Page 52 of Desperate Creed

Brodie picked up the stuffed dog and turned her over. Carefully, she pulled open the Velcro sealed tummy. Gently she plucked out all five little puppies. Kitten rubbed against her legs, anxious to see, and she bent down to show the cat. When she stood up again, her eyes found Olivia’s.

“You kept all these things?”

“Of course. There’s lots more, but I brought some of your favorites.”

Brodie touched the spines of the Harry Potter books, remembering how she and Ryder had read these out loud to each other. But she didn’t remember there being so many volumes.

As if reading her mind, her mother said, “I kept buying the new ones every time they came out. Ryder didn’t want to read them without you, but I guess I thought...or hoped...”

“I can’t believe you kept all these things.”

“They were pieces of your life. I simply couldn’t bear to part with anything that reminded me of you.”

This time when Brodie looked at her mother she saw the tears in her eyes. All those years that Iris Malone had lied to her, Brodie had never once considered the pain and loss her mother had suffered. Instead, she had spent sleepless nights, painful weeks wondering why her parents didn’t come for her. They’d speak to Iris on the phone, but they never asked to speak to Brodie. She was so devastated, so lost, so hurt, so convinced that they had abandoned her.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, eyes down and staring at Kitten, her fingers still clutching the toy dog. She didn’t know what else to say.

“You have absolutely nothing to be sorry about.”

Brodie glanced up to see her mother wipe her eyes with a careful, almost stiff composure that seemed contradictory to the emotion she had just displayed. And Brodie couldn’t help thinking that she was glad her mother didn’t attempt to hug her. Not just yet.

37

South of Montgomery, Alabama

Creed and Jason loaded all their gear into Creed’s Jeep and set up Scout’s crate alongside Grace’s. Despite Scout being three times bigger than Grace, he knew she was the boss of him. He wagged and humbled himself to her as he climbed up into the back. Scout hesitated a couple of times like he was waiting for her permission.

“Why are you taking me with you?” Jason asked.

“What? You don’t want to go?”

“Won’t you two... you know, want to be alone or something?”

“We’re having coffee before she heads back to Atlanta. What were you thinking this was? A booty-call?”

Creed glanced at the kid. Jason’s head turned to look out the window, but he could see his grin in the reflection of the glass.

“So this friend of Hannah’s, is she pretty hot?”

“She’s too old for you.”

“Isn’t Maggie older than you?”

Creed shot him a look, and Jason put up his hands in surrender. “Hey, I’m just making conversation.”

“Anybody ever tell you that you stink at it?”

“Actually, all the time.”

It had rained overnight. Just enough to make the streets wet and the air heavy with moisture. It was sweltering. Loading up the gear had left Creed sweaty, his T-shirt sticking to his back before he could blast the A/C. Clouds were rolling in. Ominous and bulging gray, they hung so low they looked like they could snag on the treetops.

Jason fiddled with the radio while Creed took the ramp to the interstate.

“We’re already in a tornado warning,” Jason said. He found a station reporting the weather and left it there.

“Sheriff Krenshaw said it would be like this all weekend.”

“We’ve both been to Afghanistan. How bad can it be?”