Epilogue
Three weeks later…
Nora taped up the final box and thought of this home that she’d made for herself, this refuge from her past trauma, and how grateful she was that she didn’t need it anymore.
She pulled out a black Sharpie and labelled the top “kitchen stuff.” It contained mainly kitchen items she was fond of—her cast-iron Dutch oven, her favorite coffee pot, her grandmother’s silver spoons.
She’d cleaned the oven and the wood stove, swept the floor.
They had a couple of suitcases to fly back with tomorrow, but the rest of her belongings were being put on a truck and hauled cross country to start their new life in Virginia.
She blew out a huge breath. The past few weeks had been a mixture of amazing—Sebastian—and nauseating—telling her parents how she’d really survived her childhood ordeal and, at the same time, trying to cope with the continued media speculation about her decades-old abduction.
But she’d made it through to the other side and was forever grateful to Sebastian and his friends, even his bosses, who’d created a safe space for her to regroup and for the two of them to spend time together.
The press had been relentless, and she’d finally given in and spoken to a streaming company that wanted to make a limited series based on her story and had offered her a lot of money to tell her version of events.
Even though her family were against it, she’d decided to do it.
It wasn’t the money, although that, together with Sebastian’s savings and the money from the sale of this property, would allow them to buy a house with some land attached that they’d spotted not far from Quantico.
But mainly it was because this allowed her to control the narrative.
She’d also asked Pip West, Hunt Kincaid’s fiancée, who was a former investigative journalist and who now wrote romance novels, if she’d help her write her memoir.
It wasn’t that she thought anyone would necessarily read it, but she felt this desperate need to get it all out, to lance the wound.
Talking about her trauma with Sebastian and his teammates had been cathartic and had definitely helped with her healing. Even though she hadn’t written anything yet, word had somehow leaked and offers with seven figure advances attached had begun to pour in.
It was daunting, everything had moved so fast.
But this thing with Sebastian felt solid and secure and grounded her in a way nothing ever had before.
They’d come back to Montana three days ago, when Sebastian had finally been able to take some time off from saving the world. Susan had been taking care of her place in the meantime.
Nora had attended a meeting with her former NPS supervisor yesterday morning, where he’d groveled and offered the sincerest of apologies on behalf of the agency.
She’d accepted his apology, but there was no way she’d ever trust the man again or forgive him.
When NPS had offered her a job in Virginia or anywhere else she wanted, she’d refused.
The wildlife component of the work was still satisfying, but she’d lost patience when dealing with the public—especially now that her identity had been exposed.
She’d found a SAR K9 community in Virginia and had done a couple of field tests with them to see how Chance adapted to the milder climate.
So far, there had been no complaints from her easygoing BFF.
And she was considering HRT’s request to assist them with their K9 program after her and Chance’s success in the field. She wasn’t sure how that was going to play out, but any excuse to be on base and closer to the man she’d fallen headlong in love with was something worth exploring.
Last night, she’d had a small, private goodbye party with her friends in the back room of her favorite bar.
She’d introduced Sebastian to those who hadn’t already met him.
Max had turned up with a gorgeous woman on his arm, dark skin and magnificent hair like a halo around her incredible face.
He’d looked smug, as if he’d traded up, and as far as Nora could see, he absolutely had.
She hoped he appreciated his new girlfriend the way she deserved.
They’d left early, after only two margaritas for her, and a few non-alcoholic beers for Sebastian. Technically, he was never really off duty.
She’d spent her last night here, with him, listening to the wind whistle through the trees while Sebastian made love to her for hours and then held her in his arms until she’d finally fallen asleep.
She wasn’t sure how she would have survived this maelstrom without him at her side. She still couldn’t believe he and his teammates had smuggled her out of Montana, but neither Novak nor the others had looked surprised to discover she was in Quantico all of a sudden.
Sebastian burst inside the cabin, breathing hard, Chance on his heels. The two of them had been out for the past forty minutes on a run.
“We survived. No bears. No mountain lions.”
Her heart fluttered like some wayward butterfly, the same way it did every time he directed that intense gaze her way. “Glad to hear it.”
He wiped the sweat from his gleaming brow. “You okay?”
She nodded.
He knew it was a lot for her to deal with. His own life had been upended, too, but he never complained.
“Novak called, which is why we’re back earlier than expected. He tracked down Trapper to a shelter as of yesterday.”
“Seriously?” She snatched her keys off the counter. “Which shelter?”
“Do I have time to change?”
“Which shelter?”
“Hamilton Animal Rescue.”
Nora stood on tiptoe and kissed him on the lips. “It’s a kill shelter about fifteen miles west so, no, you don’t have time to shower.”
“Good thing you like me sweaty then.” He grabbed his sweatshirt and followed her outside into the cool spring day, leaving Chance inside the cabin so they didn’t need to worry about him.
She decided to let Sebastian drive, partly because he drove faster than she did, partly because no police officer was going to give an HRT operator who was on an official mission a ticket. Plus, this way she could call the shelter on the way.
He eyed her as he slid behind the wheel. Then started driving while she gave him directions.
She kept trying the shelter, but no one answered.
Somehow the little dog had gotten away from the operators at the ranch, and no one had noticed he’d run off until the debrief.
Ryan’s family had checked everywhere but no luck.
Since then, Novak had had an analyst searching for listings, while Nora had called as many organizations as she could find.
She started to bite her nails. Sebastian took one hand off the wheel and took her fingers in his, kissing the tips.
“Try not to worry.”
“I should have been paying more attention.”
“Nora, you cannot beat yourself up about this any more than the rest of us. The FBI dropped the ball. We’ll find him.”
Nora felt the knot growing in her throat. What if they didn’t? What if they were too late?
