The highway stretched endlessly beneath the roar of Olga Shevchenko’s eighteen-wheeler. The sun was setting behind her, painting the sky with vibrant shades of red and gold. She adjusted her grip on the steering wheel, glancing at the two large boxes secured to the passenger seat of her truck. Inside were her most trusted companions, Thunder and Shadow, two highly trained military dogs.
After six years of military service as a dog handler, Olga transitioned to truck driving to travel the country and earn a living. But even though the battlefield was behind her, she never traveled unprepared. Her two Belgian Malinois were more than just pets—they were her family, her protectors, and her best defense in an unpredictable world. She had just crossed the border into the Odessa region and pulled into a small truck stop to refuel, stretch her legs, and let the dogs out for a short walk.
As she jumped out of the cab, she felt eyes on her. A group of bikers in leather vests covered in tattoos stood lazily next to their motorcycles. Their smirks and whispers sent a wave of anxiety through her. Olga had encountered unwanted attention more than once as a female truck driver, but something about this group made her instincts perk up.
Ignoring them, she unbuckled the crates, allowing Thunder and Shadow to jump down. Their lean, muscular bodies tensed as they began to survey the area. Shadow, the darker of the two, let out a low growl, as if sensing the tension in the air. “Good dogs!” one of the bikers shouted, slowly approaching…
He was tall and broad-shouldered, with an unkempt beard and a grin that didn’t reach his eyes. “Are you sure a little thing like you can handle such a huge thing?” Olga met his gaze without flinching. “Yes, I’m handling it just fine!”
Another biker, younger and thinner, chuckled. “Maybe you need a real man behind the wheel? What do you say? We’ll buy you a drink inside.”
“I’m not interested,” she said firmly, clipping the leashes to the dogs’ collars. The men exchanged glances, their amusement giving way to something more predatory. One of them stepped forward, his fingers twitching as if he wanted to grab her hand. “Well, don’t be like that,” he drawled. “We’re just being friendly.”
Grom, sensing the change in his mistress’s posture, tensed, his ears flattened, and his lips pulled back slightly. Olga tightened her grip on the leash. “I said, I’m not interested, step back.” Instead of retreating, the lead biker’s grin widened.
“Sharp-tongued, huh? I like that.” She’d had enough. Olga was patient, but she wasn’t about to let the situation escalate any further.
She loosened her grip on the leashes slightly and gave a quiet but firm command: “Guard.” Thunder and Shadow instantly sprang into action. Shadow lunged forward first, letting out a deep, guttural growl that sent the biker jumping back, his confidence vanishing in an instant. Thunder followed, baring his teeth, his stance hard and aggressive.
The bikers backed away, their bravado crumbling in the face of the military dogs. “What the hell, take them out!” the bearded biker barked, throwing up his hands in a defensive gesture. Olga stepped forward, her voice cold as ice. “You thought I was alone here? You were wrong…”
“These guys are trained to eliminate threats far bigger and meaner than you. I advise you to get on your motorcycles and leave before they decide you’re more than just a nuisance.” The bikers hesitated for a moment, then, as if reaching a silent agreement, retreated, muttering curses under their breath. One of them gave her a nasty look before climbing onto his motorcycle.
The engines roared, and one after another they sped out of the parking lot, disappearing into the gathering dusk. Olga exhaled slowly, watching them go, then turned to the dogs. “Good boys!” she muttered, kneeling to pat them.
Shadow let out a satisfied sigh, and Thunder’s tail flicked slightly, but his eyes remained on the road in case they returned. As she climbed back into the truck, she glanced at the passenger seat where the dog crates were. “Looks like I owe you two a steak dinner,” she said thoughtfully, smiling to herself. It was a long road ahead, but with Thunder and Shadow by her side, she knew she’d never be truly alone or vulnerable.
And that was all she needed. As Olga pulled the truck back onto the highway, she kept an eye on the side mirrors. The bikers were gone. For now.
But something in her gut told her this wasn’t the end. She’d encountered men like that before, the kind who didn’t take rejection well. Shadow made a soft noise from the passenger seat, as if sensing her tension. Olga reached out and scratched him soothingly behind the ears.
