Page 38 of Operation: Integrity

“I just need a walk,” she called over her shoulder.

“Take Zeus with you.” He sent the big dog after her.

Though she loved the dog, she just wanted to be alone with her nagging awful thoughts. No one was going to convince her she wasn’t worthless today. The way the lady at the bank had looked at her and the way the bank account manager had assumed she was lying only added fuel to the fire.

This world seemed created to keep people down, no matter how badly they wanted to get out. Rules meant to protect people were used to keep those who had been violated from seeking relief. Nathan was a liar who’d stolen her money, enslaved her by promising to pay her and never doing so, then refusing to let her go once she’d left. Those were simple, basic human rights and yet she felt like she wasn’t worthy of them because of rules.

Kelly wandered along the inside of the fence, close enough to the barn so she wasn’t out of sight but far enough where no one but the horses and Zeus would bother her. Zeus stayed within a few feet just far enough away to give her space. To the casual observer, he probably looked thoroughly engrossed in the smells all around him, but she knew him well enough after the last few days that she could see he was like a coiled spring, ready to pounce into action. He wasn’t merely sniffing the grass. He was sniffing for strange scents that might harm her.

Since Nathan had continually asked her to go to the east side of the fence, she headed west, deeper ontoWayside land instead of near the edge. Random poles along the fence line were longer than others, and camouflage trail cameras were mounted on them. She frowned up at one. They weren’t exactly hidden. If anyone wanted to get onto the property, they could clearly avoid those.

Curiosity got the better of her and she followed the fence. Her mind needed something else to think about outside of her current troubles, and Wayside was safe. Connor had told her so. Sam had even told her she was welcome to walk all over the grounds as long as she told someone she was going, which she had.

After a few hundred yards or so, the fence headed into a sparse patch of trees and the cameras seemed to disappear. She stood near the fence and searched, but found nothing hidden in the branches or on the trunk. Was she merely blind to where they were hidden or was this a break in their security? Sam had told her Dominic was a security and technology expert, so that seemed unlikely. Yet, where could they be?

Oddly, she didn’t feel eyes on her out here like she felt in her room. She sat by the fence and took a deep breath, letting the frigid ground work its chill through her clothes, reminding her she could still feel. She was a person who mattered because she had feelings. Maybe she wasn’t to the point of hopes and dreams yet, but it was a start. Baby steps.

She closed her eyes for a moment and leaned back against the fencepost as flurries hit her cheeks and forehead. She shivered, realizing she hadn’t dressed for snow. The ride in the truck had been warm and she’d only worn a bulky sweatshirt. “Zeus?” Where had he gone and how long ago had he left? She couldn’t remember seeing himfor a while, but her mind had been focused on other things.

“Zeus?”

Snow came down faster, and she couldn’t see more than a few feet away from her. She berated herself for not taking the cellphone Connor had offered her the second day she was here. He’d told her it wasn’t a phone with a plan, so no one would know it was hers except him, Lacy, Edwyn, and Sam. No one else could reach her. But she’d refused. She hated phones and wanted nothing to do with them.

Now, if she had it, she could call Sam and ask if Zeus had returned without her. She couldn’t leave him alone out in a blizzard, but her sweatshirt was already wet after just a few minutes, and she had a long walk back to her cabin.

“Zeus!” she forced her voice to yell, and her throat protested. “Where are you?”

She remembered Sam had said if she blew her whistle three blasts, he would come from anywhere on the ranch. She’d thought wearing the little whistle was annoying, since it was always cold against her skin under her shirts, but she dug it out and quickly blew three blasts that she could barely hear through the wind and driving snow.

“I need you to come, right now,” her voice shook, and tears clouded her already limited vision. “I can’t leave you out here.” But if she didn’t go soon, she’d freeze. Zeus hadn’t left her side since Sam had told him to watch her. What had made him roam now?

She clung to the fence, calling for him and searching through the blinding white. Something caught around her ankle, and she went down hard on her knees. Her hands scraped on a large rock near a fencepost.

He hadn’t come. “Zeus?” her voice sounded weak, and she realized she was absolutely exhausted. She needed to get home and rest. Get warm. Dry. “Sam . . .” No one would find her out there. She hadn’t told anyone exactly where she was going. “Help me.”

With all her reserves, she tugged herself back to her feet through the chattering of her teeth. She could do this. She was stronger than this. Living through the worst humanity could throw at her had made her strong enough to last through a blizzard. She’d get home, tell Sam, and he’d know exactly what to do. He would know how to bring Zeus back.

She tried blowing on the whistle one more time and heard a bark far off. “Zeus!” she called, risking herself by staying where she was. If the dog was following the sound of her whistle, she couldn’t keep moving. “Where are you?” she whispered; her words barely understandable through her shuddering jaw.

After a minute, Zeus bounded toward her, covered in snow and carrying something in his mouth. “What have you got there?” She reached down and he gave a soft growl.

Kelly backed away, not sure what else she could do. “That’s not for me, huh? Well, we’d better get back to Sam. You can show him.”

Zeus pressed on like he knew she had to stick to the fence, and Kelly followed until she was soaked to the skin and her muscles screamed for a break. The wind ate at her energy and resiliency. Soon, just taking another step became so painful tears streamed down her face. “Zeus, I can’t. Go get Sam, boy. Go get Sam.” She fell to her knees and her face hit the ground. Even the sharp cold wasn’t enough to give her the energy to get up. Hopefully, Samcould get there quickly. Her eyes closed and her mind blocked the cold.

Sam lookedat his phone for the third time in twenty minutes. Where was Kelly? She should’ve come back the moment it started snowing. He went outside and blew on his whistle to bring all the dogs to him that weren’t in the kennels.

Max huffed toward him from around the barn, balls of snow already clinging to his long tail, but he didn’t seem to be bothered by the sudden blizzard. Sam waited to see if Zeus would respond to his call. In some ways, he hoped the dog didn’t. He should stay with Kelly. But if he didn’t, Sam would have no way to track where Kelly had gone.

He rushed to the house and through the maze of halls that lead to the security station near the back of the large house. It was intentionally confusing to find, so anyone breaking in would have a hard time getting to whoever was manning the cameras. Dominic sat at a desk with about twenty screens in front of him.

“Dominic, I need to know where Kelly is right now.”

He turned and gave a nod. “Thought you’d be here. I last saw her around the west grove in pasture one. That camera is well-hidden, though I think she was looking for it right before it started to snow.”

“Is she still there?” That grove was over a mile away, though he could get there faster with a horse.

“No, I saw her walking along the fence back toward the barn, but the snow got so thick I couldn’t follow her anymore. Plus, she seemed to be really clinging to the fence and the last few sightings I had of her were justbarely the top of her gray hood. Are you telling me she didn’t return? I was about to call you to make sure she got back okay.”

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