Page 64 of Midnight Creed

Maggie wondered what “way back” was for a couple of twenty-something-year-olds. The only important thing to Maggie was that Alonzo trusted this young woman, and Maggie trusted Alonzo. Which in Maggie’s world was a big deal.

“I brought everything Antonio asked for,” Warren said, gesturing to the duffle bag in her hand. “Do you have any other baggage?”

“No. Just my carry-on.” It was looped around her neck and shoulder and slung to hang high over her back. She realized now how pathetically light it felt as they started walking through the crowded baggage claim area.

“I have your rental waiting out in the parking lot,” Warren told her. “They only had small SUVs available. I hope that’ll be suitable?”

“Black?”

“Yes.”

“That’ll work fine.”

“I have the electronic receiver already set up inside your vehicle.” She tapped the duffle bag and said, “The actual device is in the inside pocket. It’s about the size of a credit card. A little thicker. The magnet is strong, so it’s best you keep it away from your real credit cards. It’s fairly simple to activate. There’s an ON switch. Green light flashes. Inside a tire well is still usually the best spot. Easy access and difficult for anyone to see.”

They were suddenly in front of the exit doors leading to the parking lots. Warren stopped. She handed over the duffle bag along with a key fob and the parking ticket that showed the garage floor and slot number for the rental.

“If you need anything else,” the agent told Maggie, “don’t hesitate to call me. You have my number.”

She liked Agent Warren but knew much of that was influenced by Alonzo’s trust in the woman. However, Maggie liked her even more when she slipped into the SUV and discovered a small cooler on the floorboard. Inside were three cans of Diet Pepsi and what looked to be two deli sandwiches.

As she dug into the duffle bag for the GPS tracker, she also found a blue Amtrak ball cap, a fluorescent vest, bottles of water, and several protein bars. Last was a small brown paper bag containing two cake doughnuts with chocolate frosting, each carefully wrapped in wax paper.

Agent Warren had done good. Maggie was impressed that Alonzo remembered all these details. Maybe giving up her lone wolf creds would be worth it. But that was a fleeting thought. Moments later, in the dim light of the parking facility, Maggie took a flashlight and crawled around checking the rented SUV’s interior, exterior, undercarriage and tire wells. She was about to put a tracking device on a suspect’s vehicle. How easy would it be for anyone to do the same to her, no matter how well intentioned?

Back inside with the doors locked and the engine running, she actually hit the A/C. Maybe she’d grown a little too accustomed to the snowy cold in D.C. and Virginia.

She shrugged out of her jacket, tied her hair back into a ponytail, and pulled on the blue ball cap. She had less than two hours to get to the Amtrak station. Gregory had paid for Priority Vehicle Offloading. His Mercedes would be one of the first to leave the train. Maggie needed to get to the car before he did.

42

Monday, December 4

Pensacola, Florida

By the time Creed and the rest of their crew were ready to caravan to the airport, they were all exhausted and running on pure adrenaline. It was after midnight when the call finally came. Thunderstorms in the distance lit up the sky and threatened to delay the flight again.

In his head, Creed couldn’t shake the mantra: Nothing good happens after midnight. As a dog handler, he hated night searches. Avoided them if possible. There were too many dangers lurking in the dark that could harm his dogs. As their guide and protector, it was his responsibility to watch out for those dangers while the dog concentrated on and worked a scent. They were partners, and even if the dog’s eyesight was better in the low light, it didn’t matter if the dog wasn’t paying attention to what hid in the shadows.

Of course, in Afghanistan, they didn’t have the option to not work at night. The night-vision goggles helped to some extent. But wearing them now still reminded Creed of crouched enemies, hiding and waiting until it was too late for handler and dog to retreat.

He needed to stop thinking about it.

Creed probably shouldn’t have been surprised that Brodie had noticed how much this affected him. Despite a few social skills being stunted by her years of captivity, her observation skills had been enhanced and fine-tuned. She saw things that others looked right by.

And yes, he’d spent too much time thinking about the dogs and Afghanistan. Without much prompting, he could see the streets and hear the noises from their viewpoint. There was a saying that emotion ran down the leash, meaning a handler needed to stay calm and confident. But for Creed, the opposite was also true. Emotion ran up the leash. If a dog was in distress, it was like an electrical current running directly to his body.

The person who had trained Creed told him it was one of the things that made him such a good K9 handler. Sometimes, Creed considered it not just a vulnerability, but almost a curse. This was one of those times.

As soon as Dr. Avelyn had told them about the abandoned dogs, memories started flooding back. Some of them were so vivid he could smell the dust of Afghanistan and feel its grit on his skin. His nerves felt on alert as if he’d stepped outside the wire and hadn’t made it back to safety.

It probably didn’t help matters that Hannah kept reminding him how his body was still healing. Not just from what happened in Nebraska less than two months ago, but also the incident last June in Blackwater River State Forest. His bruised back still ached—it was throbbing tonight—and he wondered if it would ever be normal again.

Then he reminded himself of the men who’d attacked Sully. He was pleased he had been able to take them down in the parking lot. Truthfully, it surprised him how easy it had been. Amateurs.

Was that only last night?

Dr. Avelyn led them to a designated area at the Pensacola Airport. There was little activity. Most commercial flights were already in for the night. She stopped her mobile unit along the side of the building. Creed idled behind her in the rented van. Jason sat alongside him. Both of them were quiet. Tired.