“It’s all right, boy. Just a bunch of idiots.” But an hour later, when the neon lights of a roadside diner came into view, her premonition became reality. The faint glow of motorcycle headlights appeared in the rearview mirror.
Not one or two, but at least four. Her grip on the steering wheel tightened. “Persistent, huh?” she muttered.
Thunder and Shadow both perked up, sensing her unease. She didn’t want to drive them straight to where she planned to stop for the night, so she made a split-second decision. She turned on her turn signal and steered the truck off the highway into the diner’s parking lot, pulling up alongside a row of other trucks. It was a well-lit spot with a few customers inside, but not particularly crowded at that hour…
As she climbed out of the cab, she heard the motorcycles pull into the parking lot behind her. The same group of bikers dismounted, their boots crunching on the gravel as they headed toward her. She’d had enough. Leaving the truck door open, she grabbed Grom’s leash and unbuckled his crate.
As soon as his paws touched the ground, he went into full alert mode. Ears forward, eyes fixed on the approaching men. “Hey, lady!” the bearded biker shouted, spreading his arms as if greeting an old friend.
“You hurt my feelings back there, that wasn’t very nice.” “Go away!” Olga warned, her tone even and firm. The young biker, the one who had been giggling earlier, grinned. “Or what? Are you going to set your mongrels on us again?”
Shadow, still in the truck, let out a sharp, threatening bark. The sound made the young biker flinch, but he quickly recovered with a forced laugh. The bearded man stepped forward. “Come on, we just want to talk.”
Olga had no time for their games. With a smooth motion, she unfastened Grom’s leash and gave a quiet but firm command: “Protect.” Grom didn’t hesitate; he surged forward in a controlled burst of speed, stopping just inches from the lead biker. His powerful chest vibrated with a deep, warning growl, his teeth bared, his eyes fixed on his target.
The biker froze, his bravado vanishing in an instant. “Hey, hey, take him out!” Olga crossed her arms. “Not until you and your buddies get on your bikes and ride away.” The other bikers hesitated, clearly recalculating their chances.
One of them muttered, “Screw this, man, it’s not worth it.” The bearded biker frowned but slowly backed away. “Crazy…” Grom snapped his jaws, the sound like a gunshot in the still night air.
The biker didn’t finish his sentence; instead, he turned and walked back to his motorcycle. One by one, the others followed, and a few moments later, they were gone, their engines roaring, and they vanished into the night. Olga sighed, finally unclenching her fists. She knelt down next to Grom, patting his head.
“Good boy.” Shadow whined from the truck, and she laughed. “Yeah, yeah, you’re a big guy too.” Climbing back into the cab, she locked the doors and exhaled…
This time, she was sure they wouldn’t return. Tomorrow she’d be on the road again. Another region, another mile closer to her destination. But tonight, she’d sleep soundly, knowing her best friends had her back.
With them by her side, no one would dare touch her again. When the bikers finally drove away, Olga remained seated in the driver’s seat for a moment, letting the adrenaline subside. She ran a hand through her hair, glancing in the rearview mirror to make sure no one was left behind. Grom sat next to her, his sharp eyes still watching the road, as if anticipating new threats.
Shadow let out a soft sigh from his crate, his ears falling back as he relaxed. The danger was over, but their instincts never completely shut off. “It’s okay, boys,” Olga muttered, “let’s get some rest.” She pulled out of the diner parking lot and onto the open road, heading for a truck stop she knew was safe.
She soon found a well-lit rest area where several other truckers had already settled in for the night. She carefully parked her truck and turned off the engine. Moving into the sleeping compartment behind the seat, Olga took off her shoes and sat on the edge of the bed. Grom jumped in next to her, resting his head on her lap, and Shadow curled up at her feet.
She sighed, rubbing Grom’s ears. “You saved me today,” she whispered. They had been with her through thick and thin, during her military deployments, on long, lonely miles of travel, and tonight, when she needed them most, they had stood between her and real danger without hesitation. Grom let out a soft, satisfied sigh and closed his eyes, trusting her enough to finally relax.
Olga leaned back on the pillow, staring at the cabin ceiling, knowing sleep would come easily that night. Here, on the endless road, she wasn’t just a woman in a truck; she was a warrior, and with her dogs by her side, she was invincible.
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