That scared little dog had been through so much.
They arrived at the shelter with a screech of tires, and both jumped out of the car and ran up the steps. The door was locked.
She started banging on the door while Sebastian went and checked every window, working his way around the back of the building.
A police cruiser pulled into the parking lot. Nora felt her pulse pound.
She tried the number for the shelter again and heard the phone ring in the office. Clearly, there wasn’t anyone in.
Tears pricked her eyes.
The patrolman got out of his car and put his hands on his equipment belt. “What seems to be the trouble, ma’am?”
“The FBI discovered that this shelter has a dog that is part of a criminal investigation.”
Amusement touched his eyes. “The FBI you say?”
“That’s right.” Her mood sank. He obviously didn’t believe her.
A little red sedan pulled into the parking lot and a large, pretty woman climbed slowly out of her vehicle.
“What’s going on here, Officer Morgan? Trouble?”
Sebastian came out from the back of the building, badge in hand, which was just as well, as the officer shifted his stance for better access to his weapon.
“That FBI.” Nora nodded at Sebastian.
The police officer relaxed after seeing the badge, thank God.
“Oh, you’re that woman who helped that poor child in the wilderness last month.”
Nora grimaced at being recognized but nodded. Maybe it would give her some credibility. “Along with this FBI operator.”
“Howdy,” Sebastian shook the officer’s hand and the woman’s.
“The thing is that a small dog got loose during that mission, and we’ve been trying to locate him ever since. FBI tracked him down here as of yesterday.”
The woman made her way slowly up the steps, concern stretching her features.
“Is he still here?” Nora asked quickly, needing to know.
“I’m not sure. Come on inside.” The woman urged all three of them to follow her. “We have such limited space that we sometimes do euthanize dogs we don’t think will find a home. A shelter is no life for these creatures.”
Dizziness hit. Trapper wasn’t pretty, and he wasn’t young, but he had been a loyal companion to his owner. She understood the constraints on these charities, but the thought of healthy animals being killed broke her heart. “Can I check the back, please?”
Sebastian turned to face her, worry in his eyes.
The woman opened a door and nodded. “Go ahead.”
Nora stepped through the door, and immediately the dogs in cages began to bark. The noise was a cacophony that split her heart in two. She hated to see these animals like this and knew there were too many strays in the world. She looked in each kennel, one after another, but no sign of Trapper.
Her mouth felt dry, and her hands shook. It might have been easier never to have known the truth than to discover they were a few hours too late to save him.
Finally, she reached the end of the row, and there was no sign of the brown mutt.
She shared a bleak look with Sebastian, and his dark eyes were full of compassion because he knew she was going to lose it.
She’d promised Summer’s grandmother she’d do everything she could to get the dog back for the child, who was desperate for some connection to her old life.
Now she was going to have to tell her she’d failed.
She passed an empty kennel and almost missed the sad flicker of a tail hidden within a nest of blankets.
She paused, stepped back, crouched down. “Trapper?”
Two little beady eyes popped up over the blankets, and his expression looked angry and forlorn.
She turned to Sebastian. “It’s him. He’s alive.”
She didn’t miss the red tag on the door that said he was on death row. She opened the door and scooted inside. Picked up the poor shaking creature and carried him out cuddled in her arms.
Tears ran down her face as she walked back to the office, doing her utmost not to see the other dogs who all needed a home.
One thing at a time. Maybe she and Sebastian could adopt more once they had more space. Maybe she could find trainable service dogs in shelters. She knew others did this successfully.
Sebastian dealt with the paperwork while she held on tight to this dog. They needed to get him a collar and leash, but that wasn’t up to her.
It didn’t take long until they were back in the truck and Sebastian was holding her hand as she wept softly into the dog’s fur.
“We were almost too late.”
“But we weren’t, Nora. We found him. We got him back.”
She sniffed and nodded. “I know. We did. Thank you.”
They drove out to the Sullivan ranch. Summer and her grandmother had moved into one of the cottages there while Summer’s parents’ estates went through probate. The grandmother didn’t want to take Summer away from her friends when she’d already lost so much.
They parked, and Ryan’s brother and a beautiful brunette came outside onto the porch to see who’d arrived.
Nora waved. The Sullivans knew they’d been looking for Summer’s father’s dog.
Sebastian knocked on the door of the small cottage, and a short gray-haired lady with tight curls opened it. Her eyes went wide, and she looked over her shoulder. “Come in.”
Nora stepped inside, and it took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the light. Summer sat at a table drawing a picture of a small brown dog. She looked up and squealed with excitement.
“Trapper!” She jumped to her feet and ran to Nora.
Nora carefully unloaded the pup into Summer’s arms, and the dog frantically licked the girl’s face.
Nora pursed her lips and held back her own tears. “Better keep him on a leash until he gets settled and knows where he is.”
“I will. Thank you!” Summer nodded, her braid swinging. The girl looked better than the last time they’d seen her, but there was still a lingering sadness stamped on her features.
“We’re going to go talk to the Sullivans and head back, as Chance is alone at the cabin. It was good to see you again, Summer.”
She nodded to the grandmother, and they slipped quietly out of the cottage.
She went up on tiptoes and kissed this man again, this man who understood her craziness and loved her anyway. “You might be the best thing that has ever happened to me, Sebastian Black.”
He cocked a brow. “Better than your dog?”
“Hmm. Can we call it even?”
He swung her up into his arms and let her down slowly, kissing her like she was the only thing in this world that mattered. “Yeah, well, at least I get to kiss you on the mouth.”
She laughed and pulled him in for another smacker. “Any time, Sebastian. Any time.”
Thank you for reading Cold Rage.