Chapter 31
Thirty-One
When in doubt, look intelligent.
—Odin to Black
Odin
Life was weird.
On one hand, I was fucking happy.
Ecstatic, even.
On the other, I was so damn busy that I couldn’t see straight.
I’d taken over Pendelton’s practice.
In doing so, I’d also taken over all of his past appointments.
And it was a nut house.
But that wouldn’t last forever.
Eventually we’d catch up, and I’d have some time to myself again.
Time to spend with Wendy and Coco.
For the first time in a month, I was getting out at a normal time.
Which was fucking great because the school called me just as I was leaving the office.
I answered with a distracted, “Yeah?”
“Odin, it’s Patty at the front office. You’re on the list to pick Wendy up. Her mom hasn’t made it to the school yet.”
I looked at my watch.
Half past three.
“I’ll be there in two minutes,” I said as I jogged to my truck.
Worry coursed through me as I called Constance and got no response.
I called several more times before I arrived at Wendy’s school.
She skipped toward me, elated.
“You made it!” she cried.
I winked. “Of course I did. Sorry I’m late.”
“Mama wasn’t supposed to come?”
I didn’t take any pleasure in lying to her, but I didn’t want her to worry.
“Me, I’m sorry.” I winced.
She nodded. “Where’s Peanut?”
Worry knotted my gut as I spoke with Wendy on the way home.
When we got to the gate, I drove straight up to Israel and Janet’s house and parked.
Israel was on the porch when we arrived.
“Grandpa!”
“Hello, my girl.” He hugged her tight. “Want to come see a baby skunk with me?”
Wendy’s eyes widened.
Janet came out onto the porch, and I jerked my head toward her.
She frowned as she headed toward me. “What’s wrong?”
“Where’s Constance?”
Her eyes clouded with worry. “She’s not…she went hiking today. She didn’t make it, did she?”
“No,” I replied. “She didn’t.”
My phone rang, and I yanked it out of my pocket and put it to my ear before I got a chance to read the readout.
“Constance?”
“No,” Black grumbled. “Not Constance. Psycho got let out on bail.”
“What?” I barked.
“Not joking,” he said. “The mom bailed him out today.”
My stomach clenched.
Mrs. Pendelton had come to clean her husband’s office out today, and I’d stood back the entire time as she cried her eyes out.
I gave her a hug before she left, which fuckin’ sucked because I hated giving hugs to anyone that wasn’t Wendy or Constance, and she said…
“She said something cryptic as she left,” I admitted. “She cleaned out Pendelton’s office today. As she was leaving, she kept muttering to herself about taking care of it.”
“Fuckin’ great,” he said. “Perfect. Dandy.”
I didn’t bother to say anything more about the subject.
“I have to go. Constance went on a hike today and hasn’t come back yet.”
Black hissed out a breath. “Do you need the SAR—search and rescue—team?”
“Yes.” I answered.
I gave Janet a nod and headed to the truck where I went to the house to change my shoes.
The only thing I had going for me was that Peanut wasn’t at the house when I got there.
At least she had some sort of protection.
I got my rifle, my boots, and my SAT phone before looking up Constance’s location and heading out.
She was over an hour away, which made me sick to my stomach to think about.
If she needed help…
I made the usual hour drive in forty.
When I pulled into the trailhead, her car was there, but she was nowhere in sight.
Grabbing my rifle, coat, and phone, I sprinted up the trailhead, praying that she was okay.
It was about a half a mile down the trailhead that the baying of a dog—my dog—started.
I pushed myself faster, knowing in my gut that Constance was in trouble.
I rounded the bend of the switchback as I finally got close enough to see what was going on.
Eustace was standing over my girl with a gun.
She was on the ground, cradling her hand to her chest and crying uncontrollably.
Eustace had that gun in his hands, and he was trembling.
Then, as if Possum and Peanut were waiting for me to arrive, they both acted at once.
Possum swooped down and sank his claws into Eustace. Peanut lurched forward and bit.
And I sprinted toward the kid and Spartan-kicked him right off the cliff ledge.
It took three seconds max.
A deafening crash and a feminine scream sounded.
Constance flipped over onto her belly and yelled, “Mrs. Pendelton!”
I went down to my knees as well, and with adrenaline fueling my body, all but yanked Mrs. Pendelton off the tree branch she was using to cling to the side of the mountain and hauled her back up.
She hit the ground with a thump beside me, then I was turning Constance over and cupping her face with my hands. “Are you okay?”
Tears still trickled out of her eyes. “I’m fine.”
I reached for her hand.
She flinched when I touched it.
“I think it might be broken,” she admitted. “Eustace stomped on it.”
I cursed. “I wish I could kick him all over again.”
Peanut landed on top of the both of us, peppering us both with slobbery kisses.
Possum landed on the ground next to Mrs. Pendelton, causing her to cry out in surprise.
I held out my hand, and Possum hopped on like he’d been doing it forever.
I hauled Constance off the ground, handed her the bird, and then reached for my SAT phone.
“Help!” Eustace cried.
I winced. “Too bad he’s not dead. Could’ve saved the taxpayers of Jesper County some money.”
Sadly, SAR was called out.
I had to save the man that had just an hour ago been pointing his gun at my future wife.
The good thing was, his spine was broken.
The bad thing was, he’d live to see another day.
Thankfully in a wheelchair.