Page 3 of Searching for Valor

Ash grunted. “Yeah, right.”

“No offense, Sheriff, butyoutellin’meto take a break is like a racehorse tellin’ a greyhound to slow down. You’re not exactly the poster child for self-care yourself.”

Ash’s lips twitched in a wry smile. “Touché. But this old racehorse is starting to learn when it’s time to rest in the stable. And I’m not the one who looks like he’s about to fall over. You keep going like this, you’re gonna burn out. Or worse. Take it from someone who has been there: you need to care for yourself before worrying about everyone else. You can’t pour from an empty cup, Ry.”

The words hit like a punch to the gut. He opened his mouth to respond, but Ash was already walking away, heading toward the mess tent where the other searchers were gathering.

Still rubbing his prosthetic arm, Rylan stared out at the shadowed tree line. The night pressed in close and thick. He should join the others and offer what little support and counselhe was able to. It was his job, after all. The role he’d taken on after he’d left the SEALs and wrestled his demons into submission.

He watched the team gather around the fire with their meals, exhausted and quieter than usual as they ate.

Donovan Scott stared blankly into the flames, his plate of food untouched in his hands, while his border collie Spirit watched him with adoring eyes. Probably hoping he’ll give her the plate.

Ellie Summers, the newest member of their team, snuggled into her fiance’s side. Cal Holden was a lawyer, but he volunteered with RWCR when he had the time. Ellie’s Golden Retriever puppy Puzzle, still in training and not yet certified as a SAR dog, was the only dog not curled up by the fire, instead choosing to chew on a stick near the edge of camp, blissfully unaware of the heavy mood.

Pierce St. James settled down beside Rhiannon, handing her a plate of food. Raszta, a Hungarian Puli that looked like a cross between a black bear and a mop, lay between them, snoring softly. Rylan still wasn’t sure how he felt about that new relationship, but maybe it was just the big brother in him thinking no man would ever be good enough for his sister. Because Pierce was a good man. He was solid, dependable, and fiercely loyal. He’d die for Rhiannon without a second thought.

And yet…

The ex-Army engineer had layers Rylan hadn’t even begun to peel back. What other secrets was he hiding? His last secret nearly got them all killed.

But Rhiannon was deliriously happy shacking up with Pierce, so Rylan kept his doubts to himself.

For now.

Veronica and Connelly arrived a few minutes later, climbing out of the helicopter they’d landed in a nearby clearing andtrudging over to join the line for food. Veronica’s face was grim, her lips pressed tight. She met Rylan’s eyes as she approached and gave a small, almost imperceptible shake of her head. No good news.

“Thought you were going back to base,” Donovan said.

Connelly looked equally somber, his medic bag slung over one shoulder as he slid an arm around Veronica. “We’re staying,” he announced to the group.

Veronica nodded and leaned into her husband’s side. “I’ll go back before dawn and refuel, so we’ll be ready to go again at first light.”

“Suit yourselves.” Donovan waved toward the table laden with food. “Dig in. Plenty to go around.”

As Veronica and Connelly walked over to fill up plates, their dogs, Rebel and Alfie, followed behind. The two animals were a comical pair. Rebel was a beautiful, sleek, muscular Doberman, a former junkyard dog turned protection K9. Alfie was a Papillon, a certified therapy dog with an endless supply of bow ties—and, apparently, now hats. He wore a ridiculous aviator hat with his fluffy ears poking out the sides. The two dogs were as different as could be, and yet they were best friends.

Kind of like this team. All wildly different people, all broken in their own ways but somehow fitting together perfectly.

Rylan watched as his friends picked at their food around the campfire, the flickering flames casting shadows across their weary faces. The usual banter and camaraderie were absent tonight, replaced by a suffocating silence broken only by the crackle of burning logs. They all looked haunted. Wrecked, with dark circles under their eyes. They’d all been running on fumes and adrenaline for days now. Even the dogs seemed to sense the tension, sticking close to their handlers instead of playing and roughhousing like they usually did.

He didn’t blame them. Four days of fruitless searching, of clinging to fading hope, had taken its toll on everyone. They’d all been through this before—the mounting desperation, the gnawing fear, the sickening realization that maybe this time, their efforts would be in vain. But it never got easier.

He tried to think of something to say, some words of comfort or encouragement, but nothing came. What could he possibly say that would make any of this better? The odds were against them. They’d been here before, searching until their bodies ached and their hearts broke.

But heshouldknow what to say. He was supposed to help them process the pain, the fear, the grief. He was supposed to keep them together, hold the fragile pieces of their emotional well-being in place. He was the glue.

Rylan’s gaze drifted back to Zak’s silhouette at the edge of the clearing. His friend had barely moved for the past half hour, just staring out into the shadows as if he could will Aiden into appearing through sheer determination alone. Someone had to check on Zak, and as the team’s counselor, that responsibility fell to him. Even if he was a hypocrite trying to offer support when he could barely keep his own demons at bay.

As he approached, Zak’s shoulders tensed, but the guy didn’t turn around.

“I know what you’re going to say. That we’ve done everything we can. That sometimes, no matter how hard we try, we can’t save everyone.”

Rylan stopped beside him. “Actually, I wasn’t going to say any of that.”

Zak glanced at him, surprise flitting across his face. “No?”

“No.” He was silent for a moment, taking the time to choose his words carefully. “I was going to say that I know this feels personal to you. I get that it’s bringing up memories of whenBella and Poppy were missing. And that it’s all right to have those emotions.”

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