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With a growl, I spin to face him, blood roaring in my ears, ready to pound him into the ground—but the asshole is smirking at me. Clearly trying to get a reaction with his crude language. Dick.
“Oh yeah, you’ve got it bad for her; huh Boss?”
“Shut up and eat your scone,” I grunt at him. He gives me a knowing grin and we fall into a companionable silence.
Of course, I want Tilly. Anyone with eyes would. But she deserves so much more than me; So much more than a wounded soldier who hates being around people and has violent PTSD episodes. I could hurt her. Hell, I couldkillher during a blackout. She’s better off without me.
Tilly is sunshine, and me, well, I’m a freaking hurricane.
“Heads up,” Kenna, one of our SAR team members, shouts as her black lab Abigail almost knocks me over trying to get to the scent she just located. Abigail is our newest trainee, so she’s still a bit green.
Chuckling, I grab her and get her in the proper position to alert. I shake my head. “Well, she’s definitely getting the scenting down. Now we just need to work on how she tells us she found something. She’s doing good though.”
“Yeah, she loves it. I am so glad the shelter called me when she came in. She’s so snuggly too,” Kenna comments, grabbing Abigail’s ball for a game of fetch to praise her for a job well done.
I watch Abigail bound around enthusiastically. She is so different from Mayhem, Kenna’s twin brother’s police dog, who is on the team as well. But then again, the Andersen twins are like night and day.
“That’s a wrap for today, everyone,” I tell them and we all begin to clean up.
We’re just about done, and most of the team has already left when our front door slams open with a bang. Tilly’s weird friend runs in, clutching a hoodie, looking flushed and flustered. I can’t remember her name.
She rushes over to me and begins talking a mile a minute. “IthinkwehaveahugeproblemTillywenthikingandshenevercalledtocheckinandIamworried.” She screeches without pausing for a single breath. The only thing I can make out is the name Tilly and her panic. A sense of dread immediately settles in my stomach.
Fortunately, by this point, Jeremy has come over to see what the commotion is all about.
“Blyth, darlin’, you need to slow down so we can help.” He says, leading her over to a seat. “Take a deep breath for me and then start over.”
I move closer. If something is wrong with Tilly, we don’t have time for all of this deep breath shit. I am about to yell at this woman when she finally opens her mouth and lets out a coherent thought.
“Tilly went on a hike a few hours ago, and I haven’t heard from her. We always check in with each other when we hike alone. I even checked our tracking app, and it says it can’t find her location.”
“Okay, she hikes these mountains all the time, she may just be in an area with poor reception,” Jeremy says rationally; as my heartbeat pounds in my ears.
“Yeah, that is why I wasn’t freaking out…but she was supposed to get back almost two hours ago…” Blyth looks up at me with tears in her eyes. She holds out the hoodie she was carrying. “I know they usually say you should wait longer before calling for help—but this is just so not like her. This is her sweatshirt…I remember when I volunteered to help search for that missing kid a few months ago that you needed something that smelled like him. Will this work? Will you go look for her?”
“Sure thing, Blyth. Though it is Black Moon night, maybe she found love up by the lake,” Jeremy whispers, directing a smug grin my way. “Either way, I’ll check it out.”
Jeremy reaches out for Tilly’s top, and before the thought even registers, I push him aside and snag it.
“Hot Dog and I will go.” I glare at Jeremy—daring him to protest. A brief flicker of something that looks like satisfaction crosses Blyth’s face, but that makes no sense, so I head to the back to grab a SAR bag and call for my dog.
In just a few seconds, we are ready to go.
“Hey Drew, seriously man, if you need help you better call me, okay?” I give him a quick nod.No fucking way am I calling him on a Black Moon Night.Even if I don’t believe in the superstitious shit.
As I rush out to my car, Hot Dog in my vest, hoodie in my hand, I glance toward the mountains.
Grey storm clouds are building behind them, and my sense of urgency grows.
Fuck.
Chapter Four
Tilly
Birdssinginthetreetops as I walk further into the forest. Swooping from branch to branch, they trill cheerfully, raising my spirits.
Breathing in the fresh air, I stretch my arms toward the sky. I have always been drawn to this place; being in nature fills me with a sense of tranquility that I can’t find anywhere else.
