Conrad foundmost of the Team in the surgery waiting area.
“How is she?” Megs sat with Gizmo on a leash beside her, his two front paws in protective bandages.
“She’s sore and in some pain, but they say she’s going to be okay.” He knelt down. “How’s the bravest dog ever?”
Gizmo wagged his tail and slathered Conrad’s face with kisses.
“Are you going to tell us what happened up there?” Sasha had Gabby, who whined and pranced, tail wagging.
Conrad scooped the puppy up, held her. “I’ve missed you so much.”
He sat, Gabby on his lap, Gizmo at his feet, and shared what Kenzie had told him about her ordeal, the horror of it hitting him hard.
He had come so damned close to losing her.
“She threw herself at the bastard to stop him from killing Gizmo. He fell backward over the edge. The round hit her in the thigh.”
When Conrad reached the part where Kenzie realized she was lapsing into unconsciousness, he had to stop, his throat too tight to continue.
He swallowed, drew a breath. “Gizmo stayed with her, right beside her, until he heard us. He barked. I heard him and called for him. He led us to her.”
He didn’t have to tell them about the rescue. The entire Team had stood together in the Ops Room, listening.
Sasha wiped tears from her face then knelt down and hugged Gizmo. “You’re just about the best dog ever. Yes, you, too, Gabby.”
Then everyone had to pet Gizmo and praise him, which didn’t bother him at all. He soaked up the attention—and deserved all of it.
“That was some epic climbing, seriously risky shit,” Herrera said. “It had to be hairy crossing that ridge. I’ve been up there and seen it.”
Moretti shook his head. “I’ve never experienced wind like that.”
Hawke grinned. “How are the family jewels?”
“Fine.” Moretti cleared his throat. “We had to straddle the rock.”
A chorus of “Ohs” went up as understanding dawned.
This was followed by snorts and guffaws.
“I wonder what happened to the other guy—the partner who took off with the money.” Ahearn stood, went to pour himself another cup of coffee. “He wouldn’t just leave it there.”
“No way,” Moretti agreed. “I’ve never seen so much cash.”
“I’m so glad you all made it back safely.” Nicole sat on the floor next to Conrad and petted Gizmo. “I can’t imagine how scary that must have been for Kenzie to be up there alone with that son of a bitch.”
Belcourt, who’d sat quietly off to one side with Naomi and Winona, finally spoke. “She was never alone. We were with her the entire time.”
“Mr. Conrad?”
Conrad looked over his shoulder to see Wendy from the newspaper standing there with a camera and notepad.
Ah, hell.
“I was just sitting over there and heard what you shared with everyone. Can I ask you a few questions? About the rescue, I mean. I thought SWAT called it off.”
“They did, so the Team took over.” Megs stood. “I’d be happy to answer your questions. Is there somewhere we can go where we won’t disturb everyone?”
Conrad knew that Megs had already spent hours this morning being debriefed by the sheriff and SWAT. They had chewed her out for interfering with a law enforcement operation. To hear her tell it, she had laughed in their faces.
