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The call rang several times, and just when he thought it was going to voicemail, Sam Carson answered. “Hello. This is Sam.”
“Sam, this is Cameron Pope. I hope I didn’t get you out of bed, but Ghost is hurt and I’m in Jubilee. Can I bring him to the office?”
“Yes, of course. I was in the shower. What happened?”
“He’s got a bad cut on his paw. It’s a long story.”
“Give me fifteen minutes. I should be at the office by then.”
“Thanks, Sam. I really appreciate this,” Cameron said, and hung up. Then he started the engine and drove away.
It took ten minutes to get across town to the vet’s office. He was just pulling up in the parking lot when the lights began coming on in the office, and then Sam was standing in the front door, holding it open.
Cameron breathed a sigh of relief. Sam would know what to do.
“We’re here, boy. I know you hurt, but Sam will make it better.”
***
Sam Carson knew nothing about the kidnapping or the terror that had been on the mountain in the early hours of the morning. But when Cameron said it was a long story, he guessed something serious had happened.
He called Leslie Morgan, his vet tech, told her they had an emergency coming in and to meet him at the office, then quickly dressed and left his house on the run. He crossed the parking lot between his house and the clinic, unlocked the back door, and went inside, locking it behind him and turning on lights and turning up the heat as he went.
A few minutes later, he saw headlights through the front windows as they swept across the back wall. That would likely be Cameron. Leslie lived on the other side of Jubilee and it would take longer for her to arrive.
Sam went to the front door just as Cameron got out and circled the Jeep.
“Need help?” Sam called out.
“No, I’ve got him,” Cameron said, and came toward the office carrying Ghost like a baby.
“First room on the left,” Sam said, pointing across the lobby, then followed Cameron into the exam room.
Cameron laid Ghost on the table as Sam entered. Ghost wagged his tail when he saw Sam, but Sam was focused on the blood-soaked bandage on Ghost’s right front paw.
“I washed it out as best I could and wrapped it so he wouldn’t lick it, but the cut is deep and won’t stop bleeding. I don’t know how long he ran on that cut, but he never slowed down,” Cameron said.
“Your face doesn’t look so hot, either,” Sam said as he approached the exam table. “Hey, Ghost. I need to look at your paw, okay? Let’s get this gauze off.”
Ghost whined.
Cameron put his hand on Ghost’s shoulder. “Stay, Ghost. You’re okay. I’m here.”
Sam frowned. “What the hell were you two doing?”
“Chasing a kidnapper up Pope Mountain.”
Sam gasped. “What? Who got kidnapped, and how did you wind up in all that?”
“Remember Danny Biggers?” Cameron asked.
Sam paused, looking up in shock. “You mean the man who… Uh, your sister’s attacker?”
“Yes. He was one of the inmates who broke out of Abercrombie. He attacked Rachel in the middle of the night and took Lili. Louis came home from work a few minutes later, found Rachel unconscious on the floor and Lili gone. They called the sheriff, and then they called the family, and every able man on the mountain came running with their dogs, including me and Ghost. I don’t know when Ghost got hurt, but he never stopped running. He found Biggers with Lili, and by the time I caught up, Ghost had him begging for mercy.”
“Oh, my God! Are Rachel and the baby okay?”
“Rachel’s okay, more or less…and we think Lili’s going to be okay, too. I just left the hospital. They’re putting her in the ICU but she’s showing good signs of recovery. Ghost is the one in need now.”
