Page 55 of Fallen Creed

He’d never seen her like this. Nothing even close.

“Brodie, what’s wrong?”

He eased himself down to his knees, ignoring Hank’s slobbers and Scout head-butting him. It was as if both dogs were prodding him to do something to make this better. Obviously, they had been trying for a while with no success.

“Is Kitten hurt?”

She wouldn’t look at him. Her chin tucked into her chest. But she managed to shake her head.

“Are you hurt?”

Another shake. Her tousled hair spiked up, but the bangs were plastered to the sweat on her forehead.

“Bad dream?” He took a guess.

This time, she nodded.

“It scared you?”

Another nod.

He glanced at both dogs, one on each side of him, each watching Brodie now. She was still whimpering, and Hank cocked his head from side to side.

“Want me to stay with you for a while?”

A vigorous nod.

“Would it be okay if I put my arm around you?”

She hesitated now, and he remained still. Both dogs were waiting, too. Finally, there was a subtle shrug followed by a nod.

He was careful, slow, deliberate and yet a little awkward. Stupid as it sounded, Jason had only learned recently how to deliver a comforting hug. When he was a teenager, he was too immature. After he lost his arm, he was too angry.

Now, he crawled up beside her and gently looped his left arm up behind and around her thin, shuddering shoulders. He let her ease herself against him. Before either of them had a chance to get comfortable, Hank and Scout pushed into them. Jason’s first impulse was to make the dogs back off, but immediately Brodie reached for them, letting Kitten settle in her lap as she wrapped an arm around each dog and buried her face in Hank’s side.

Jason leaned his back against the wall. His arm was still around Brodie, but Scout was sitting in his lap, all seventy pounds of him. He felt Brodie shudder against his side, and he thought she was crying harder now.

He was so not good at this. He wasn’t sure what else to do.

She gulped for air and tears streamed down her face. Hank turned his head so he could lick her face. Brodie gulped again and hiccupped. This time, Jason realized she was half crying and half laughing at the two big dogs trying so hard to be in their owners’ laps.

—44—

Grand Island, Nebraska

Maggie’s phone woke her up. She was still in her clothes from the night before. She didn’t remember curling up on top of the bed and falling asleep. In three quick moves, she grabbed the phone off the desk.

“Alonzo,” she said, in place of a greeting. “Don’t you ever sleep?”

“Actually, I find I only need about four or five hours.”

Her twenty-something team members had a way of making her feel old, and she wasn’t more than a decade ahead of them.

When she waited too long to respond, Alonzo said, “Oh gosh, did I wake you up? I thought you never slept.”

“It’s okay. You’ve got something.”

“Yes. You asked me to track Ryder Creed’s phone.”