day. You understand what that means?»
Another small nod.
Amber Nash sauntered closer, her lieutenant’s bars gleaming in the Virginia Beach sunlight.
«Derek, I don’t think she speaks English. Maybe we should get a translator.» She tilted her head, studying Ivory like something unpleasant stuck to her boot. «Where exactly did HR find this one?»
«Civilian contractor pool,» Derek answered, without taking his eyes off the new hire. «Bottom of the barrel, apparently.»
Laughter rippled through the assembled handlers. Petty Officer Second Class Mason Briggs pulled out his phone, angling for a better shot of the humiliation in progress. Ivory bent down and picked up the broom.
«Good girl.» Derek’s lip curled into something that wasn’t quite a smile. «Now you’ll start with Alpha Block. That’s where we keep our most enthusiastic residents.»
He pointed toward a row of reinforced kennels where Belgian Malinois paced behind steel mesh, their amber eyes tracking every movement.
«Oh, and a friendly warning. The last janitor lost two fingers to Rex. He’s the big one at the end. Black muzzle. Likes to play.»
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