Page 93 of Fallen Creed

“No, Brodie and Hank are with us.”

“Brodie went with you?”

He wasn’t sure why that would be a problem, but the change in her tone said otherwise. Was she concerned he’d have to take care of Brodie when he already had his hands full, searching for Ryder and Grace?

“She’s really worried about Ryder,” he explained. “And she really can take care of herself.”

“Oh, I know she can.”

He thought he heard an edge attached to the comment. Almost a snide that he’d never heard before. Maybe he was just tired. They hadn’t gotten much sleep last night. Taylor was actually agreeing with him that Brodie could take care of herself, but the silence that followed suddenly felt uncomfortable.

“Scout’s never experienced snow before,” he said, pretending he didn’t notice. “I’m not sure he’ll be able to track in this stuff. It’s deep and heavy. Any of Ryder’s scent will be buried underneath.”

He didn’t mean to get so serious, but the realization had come to him while he unpacked the Jeep. The weight of the task ahead was starting to settle in. Somewhere between the clown boots and slipping on the shoveled but icy sidewalks, he realized he might be in over his head. And he couldn’t count on his usual failsafe to help bail him out, because that failsafe was Ryder.

What the hell was he thinking? Picking up and driving a thousand miles like he was some superhero riding in to save the day. And Scout was barely two-years-old, still a newbie to scent training. Sometimes the dog was wild and goofy, head-butting Jason when he knew he’d earned his reward toy. What Jason called playful, most handlers would probably call undisciplined.

“He’ll do fine,” Taylor interrupted his thoughts, her voice back to a reassuring tone.

This was what he loved about her, how perceptive she was, that she understood exactly why he was worried without him needing to explain.

Then she added, “He’ll do great, because he has you to guide him.”

—72—

Maggie couldn’t believe how good it was to see Brodie and Jason and the dogs. Especially the dogs. She hugged them too long, and they let her, wagging hard against her with their whole bodies. These days she found herself missing her boys, Harvey and Jake so much more. Those two could make her smile during the darkest of times. Their previous owners had abandoned them before they came into Maggie’s life. But they were safe and happy now, and they loved her brother, Patrick, who doted on them when she was away.

Funny, she used to believe she didn’t need anyone or anything. She used to be an expert at compartmentalizing feelings. Her best friend, Dr. Gwen Patterson, would call it progress, that she missed her dogs, that she cared so much about Ryder.

To Maggie, it felt like the unraveling of her emotional defense system. In the past, caring about people and getting too close only resulted in pain. There was still a trigger in her psyche that wouldn’t let her forget that.

But then Jason and Brodie along with Scout and Hank showed up, and suddenly, all she could think about was how much they felt like family, like a support system that she needed. Needed. All it took was one look at them, and Maggie could see her own concerns about Ryder and Grace mirrored on their faces.

Brodie wanted to know everything with pointed and direct questions. Usually, Maggie appreciated being able to be straightforward without picking and choosing her words to soften or cushion what was really happening. But she hesitated with Brodie. Ryder was protective of his sister, who was still feeling her way around the real world.

Brodie was strong. Maggie had seen the proof for herself. But she also knew how fragile someone with PTSD could be. She’d spent the day pacing Ryder’s hotel room wearing one of his shirts as if it were a security blanket. Her own mind felt like it was spiraling out of control.

How would Brodie react to hearing her brother might be injured? That he might be... No, Maggie refused to even entertain the other options right now. She had given some basics and the timeline, but she waited for Jason to join them for the rest.

They huddled in a corner booth of the hotel’s pub. The dogs lay tucked under the table at their feet. When Jason arrived, Brodie scooted over, and he took the place beside her. Maggie noticed how comfortable the two were with each other. Twenty hours in a vehicle could do that.

She waited while he ordered a burger and asked if Brodie wanted one, then he ordered hers, knowing without asking what she wanted on it and with it. Maggie hadn’t thought about food, and only now realized the two were probably starving. When the waitress paused for Maggie, she gave in and decided on the soup of the day. Maybe it would warm her from the inside out. She’d been chilled ever since the morning trek through the snow. Which was probably a good place to start.

When the waitress left, she told Jason and Brodie that they found Ryder’s cell phone.

“So he lost it?” Brodie asked.

Maggie watched her eyes. They were difficult to read. She gave a slight shake of her head, her eyes never leaving Brodie’s. “No, I think someone took it from him.” She paused to let that sink in as she glanced at Jason.

She tried to explain. “We tracked his phone by using cell towers in the area. What we discovered was that it went dark just after his call from Hannah.”

“He could have shut it off to save the battery, right?” Jason asked.

“Or the battery ran out,” Brodie said. “That’s why I hate these things. We treat them like they can’t fail.”

“You still need to carry one,” Jason told her. “Sometimes it’s the only way to get in touch with somebody when you’re in trouble.”

“It obviously didn’t help Ryder, and he’s in trouble.”