Page 34 of Fallen Creed

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It didn’t take long for Grace to pick up the scent again, despite the layers of new snow continuing to pile up. Creed noticed that instead of poking her nose up, Grace sniffed the tips of tall grass and pieces of shrubs that peeked out. She plowed through the snow, keeping her head down and wagging her snout over the patches of landscape.

He didn’t like this. The snow kept falling even as the white sky appeared to be getting lighter. It was almost over his ankle-high boots. Grace anxiously bounded through it. Soon it would be up to her chin.

Creed was about to call it quits just as Grace darted around a stand of evergreens. He needed to rein her in. She wouldn’t be happy. But when Creed came around, he immediately saw the chain strung across the path. The rusted metal hung from steel posts on each side of what must have been a driveway.

If there had been a road at one time, it was now overgrown and swallowed up. Evergreen branches invaded from both sides, creating a tunnel. Creed had to push through them and duck, releasing patches of snow on top of his head.

“Grace!”

He couldn’t see her beyond the scaly, fern-like needles that overlapped. The snow made them heavy. He used his arms to push and shove and weave, the scent of wet cedar overwhelming.

Finally, he fought his way through the last of the tunnel, and Grace was waiting for him. Snow was collecting on her back. He could barely see her vest. As if knowing what he was thinking, she shook herself and tossed her head for him to follow.

The dilapidated shed sat alone in a meadow, hidden by a stand of trees. What Creed noticed first was a set of tire tracks already filling in with fresh snow. The tracks ran from the huge barn door and disappeared in the other direction. Without a word, Creed gestured for Grace to come to him and stay close at his side.

They had either missed someone leaving or arriving.

Creed searched for a worn path that the vehicle had followed. There certainly wasn’t a road. As he and Grace approached the shed, he could hear running water. The river was still close by, which meant they were hiking parallel to it.

Grace trotted alongside him. She was impatient. Her nose twitched and her ears pricked forward. Every once in a while, her head swiveled to the trees, but she didn’t lead him there. Maybe it was another deer. Creed couldn’t see anything. The snow was falling so heavily now it was almost blinding.

He trudged on. It looked like his original theory would prove true. Libby Holmes had someone pick her up. Just not at the Spencers’.

The door squealed on rusted hinges as Creed pulled it open. He stopped short when he saw the silver SUV parked inside. Snow caked its tires and covered the roof.

His eyes darted around the shadows. Space between the worn slats allowed light to filter in. So did the chill. There was no one here, but Grace insisted the scent of Libby remained behind.

Creed placed his hand on the hood. It was still warm. Then he noticed Grace’s tail go straight. She was staring up at him and trying to not be distracted.

He turned to find a young woman standing behind him in the open door. Despite the heavy coat and stocking cap, he recognized her face from the photo Nora had shown him on her phone.

“Hey, Libby Holmes,” he said. “We’ve been looking for you.”

“You should have gone back when you had the chance.”

It wasn’t the response Creed had expected, although he suspected she might not want to be found.

Before he could tell her that Nora just wanted to know if she was okay, he felt Grace bump against his leg. When he looked down, he saw that she pointed in the opposite direction, toward the corner of the shed. Her lips pulled back in a snarl.

He glanced at Libby. Her eyes darted over his shoulder. Creed spun around to be met by a blur of blue parka. He barely got a glimpse of the flash of metal. His arm shoved the attacker, avoiding a stab to his gut. But his efforts had only misguided the target, and the knife plunged into his side.

He could hear Grace’s growl, her teeth clacking as she snapped at the attacker’s ankles. Creed put one hand down to protect her. With the other, he grabbed at the hand still holding the knife shoved inside him. His reflexes moved in slow motion.

He missed.

The attacker was too quick and pulled the blade out. It hurt almost as much as it did going in. All of it happened in seconds.

He found the young woman’s face hidden inside the blue hood of the coat. Piercing green eyes, a dazzling white-toothed grin.

Then the pain bloomed inside him, and he dropped to his knees.

“Damn it, Ariel. You may have killed him.”

“Don’t say my name out loud.”

“What the hell were you thinking?”