Page 59 of Operation: Integrity

Kelly slowly nodded her head. “If Sam comes, tell him . . . thank you.”

Chapter Twenty-Six

Sam and Zeus climbed into the back of Edwyn’s car one more time. Edwyn took the driver’s position, and Connor sat in front of him. Even though it was chilly, Sam cracked the window open for some fresh air. The scent of death wouldn’t leave his nose, and he couldn’t wait to find a shower.

“I’m assuming we’re staying here another night?” he asked Connor.

Connor answered, “We’re going to drop you off at a hotel where you can stay until Kelly is released. Edwyn will drive me to a car rental place so I can get some wheels for you while you’re here. Take your time. She may need a few days.”

“Thanks.” Sam laid his hand on Zeus’s head, then scratched behind his ears. As much as he was Sam’s favorite, Zeus had chosen Kelly. He couldn’t really blame the dog. Kelly was cuter by far.

Edwyn pulled into a nicer hotel than they’d stayed in the night before. “This hotel doesn’t take dogs, so we’ll be taking Zeus with us. He was a very good boy and I’ll besure to give him something special when we get home,” said Connor.

“Thanks for that.” Though Sam could already tell Zeus felt vindicated. He’d done his duty and could now rest. He was, even now, sleeping on Sam’s feet.

Edwyn pulled into a spot and turned off the car. Connor glanced back at Sam. “I’m going to go inside and get your room. I’ll be back out with the key.”

Sam scratched Zeus’s head, then gently moved it over so he could get out without accidentally kicking the dog. Zeus was so exhausted he barely noticed. Edwyn came around the car and offered his hand to Sam. “Hey, I’m sorry we’ve been at odds the last few weeks. We’ve never been this way before, and I don’t want to be again. I’m sorry for letting the rules get to me. I’m sorry for not putting our friendship above my own righteousness.”

Sam shrugged. “Trying to be righteous isn’t a bad thing. But thank you. I hope you trust me now.”

“I do. I know you’ll do what it takes to take care of her and to make sure that she heals.” Edwyn leaned against the trunk of his car.

Sam bit his lip. He hated asking Lacy to do more work. She was already putting in more than full-time hours. Then again, they all were. “When you take Zeus home, could you ask Lacy to look into the closest place to have Zeus trained to be a service dog? A real service dog that can help Kelly in case she has anxiety attacks or whatever other things Brendon thinks might be helpful? I’ll pay for it.”

Edwyn’s brow rose. “I guess I can’t say anything. We’ve gone out of our way to get wheelchairs for guests who’ve needed them, glasses for those who have needed them, and even dietary special foods for those who need them.Who am I to say no to a service dog? But you know that it will cost a lot, right?”

Sam thought back to the day in the truck with Kelly after they’d visited the bank. She’d been so defeated that she’d refused to string more than two words together on the ride home and she’d gotten stuck in a blizzard later because she was so distracted. She needed to feel secure and taken care of. This was the first step in letting her know that his protection was more than brawn, which he honestly didn’t have that much of, but brains and a bank account, too He wasn’t rich, but he’d saved what he had. Now, the rainy day was here, and he looked forward to putting his savings to good use.

“Here,” Edwyn said as he shoved a piece of paper toward Sam.

Sam looked at the scrawled address on the slip of paper. “What’s this?”

“I asked one of the officers if they could tell me where they’d taken Kelly because the EMTs wouldn’t tell me. I totally get why they didn’t. I had to give them every piece of identification I had on me to prove that they all matched and I was who I said I was. Then they gave me the information. There is no guarantee you’ll get in to see her because you’re not family. But at least you know where she is.”

Sam tucked the important slip of paper in his back pocket for safekeeping. “Thank you. I was going to start calling hospitals as soon as I got in my room. You just saved me a lot of time.”

“You’re welcome. Take care, man. I hope you’re back at Wayside soon.”

“Thanks. Oh, and Edwyn, if I’m gone for more than two days after Lacy finds a place, tell her I give her permissionto use my account and get the process started. She has my bank information. I want this started because I know it will take time.”

Edwyn nodded. “Consider it done. You can count on me.”

Sam turned and headed toward the hotel. There were few people on the earth that he trusted more than Edwyn.

Edwyn ledZeus back to the kennels after his warm reception at home. Everything out there was as it should be. Someone had taken over the duties of feeding and watering the dogs. They looked happy and Max, the golden retriever, was particularly happy to see Zeus home.

After opening the door and making sure the latch was secured once again, he headed for his cabin. So much had changed in the last day that he was exhausted, and home didn’t even feel quite right. His attention was on high-alert, and he couldn’t rest or calm down.

He put a kettle on the stove and flipped the burner to high. When he was anxious as a kid, mom would make him tea that helped him relax. It was the only tea he drank anymore. He waited for the whistle, pronouncing the water hot enough to steep his tea. Once he’d put a loaded helping of honey in the water, he dunked the tea bag and headed to his room to change.

His life and calling were definitely on the fringe at Wayside. He rarely had guests of his own because his job outside of the work they did with victims of human trafficking kept him busy all the time. The last few weeks, he’d noticed a definite lack in his training, and that didn’t sit well. He didn’t want people coming to Wayside thenhaving to switch wranglers because they weren’t comfortable with him.

He tugged a printout from his pocket. Lacey had given it to him when he’d arrived at home. He’d gone ahead and called her as soon as Sam had asked him to, while he was waiting for Connor to return to the car. So, Lacy had taken that hour and found the few relatively close dog trainers. He cringed at the expense, but that was for intense training.

The biggest issue was, Sam could spend all that money and still not have a working dog. There were no guarantees Zeus would take to the program. What if Sam spent upwards of $30,000 and Zeus came back just as he was before?

He grabbed his mug and sat down at his table, flipped open his laptop and turned it on. It whirred to life, but instead of his screensaver the screen went black. Green letters appeared at the top.

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