Her Vigilant Seal by Caitlyn O'Leary Read Free Book Online Page B

had come. He knew Sophia had a backbone when protecting others but he’d worried she would never stand up for herself. Apparently his prayers had been heard.
    “Are you calling me overbearing, little girl?” Drake drawled.
    “I’ve been calling you many things in my head, Drake, overbearing is probably the only one that is fit for public consumption.” Both men laughed.
    “But seriously, this is not safe, you can’t be out there. You’re lucky you’re alive.” Drake seemed to be on the fence, his expression half dictatorial, and half wheedling.
    “Drake, my brother is only twelve years old. He’s been out there for five nights. The police haven’t found him, what other choice did I have?” Her green eyes filled with tears. Drake looked at Mason, clearly at a loss.
    “We’ll find him for you, honey.” Mason stepped in.
    “Don’t you have to be at work?” she asked pulling at her hair.
    “We go in for training tomorrow morning, but we just got done with an operation so right now we’re not active. We have time to help.” Hell, Mason would just ask for leave until Billy was found, there wasn’t a chance in hell he would risk Sophia’s life letting her search for her brother alone again.
    When they got inside the mission, Sophia made her way over to the desk at the back. There was an older man sitting at it who immediately got up to greet them.
    “Sophia, I’m glad you warned me about your injuries over the phone or I would have had a heart attack. I told you to stop coming to this neighborhood at night,” he chided her. He took her left hand into both of his and held it.
    “Reverend, I have to find Billy,” she said as she leaned into the old man.
    “Well you’re in luck, I told him I would call you and you would be here for dinner. He promised to be back.”
    “I don’t understand, if he wasn’t avoiding you to begin with, why didn’t he just call you?” Drake asked.
    The preacher and Sophia looked at one another. Sophia finally looked at the two men. “Billy knows I can’t keep him right now, so he keeps running away to find our father. Dad lives down here in San Diego, that’s how he ended up in San Diego Foster Care instead of Orange County.”
    “Where is your father?” Drake demanded.
    “An old neighbor of ours said he thought he saw dad in Mission Hills. Billy’s foster parents are in Rancho San Diego. I’m amazed he makes it as far west as he does,” Sophia said, as the preacher put his arm carefully around her shoulders.
    “Why isn’t your father in the picture?” Drake wanted to know.
    “He took off when my mom got so sick. They weren’t happy for a long time and the cancer gave him an excuse to bail.”
    “What a fuckwad,” Drake said.
    “Please watch your language,” the Reverend admonished. “Sophia, introduce me to your two friends.”
    “Drake Avery and Mason Gault, please meet Reverend Langley.” She smiled fondly at the reverend and Mason.
    “Let’s get you a seat before you fall down, girl.”
    “I’m fine. What can I do to help before dinner?” The reverend looked at Mason and rolled his eyes, and Mason chuckled. Apparently he wasn’t the only one who ran into her stubbornness.
    “You can sit down and take care of yourself. You brought me two recruits who I will put to work, you’ve done enough.” And with that said, the reverend took him and Drake to the kitchen and put them to work with two little ladies making dinner for over a hundred people.
    “Hey buddy, I’m going to step out for a few. Can I have the keys to your truck?” Mason knew exactly what Drake was up to and threw him the keys. He kept peeling carrots and talking to Mrs. Wilson.
    An hour later Drake was back with his arms full of groceries. “Is there more in the bed of the truck?” Mason asked.
    “Yep,” Drake said sheepishly.
    “Oh, this is wonderful,” Mrs. Wilson and Mrs. Cavendish said as they started unpacking the bags.
    Mason stopped on his way to the truck when