wondering if he was a strictly by-the-book kind of guy or if he colored outside the lines now and then. “She really is our little pixie. With so many adults there, I just don’t understand how Lola could have slipped away.”
“It’s actually easier than you think.” Morrison frowned. “Adults are busy talking to each other, preparing food, or cleaning up. You think someone else is watching her, they think you’re watching her, and before you know it…”
Poof. Lola was gone.
Ahab let out a sharp bark. He pulled harder on the lead.
“What does that kind of bark mean?” My heart was pounding so hard, I was sure I was about to have a massive heart attack.
“It usually means he’s found something.” Morrison was obviously trying to couch his words.
“Something? Or Lola?” Christ, was the dog out here chasing a chipmunk or tracking my niece?
“Ahab gets excited to find the source of the scent. He responds the same way if he finds his target alive or…” Morrison trailed off.
“Or dead? Jesus Christ, are you saying the dog could be hightailing it to Lola’s body?” I gagged, feeling my lunch lift off from my stomach. I hit my knees in the leaf litter and breathed through my nose. The smell of rotting leaves and mushrooms wasn’t helping my body, which was practically in full revolt.
“Breathe, Hennessey,” Morrison’s voice was soft. His hand gripped my right shoulder. “It’s going to be all right.”
“How the fuck do you know it’s going to be all right?” I shouted. At least I wasn’t in danger of puking my guts out if I was yelling at Morrison.
Morrison snorted and started to laugh.
“Bad word!” a very familiar little voice shouted from behind me.
“Lola?” I barely recognized my voice. It sounded ragged as if I were about to cry.
“Hi, Uncle Hen!” Lola giggled. She was standing across a small stream with a stick in her hand.
I tried to stand and couldn’t make it back to my feet.
“Who’s the doggy?” Lola chirped as if this was just another normal day in her life.
“Hi, Lola. My name is Morrison and this is Ahab. I’m a friend of your Uncle Kennedy. Everyone was worried when we couldn’t find you, so he asked Uncle Hennessey and me to come look for you.”
“It’s my birthday!” Lola screeched. “I’m free!” She held up three fingers. “Is the doggie my present?”
I watched as Lola dropped the stick and hopped across three rocks to our side of the creek bank. I finally staggered back to my feet.
“No, honey. Ahab is a working dog. He was the one who found you.” Morrison took a rough breath. “Everyone is so worried about you being lost.”
The look on Lola’s face went from excited to confused. It was as if the little pixie hadn’t realized she was lost. Lola ran a hand down Ahab’s back. The dog was as tall as she was. “Thank you, Ahab.”
“Are you ready to go back to your party and have some cake?” My voice still shook. If I lived to be one hundred, I would never get over this scare.
Lola nodded and ran toward me, throwing herself into my arms. I wondered if she could feel my heart hammering in my chest. I wanted to yell at her and tell her never to run away like that again. I wanted to tell her I’d never been so scared in my entire life, not even when I faced down drug smugglers in Miami. But I kept my mouth shut and hugged Lola until my arms ached and she started to squirm.
“Cake?” Lola giggled.
Her laughter was the best sound I’d ever heard in my life. “Cake, Princess Lola.”
“Do you want cake, Ahab?” Lola peered over my shoulder at the dog sitting calmly at Morrison’s feet.
“Cake isn’t the best reward for dogs, but I have some treats you can give him. Can I have his cake?” Morrison laughed.
“Yup!” Lola agreed before snuggling against my neck.
“Thank you,” I mouthed to Morrison. He nodded in return.
When we got back to the house, I owed Morrison and Ahab so much more than a half-assed thank you. He’d given the McCoy family back an irreplaceable member. Even if Lola had no idea she’d been lost.
4
Morrison
On the way back to the McCoy house, I texted Nate to let him know I wouldn’t be joining him at Mike’s. He reminded me that Kennedy Lynch had four handsome brothers, and that I should use my time in the hero spotlight to land one of them for