Page 54 of Trusted Instinct
The pain of a distraught family was unbearable to Creed.
When he was fighting in the war, he’d seen horror and pain, and it wore on him.
It started gnawing at his guts at night.
Sleep deprivation became his norm, and the only reason he didn’t drink himself into a stupor or take drugs to ease themental anguish was a promise he’d made to his mamma on the way to boot camp.
His mom was a wise woman who had witnessed the effects of life as a military family firsthand.
She’d told him, “Son, proud of you. But I will take a mother’s privilege and extract a promise from you to solace me.”
The look on her face, anguish that she tried to disguise as calm, and he would promise her anything to ease the suffering he knew he was going to cause her.
“No alcohol and no drugs. Not a drop. Not a dribble. Not a dram. Clean and sober.”
“Yes, ma’am.” And because of that oath, he’d told the men who made fun of him that they wanted someone who understood what it was to have a set of guiding principles, to have a creed and live by it. And one of his guiding principles was that his word was his bond, especially when it came to his mama. And in boot, they changed his name from Honoré to Creed, and it stuck for everyone because it just seemed to fit him like a well-worn glove.
Creed looked down where Rou sat like a soldier at his feet. Her head tipped back, and her body tensed. She knew from the shift in Creed’s posture that they were about to get to work. And there was nothing that Rou liked better than to head out on a search.
The point on his map would pull Creed farther from Auralia, but having seen the car looking stable and knowing that better-informed eyes than his were assessing, relieved some of the pressure that was expanding his ribs.
“Part of the problem, Rourou,” Creed said, “is that even if we find a cut through in this mess—which I don’t see happening—taking it would be too big a risk. We can’t do it, not with the cars that are still slipping and sliding down the hill. We’ll have tojog to the top.” Though Creed had noted that it had been a while since he’d last heard the shriek of brake and the bang and crash.
Creed had tried to figure out how long it would take for a siren and a badge with authority to stop the traffic and turn them around.
He knew that the police in this area divided the county and that the cars were distributed based on population, not by area. That meant there was one lone officer tooling around in his car, waiting for the call.
He also knew that when that call went out, it would be all hands on deck and they’d be racing from everywhere.
While it felt like much longer, it had been only about thirty minutes since their mission had switched from dell oversight to rescue. Creed was just now hearing the sirens scream out in the distance.
Creed put the phone to his ear. “Mandy, Rou and I are rerouting to the point uploaded to my map system. We will be starting a search there. I’ll be functioning as a single searcher. My focus will be on Rou, and cell connectivity is intermittent in this area.”
“I’m inputting that data. I’ve already downloaded the maps to your shirt. If you’re offline, you can still follow the directions. Are you at a good point to start the tracking?”
“I’m getting prepped.” Creed twisted the top back on his bottle. “The engineer?” he asked.
“Looking at Auralia’s car? They’re putting it through computer modeling to include the local weather conditions and wind dynamics over that type of bridge.”
The wind was steady with heavy gusts, and that was what he was afraid of. One big blow could come over the bridge and catch the undercarriage of the car, tipping it end over end.
Or, Auralia could have climbed free already.
That was the picture he wanted to hold in his mind for her.
He didn’t want to conjure danger or pain. He’d hold her in hope.
He pulled up to the table of life, and he found sustenance. Not showy, not five-star restaurant fare, cause that didn’t feed the body and soul the way a plate could be filled with an honest day’s work. And around that table, there were places laid for all the people that he cared deeply for and who cared equally for his best.
And now, he and Auralia would tell all those people about how deeply they loved one another.
Gator’s nonchalance about Creed’s being in love with Auralia was a burden relieved. He’d felt that his secrecy was a lie of omission that he would never have taken on except that he’d been raised to allow the lady to decide what was publicly said about her and the relationship she was in. His mamma would have taken him to task if he did anything that might sully any woman’s reputation.
His mamma, Creed shook his head, she was going to be thrilled.
Rich. He was the richest of men. He just wished to hell that Auralia would call in and tell him she was okay.
And as if he’d sent out an etheric signal, his phone buzzed with a call from Auralia’s phone.
