Once Forbidden by Savannah Kade

Author:Savannah Kade
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Griffyn Ink

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

It was midnight and she couldn't sleep. She hadn’t even tried.

Su put Felony to bed as if things were normal, then returned to the training grounds just as a rallying cheer had gone up. It was just past ten and the hiker had been located. Lost, dehydrated, and disoriented, the woman had at least been conscious and not majorly injured. As best they could tell she'd been walking in circles—large circles—for well over a day.

It was Keyoor Singh and his dog Deva who found her. While the park ranger cheered, and they all heard the shouts over the radio from the people searching down the river, the Sanctuary people had celebrated in a more subdued manner.

More had shown up as the day wore on. She could see Devin in the lights around the tent, Luisa at his side. They had checked in with Su earlier. Luisa had hugged her, and Su had accepted it. Now the two waited on a bench, signing softly between themselves. Lynzee, Ash and Brandy had gathered in the courtyard, giving their regards to Su first, then stepping aside. Still, none of them left, as if they were all keeping vigil for her.

The park ranger managed more enthusiasm than they did because his job had been finding the hiker. But Ian and Jackson were still missing, and it was well past dark.

Surely Ian would have found some way to check in somewhere along the line if he could. The fact that he hadn't made every passing minute even more concerning. And, while he was absolutely part of the Pacific Search and Rescue there was clearly a feeling here that he was one of their own. Su could see it in everyone’s faces.

One by one, the Search and Rescue trainees turned up at the tent. They could have tapped out, said they’d already found one missing person. They could have taken off the dogs’ vests and rested, and some of them did—but none for more than thirty minutes.

Su paid attention. Sometimes the humans changed clothes. They let the dogs rest, they ate—often taking multiple sandwiches from the pile that Roz kept replenishing. They put out food for the dogs. Roz had even provided extra high energy supplements designed to keep the dogs going for what was becoming a much longer search.

How long it would be, no one knew.

Then one by one, they got their new assignments—the park ranger staying and running point on the new search—and they headed back out to find Ian. Ian had said a lot of them came to search as a hobby, but Su realized now he only meant they didn’t need the income. Their dedication could not be questioned.

The ranger stayed, as none of the Sanctuary people knew how to run a team like this. She was so not used to feeling helpless. It had been a long time since she hadn’t been able to do anything. It threw her into her past and she almost didn’t fight it.

It was hard to deal with.

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