Page 212 of Back in the Saddle

I headed out and wasted no time opening the back door, shoving the camp chair in and pulling the binocs from around my neck before I dropped them on the floor. Then I hauled myself up into the front passenger seat.

I turned to him while doing my belt as he circled out, and I expected him at least to be sweating.

He was not.

I mean, really.

Did Zeus have jet black hair?

We pulled up behind the General’s parents’ shiny, white Ram, parked and got out.

Homer had exited his tent and was standing, staring into the camp.

He turned to us when we approached.

I alternately smiled at him and scanned the camp looking for the Johnsons.

They were not to be seen, and this meant they’d wended their way deep into the camp.

I hated the idea that the General went on patrol, and why he did, but I hoped he was out of the camp now.

When we stopped by him, I greeted, “Hey, Homer.”

“Are those General Grant’s parents?” he asked.

I nodded. “Where did they go?”

He turned toward the camp. “They went in. But I don’t think he’s here. And I don’t know if he wants to see them.”

Yeah. As mentioned, I didn’t know that either. And that was the worry.

I tipped my head back to look at Eric. “Were the boys planning an extraction today?”

He shook his head. “Don’t know. Do know, when they figured out who he was, they reached out to his parents to see where they were at. But we didn’t invite them to the party.”

From what I could tell through the binoculars, where they were at was out of their minds worried about their son.

Which meant they learned where their son was and came looking for him.

Understandable.

But not optimal.

“I called Cap and Mace on the way to you,” Eric told me. “They’re en route.”

I switched back to Homer. “Do you think you can find him? Bring him back? We’ll handle his parents.”

“It’s time to go get him anyway,” Homer said. “I’ll grab some guys.”

He took off, and Eric and I followed him into the camp.

Once our paths diverged from Homer’s, I said to Eric, “I really want to talk to Scott and Louise about seeing if we can help Homer.”

This made him stop, stopping me as well by catching my hand.

I looked up at him again.

“I get he’s touched your heart too,” he said carefully. “But you need to manage your expectations, sweetheart.”

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