Page 85 of Defending Casey

“Then I bet Zeke and Hondo will have to compare notes and read those Pregnancy Prep books together after all.”

Hale nodded. “I know I’m looking forward to it. I missed out on everything with Nora. I know Casey said she was okay doing it on her own. She had her dad and some friends, but I’ll never forgive myself for not being there when she needed me the most.”

Bodie shook his head. “You can’t really think like that, man. Don’t put so much on what happened in the past. If Casey’s not upset about it, don’t borrow trouble. Look to the future you guys have together.”

“And I know your girl’s going to love that bunk bed set up.” Stone shook his head. “If I had one of those, you would’ve had to pry me out of my bedroom to go to school.”

Clint snorted his agreement. “I think all of us would have stayed home with that kind of set up.”

They were all laughing like the good old friends they were when Hale’s phone rang.

“Hello, this is-”

“Hale? Son. You’ve got to come to the feed store.”

“Mister Sumner? What’s-”

“It’s David. Casey’s father. Someone beat him up pretty bad and I can’t get Casey on the phone.”

Panic.

His team knew him well enough that they all set down their drinks and stood up in their places. Hale knew they could feel the unbridled fear rolling through him.

“Have you…”

“I called 911. They’re on their way,” he paused for a second, “okay, they’re driving up. You gonna come here, son?”

“Yeah. Of course. I’ll try to see if I can get a hold of Casey on the way.”

Hale could hear the other man murmur something before the call ended but Hale was already focused on the problem he had in front of him.

“Casey’s dad was beat up at work. My old boss said he can’t get Casey on the phone.”

Zeke spoke first. “You gave her the tracker, right?

“Yeah, of course.” They started down the stairs to their vehicles.

Stone paused at the bottom step and looked at his watch. “You want me to go and check on Nora at school?”

Hale turned and looked at his friend. “Nora’s with Casey. She was sick this morning.”

“So they’re together.”

Hale tried to nod at Clint’s comment. He knew that they were trying to get him to focus on the positives at that moment, but it was hard. A mission, any mission, he could handle.

Calm. Reasoned. Impersonal.

He could do that.

Casey and Nora? Fuck no. He’d like to believe that they were somewhere happy and safe, but- “It’s too much to be a coincidence. David attacked at the store and Casey not answering her phone?”

As the others piled into their vehicles, Stone stopped Hale with a hand on his shoulder. “Let me drive, man. You’re going to need your hands free to call and run the tracker.”

It was a testament to the close relationship they all had that Hale didn’t scoff at the suggestion.

A man used to working alone would have wanted to control the wheel, but Hale, like the rest of them, knew the important lesson of trusting the team to work together.

He knew he wouldn’t have to fight with Stone. This was something that needed everyone working together because this was about family.

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