Resilience by Bailey Bradford Read Free Book Online Page B

Gabe were murmuring in low voices. Todd couldn’t make out the words, but the tones had an urgency to them that made him think the wolf was really bad off, and once or twice, he thought he detected anger in each of the other men’s voices. Todd itched to go back and listen, maybe see if he could redeem himself somehow to Adam. Just when he thought he was going to give in to the impulse, his radio squawked, startling him so badly he almost yelped. He listened to Kaufman barking out orders, then he turned and ran over to Adam and Gabe, his concerns now on them and the wolf rather than his messy personal
    problems.
    “Y’all need to hurry it up. Kaufman radioed to see what the holdup was here, and he
    sounded suspicious. I wouldn’t put it past the fucker to come screaming down the drive any minute.” Todd nodded towards the wolf. “Think he’s going to be okay, Adam?”
    Adam didn’t answer him, and Todd hoped that was because Adam was so focused on
    the wolf, but he was afraid that wasn’t the case. He allowed himself one long, yearning look, then he jerked his gaze back towards the road as Gabe and Adam began to pick the wolf up.
    Todd ran over and opened the rear passenger door for them. He stepped back, wishing
    there was more he could do to help. He thought he heard the familiar roar of the cruiser Kaufman drove, and panic nipped at his spine.
    “Let’s go!” he barked in a sharper tone than he’d intended, but fear for Gabe, Adam and the wolf’s safety began to pound in his veins. He shut the truck door and seconds later Gabe took off, with Adam following right behind him.
    None too soon, either, because Kaufman turned onto the road to Mrs Shumaker’s
    shortly thereafter. He pulled into her drive and slammed on the brakes, and Todd braced himself for an ass chewing.
    Kaufman got out, his beady eyes narrowed until Todd didn’t know how he could
    possibly see anything other than the back of his eyelids. Todd forced himself not to tense, to keep his posture as casual as he could instead of cowering like he wanted to.
    “Sheriff—” he began but Kaufman slashed a hand through the air and Todd snapped his mouth shut.
    “Where’s the fuckin’ wolf, Todd?”
    Despite his best effort not to, Todd gulped. He tried to cover it with a cough as he chided himself. Why should he let this jerk terrorize and intimidate him? Kaufman was about as low on the human DNA chain as a person could get. He was a bully, and yeah, Todd had been bullied a lot, but he didn’t have to keep taking it, did he?
    Kaufman moved another step closer and stabbed a finger against Todd’s chest with each word he spoke. “Where. Is. The. God. Damn. Wolf.”
    Todd knew he was going to have bruises from each jab. He tried to put on his best, lazy grin as he shrugged. “It’s gone—”
    “Shut up! I don’t want to hear whatever bullshit you’re fixing to say.” Kaufman sneered as he backed off. “It’s gone, my ass. Like it just up and disappeared, boy?” He didn’t give Todd the chance to offer any kind of explanation. “Get. I’m just gonna go have a chat with Mrs Schumaker, see what she has to say about all this.”
    If he was lucky, at all, maybe Mrs Schumaker hadn’t seen Adam and Gabe when they’d been there. She hadn’t come outside or anything, so there was a chance she wouldn’t have anything to tell Kaufman.
    But he seldom had that kind of luck, and his stomach twisted with worry as he nodded.
    It was too late to offer up the truth now, and he wouldn’t narc on his friends even if he could.
    Whatever shit storm he’d landed himself in, he’d have to deal with. Todd got in his cruiser and left.

Chapter Eight
    Getting woken up via a phone call from a panicked Gabe made Todd’s head want to just explode. How the heck had Gabe lost the wolf? What did he want Todd to do about it?
    He’d got reamed by Kaufman yesterday for calling Adam about the wolf, and now that wolf had run off. Of course mean Mrs Shumaker had