Page 73 of Coerced

The others said goodbye and waved as he left.

Relieved of the humans, I gathered everyone up and followed the trail Spin and Maddy had found. We didn’t go far, maybe a few hundred yards, before Tara found a suitable place to camp for the night.

Dusk was coming.

I hope Kerry comes back soon.

I was worried about the kid. I couldn’t imagine the depth of disillusionment he must be feeling. Especially since it was his girl who called him out in front of everyone. I watched the treeline and sighed with relief when I finally saw him.

I called everyone together and asked them to let me lead the conversation. Gemma looked mutinous at first, but Jax spoke with her for a moment and she relented. Spin came to stand on one side of me and Chance the other, and we all watched Kerry approach the campsite.

He stopped twenty or so feet away with his fists rammed into his coat pockets, and I figured he must have caught a branch in the face because blood crusted a long cut under one of his eyes.

When he remained silent, I launched into my spiel with what I hoped was a neutral tone.

“We need to get this situation straightened out ASAP.” I eyed them one by one as I spoke. “Kerry was entrusted with a leadership position for a reason. And you all agreed to be on his team. Yes, he screwed up by rolling over the body. It gave you the wrong impression about what happened, and it could have hampered us when dealing with humans. But the rest of you need to have faith in him. Otherwise, why do you want to be on his team?”

As I listened to a general shuffling of feet, I found I wasn’t as tense as I thought I’d be. It was way less awkward to deliver Conflict Resolution 101 than to be on the receiving end, I realized.

“Kerry, you could apologize for breaking investigative protocol by moving the corpse. And the rest of you need to apologize for doubting him. Even if he had killed someone, he only would have done so for a good reason or just cause. If you can’t believe that about him, pack your gear. It’s time for you to go home.”

They all started talking at once, each one saying sorry in their own way. Gemma moved closer to him, but he wouldn’t look at her and actually dodged when she reached out with one hand. She bit her lip, her face as pale as watered-down milk, but she stopped and gave him the space he obviously needed.

“I’m sorry I touched the body,” was all Kerry said, his face and voice devoid of any emotion.

Wincing, I thought I’d better step in again.

“I know an apology isn’t always enough to mend what’s broken.” I turned to the larger group. “But it’s a start. We have a lot to do before nightfall and a hard day tracking something Diabolical tomorrow.”

I glanced at Kerry and saw Spin and Chance had moved to flank him. I nodded in approval. He might not understand it as a sign of support, but I hoped the others would.

“Kerry,” I said, “the humans concluded it was a bear attack. We’re on the Diabolical trail Spin and Maddy found, and Tara has us set up to camp for the night. What do you want us to do next?”

“I told you, I quit.” He shrugged. “You lead them.”

“SOP is, you lead the team until it is safely back at the Sanctuary. You don’t have the option to quit.”

“Screw that!” He threw his hands up. “I’ve had six months of high school! I haven’t taken any leadership classes or had any kind of training for this! Clem said we were gonna clean out some Hellhounds and be back at the Sanctuary in a day or two. I don’tknowwhat to do next. All I know how to do is kill things!”

“I’ll help you.” I met his eyes. “We’ve already been working on it, right? You can do this. Clem obviously thinks so, or he never would have pulled you into a mission at all, even an easy one. I know this feels like a trial by fire, but it’ll be okay. Now, what do you want us to do next?”

He stared at me for a minute, then sighed.

“Set watches before it gets dark, eat, and sleep.” He frowned and looked away. “We can follow the trail at first light.”

“All right, you heard the man.” Spin clapped his hands. “Let’s finish getting ready for the night. Chop chop.”

He directed half the team to gather firewood and the other half to build a quick fire ring. Gemma lingered, trying to catch Kerry’s eye, and Spin made shooing gestures at her. He was right. This was not the time for a heart-to-heart between those two. When she reluctantly left, Spin turned to Kerry.

“If it’s okay with you, I’ll divide the watch and pair everyone up with either me, Chance, or Rome.”

“All right.” Kerry nodded. “Put Maddy with Rome first, then Jax or Tara with you. I can go last with Chance, unless he doesn’t want—”

“I’ll stand watch with you,” Chance interrupted.

Kerry nodded, then turned toward the treeline.

I traded looks with Chance, whose shrug told me there was nothing more I could do to help.

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