Page 10 of Brick

Her dad hadn’t made her feel like she was at home in the house she grew up in, but he’d kept her safe, so there was that.

She rolled to her side and closed her eyes.

Her wolf sighed softly in her head, and she felt herself relax, muscle by muscle, inch by inch until she fell asleep.

As her thoughts drifted away into dreamlessness, her last thought was that maybe Ohio could really be home, and maybe, just maybe, Alpha Holloway would forget about her, and she could make a life for herself here.

Maybe.

Chapter

Six

Monday morning, Brick met up with the pack members who’d volunteered to be part of the security team throughout Cinder’s pregnancy. While he was overseeing the new additions, he was relying on Solan and Leo to help keep an eye on the recruits and assist with training.

“All of you new recruits will be shadowing one of the current security team members in groups of two or more,” Brick said as he stood on the back patio of the alphas’ home. “Today, you’re learning the ropes of our patrols, and tomorrow you’ll receive your assignments. I will take into account those of you who requested particular shifts due to family or work constraints and will do my best. If you have any issues, check in with Solan, Leo, or me, and we’ll do what we can. Questions?”

He waited and then smiled when no one responded.

“Great,” he said, putting his phone in his back pocket. “Security team, grab one or two recruits and get going.”

He waited until everyone had been chosen, save for one pack member: Uncle Carl.

“Hey,” he said, grinning. “You’re stuck with me.”

“Nice,” Carl said. “This is neat. I’m glad I could be part of things to help.”

“We definitely need someone who can work nights and weekends.”

“Your Aunt Janie is on a cooking show kick, and I don’t mind getting out of the house so I don’t have to try her creations.”

Brick laughed. “We’re going to start in the security office. I’ll show you how to check in and get your assignment, and then we’ll head to the edge of the territory to show you the cameras and motion detectors, and then we’ll walk the perimeter.”

“You got it.”

They walked toward the shed that had been turned into a security office a few years ago. Adam also had access to all the security feeds in his office, but the security office was manned twenty-four-seven by team members. Currently, Stewart sat at the U-shaped desk that was lined with monitors.

After showing Carl how to check in and get his assignment, he let Stewart show him the monitors and what each one was looking at.

Someone opened the door to the shed hard enough that it cracked against the wall with a loud bang.

“He’s missing!”

Brick’s instincts went on high alert as he saw Benjamin, wild-eyed and frantic, in the doorway.

“Who’s missing?” Brick asked.

“My son! Caleb was playing in the backyard. I went inside to grab something, and when I came out, he was gone!”

Brick put his hand on Ben’s shoulder, looked at Stewart, and said, “Send out an alert, and we’ll do a grid search immediately, starting at Ben’s house. Also, check the cameras to see if you see Caleb anywhere.” Brick then turned to Ben and asked, “Where’s Julia?”

“She’s out shopping with her mom. She’s on the way back, but she’s an hour out, and she’s going to kill me! Oh shit, I never should have left him alone.”

Brick said, “Uncle Carl? Let’s get to Ben’s.”

“On it.”

Brick led Ben out of the shed and said, “We’ll find him. You should shift and try to locate his scent. He couldn’t have gone far since he’s only four. And also, your house is pretty far from the edge of the territory, so I doubt he made it out of our town.”

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