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Sydney nodded a few times as her finger ran over the other patch saying Treasurer. “Even though it kinda sounds like a boy.”
“You tired Syd?” Mike asked.
“Hack, what’s going on?” A young woman stood at the edge of the room. Her long brown hair pulled back into a braid.
“Michael Hanover meet my wife,” Creek said. “They call her Preacher Girl.”
“What kind of name is that?” Mike laughed.
“Well, her real name is Hannah, but we tend to use road names around here.” Creek walked over to Preacher Girl and their fingers intertwined. “It’s okay baby this is an old friend.”
“Well if it’s all the same, I’ll probably stick with Creek for you.” Mike said as Sydney moved to stand by him.
“Hack’ll get you a faster response, but Creek will work too.”
“It’s late, bring your daughter, she can crash in Rose’s room.” Hack led the way down a hallway into a bedroom. “Preacher Girl’s sister is on a spring break trip, she’ll be back in two days. We can do more shifting in the morning.”
“You need to brush your teeth? Want a shower? Or maybe take one in the morning?”
Sydney shrugged, opening her suitcase and finding her toothbrush. “Just brush.”
“Okay,” he said. “You want a tuck after you’re in your pajamas or have you outgrown that?”
Her face paled and he took a knee in front of her.
“You know how daddy tucks you,” he said, hoping his tucks brought back fond memories and not nightmares. “I’m not going to do that if you don’t want it.”
“Yeah,” she said, nodding a bit. “I’m getting too big for tucks.”
“Alright, you okay in a strange room?” he asked.
“Can I close the door?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“Where are you going to sleep?” she asked.
“Couch if I’m lucky,” he said tweaking her nose a bit. “Worst case scenario Creek makes me sleep in the bathtub.”
“The bathtub.” Syd smiled for the first time, but didn’t laugh.
“I probably smell huh?” he teased and for a few minutes they were back to being who they’d been before. Before this nightmare began, before she started acting different, before her life was being destroyed in secret from him.
With Sydney settling in Mike walked toward the voices in the main part of the home. His friend and wife were seated at the kitchen table. The tell-tale signs of new parents on their exhausted faces. Preacher Girl’s eyes had swaths of purple bags underneath them and had a long distant stare.
“Our home is open to all answering a call, but at some point I need to know why the phone rang,” Creek said.
“I’m on leave for a while, up against reenlistment or retirement. Thought it would be a good time to see an old friend.”
“So I haven’t seen you in a few years and you thought Montana in spring would be a good vacation spot. I’m not buying it. There’s no vehicle by the woods, did you walk here?” Hack was looking out the kitchen window.
Mike wasn’t ready to lay it all out to the man. Protection would be guaranteed either way and at this point he needed to fully sort out the last thirty six hours.
“Hitched a ride with Connell and Buchanan.”
“You’re the fucking package?” Hack groaned. “I should have known.”
“Package?”
