Chapter 11 - THE DOG RETURNS TO DUTY
Titan came home the next morning.
He wasn’t supposed to work.
He wasn’t even supposed to climb stairs.
His front leg was shaved.
His movement was stiff.
He had medication twice a day and Dr. Patel had given me a list of restrictions longer than my grocery list.
Then Emily disappeared.
And Titan changed.
I placed Emily’s pink glove in front of him.
He sniffed once.
Then looked at me.
His entire posture shifted.
Working mode.
“No.”
His ears lifted.
“You’re injured.”
Titan whined.
Rachel stood behind me.
“He knows.”
“I’m not taking him.”
“You’re going anyway.”
“Yes.”
“And you think leaving him here will stop him from trying?”
I looked at Titan.
He stared at the glove.
Then at me.
“Damn you.”
His tail moved.
We weren’t deploying officially.
Not technically.
Ortiz had found Colin’s SUV abandoned near the edge of Discovery Park.
Emily’s scarf was inside.
Search teams were mobilizing.
The terrain was huge.
Wooded trails.
Cliffs.
Beach access.
Old service roads.
Titan had tracked missing people before.
But Harris refused.
“Absolutely not. The dog was nearly killed forty-eight hours ago.”
“He can track.”
“He can barely walk.”
“He wants to work.”
“He’s a dog, Mercer.”
I looked directly at Harris.
“He found the snake before any of us.”
Harris said nothing.
“He saved Emily once.”
“Jack.”
“Let him try again.”
Harris looked at Titan.
Titan sat beside my leg.
Alert.
Waiting.
Finally Harris swore.
“Ten minutes.”
I clipped on Titan’s harness.
“Track.”
He lowered his nose.
Smelled Emily’s glove.
Then moved.
Slowly at first.
Through grass.
Across a maintenance road.
Into dense trees.
Search officers followed behind us.
Titan stopped twice to rest.
Each time I almost ended it.
Each time he stood again.
After nine minutes, his nose lifted.
He pulled toward a steep trail.
“Titan.”
He continued.
We reached an old abandoned military structure hidden among the trees.
One rusted door stood open.
Ortiz raised her weapon.
“Police!”
No answer.
Titan growled.
I unclipped his line.
“No heroics, buddy.”
He stared into the darkness.
Then barked.
Once.
From inside came a tiny voice.
“Titan?”
Emily.
I nearly collapsed from relief.
“Emily!”
“Officer Jack!”
We rushed inside.
She was tied to a chair in the back room.
Alive.
Unhurt.
I ran toward her.
Then Titan growled again.
Not at Emily.
Behind me.
Colin Carter stepped from the shadows with a pistol.
“Don’t move.”
I froze.
Ortiz raised her weapon.
Colin pressed his gun against Emily’s head.
“Drop it.”
Ortiz hesitated.
“Now!”
Her pistol hit the floor.
Colin looked at me.
“You too.”
I slowly removed mine.
Titan stood between us.
Colin smiled bitterly.
“There’s the famous dog.”
“Leave him out of this.”
“He ruined everything.”
“Funny. