Page 23 of Seducing Serena

Nanny J then turned to them. “Thank you so much. They’ll be talking about you for days.”

“Thank you for inviting us to speak. I can say that I’ve never had such an interesting group to speak before,” Ford said as he shook her hand.

After they left the room, it didn’t surprise him to find Master Derek in the hall just outside the door.

“Sounds like you were a hit,” he said as they all moved down the hall toward the lobby.

“I hope the kids had as much fun as I did,” Serena joked before blinking and looking at him. “I’m sorry.”

He slid an arm around her back with a chuckle. “Nothing to be sorry for. We don’t do high protocol outside the Dungeon, remember?”

“Oh. Okay,” she said, appreciating the small hug as if to reassure her all was well.

“So, what’s up, Master Derek?” Noah asked once they were back in the lobby.

“I was wondering if we could call on your assistance with a possible search and rescue. A couple of Little guests didn’t return from a picnic lunch. Master Travis is away for the day and he’s our resident tracker.”

“I’ll help,” Serena offered without waiting for either of her Dominants to respond.

Master Derek glanced at her but then focused on him and Noah instead. Ford understood even though she was looking a little put out. High protocol or not, she was the submissive in this throuple and while she was as qualified to do everything as they were, as well as a few extra tasks, they were the ones in ultimate charge. They were the ones who would make the decision.

Ford looked at Noah who dropped his chin in agreement. He then met Master Derek’s concerned gaze.

“We’ll be glad to help in any way we can. While we’re all qualified to lead search and rescue, Serena is the best tracker of the three of us.”

Master Derek sighed in relief and nodded. “Thank you for your help. Come to my office and we’ll look at the maps. I have a feeling these two might have gone into an area we’ve deemed off limits to everyone. Problem is we haven’t fenced the area off yet. I’ve put a call out for anyone who can help with the search to join us at the stables in a half hour.”

Ford nodded as they followed Derek into his office. “Sounds like you’ve got things covered.”

“Maybe, but I’m never hesitant to use the best resources at my disposal. I’m not a tracker or a first responder,” Derek said. “I am hoping that as trained experts you might take over.”

CHAPTER13

An hour later, Serena followed two fresh sets of footprints through a field on the far side of the Ranch’s sapphire mine. The tracks had circled and woven around the mine in a manner that told her whoever made them was playing and had no true destination in mind. Two golf carts and a group of riders on horseback followed, but stayed well behind her in order to give her plenty of room to work as she tracked the Littles.

“It looks like they were chasing one another,” she said into her walkie talkie as she moved steadily across the field.

She raised her gaze to look farther ahead, scanning the ground while following the clear line they’d made through the tall grass. The two Littles had obviously been having a good time as they played. Question was, where had they disappeared to?

An itchy feeling at the back of her neck told her something had happened to the women which kept them from returning to the resort. Needing to move faster, she began to jog.

When she reached the top of the next rise, Serena stopped and scanned the valley that laid out in front of her. “Oh, shit,” she whispered to herself.

Turning to look at the group following her, she clicked the walkie talkie. “Stop where you are. We have a problem up here.”

Running back to where Ford and Noah sat in the first golf cart, she waited until the rest of the men approached.

“We’re going to need hard hats with headlamps if you’ve got them, two or three long ropes, and any other climbing gear you have available. Also, some blankets, a medical kit, and you might want to line up an ambulance or life flight,” she focused on Lawson Berringer, who Derek had introduced as the head of Rawhide Ranch security.

“What did you see?” Ford asked as he shifted into first responder mindset. As a captain back home, he would be wanting to take control of the rescue. And while he could take charge, she was the one who would have to rescue the women.

“There’s a sinkhole on the other side of this hill. It looks brand new, which means it’s likely still growing. The Littles’ trail went straight toward the edge,” she explained as succinctly as she could. “I need to get closer to the edge to see how deep the hole is, and whether the women are down in it. If they’re not, I’ll need to walk the perimeter to pick up their trail. But right now, we do not need any more vibration on the other side of this ridge than absolutely necessary.”

“You’re going to do all that?” Lawson asked, looking concerned that she was taking charge.

“Yes, I am,” Serena said, trying not to sound offended by the man’s skepticism. “I am a trained first responder just like these two men. While I’m not as experienced, I am the lightest and will be the easiest to lower into the hole and pull back out again.”

“You’re not getting close to any unstable hole in the ground without being on a line,” Ford stated flatly.

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