Page 46 of Operation Rescue
“And you’ve fought in wars. You’ve been shot at. You nearly died. You’re too brave to be scared.”
“At the risk of dragging out something I’ve told you before, brave doesn’t mean you’re not scared. It means you saddle up and head out anyway.”
A tear was tracing its way down her right cheek now. “And you always have. It’s me who ran, who was gutless, who ruined…everything.”
He might be a little slow on the uptake, but he realized she was no longer talking just about Ethan. Something sparked deep inside him, something he didn’t even dare name as hope.
He shoved aside the thought and tried to focus. His mind was churning, turning over possibilities. Only then did he become aware Cutter had moved, and at a slight metallic sound he turned in time to see the dog had reached up and grabbed the leash Rafe had left on the table near the front door.
He turned back to Erin. “Do you agree that at this point the odds of him just…showing up here at home are slim?”
“Yes,” she said, and he wondered what had made the faintest of smiles flicker across her face at the wordslim.
“And if he did, he has a key, right?” he asked.
She nodded.
He reached down and took the leash Cutter was holding delicately. “Let’s take Cutter here for a walk.” He hesitated, but decided he had to say it. “What about that file cabinet in your office? Can you lock it?”
“Yes, why?”
“Grab anything crucial or valuable and stuff it in there, then lock it.”
Her brow furrowed. “Why would—” She stopped suddenly and he knew it had hit her, that if Ethan did happen to show up here, he likely wouldn’t be alone. And if they were right about who he’d been hanging out with, they would have no qualms about ripping off anything of value.
“Yes,” he said, telling her she was right. “So do that, grab your phone, a jacket, and a few of those flyers you did, and let’s go. We’ll cover every street in the neighborhood, and I want to have a look at that park down the way, just in case.”
She stared at him for a long, silent moment. “You’re just doing this to keep me busy.”
“Maybe,” he admitted. “But me, too. I need something for my brain to fix on before I go stark, raving mad myself.”
Something flashed in her eyes. It had been a long time since he’d seen it, but he recognized the look she’d always given him when he’d hit on the right answer.
They’d been walking in silence in the chilly evening air when Erin, who had been watching Cutter with obvious interest, said, “He walks nicely. Doesn’t pull like a lot of dogs do.”
“Only if you need to go where he’s pulling you.” She gave him a sideways look and he shrugged. “Just quoting Rafe. Who said it took him a long time to learn just how smart this critter is.”
They’d reached the end of the block when she asked, “Do you think he could really scent Ethan, if he was close by?”
“Rafe said he’s done it multiple times before. Once he’s fixed on a scent he’s got it. He said they even tested him, on picking out only objects handled by a certain person out of a big pile, and he never missed.”
“So a good nose and smart,” she said.
“Apparently.” He gave her a sideways look. “He realized we needed to do something before we went nuts. So he went and got his leash.”
She let out a faint laugh, but given how close to the edge she’d been a short while ago, he’d take it gladly.
“Now, that’s smart,” she admitted.
He hesitated, but then decided to go for it. “Rafe also said if it wasn’t for Cutter, he and his lady Charlie would have never made up. That he tried to walk away, like he always did, and Cutter wouldn’t let him.”
She was staring at the dog now, and he wondered if it was because of interest in the animal, or disinterest—maybe even repulsion—at what he’d said. Before he could dig the hole any deeper, Erin was hailed by a neighbor, who asked how she was doing and if there was any word on Ethan.
The woman looked at him, and he was about to speak when Erin finally said, a little tightly, “This is Blaine. Ethan’s father.”
“Oh!” She sounded surprised. She flicked a glance at Cutter, then back to Blaine. “I thought perhaps you were someone using the dog to track Ethan.”
“It is something the dog can do,” Blaine said. “And if there’s a sign he’s been in the area, I’m told he’ll find it.”
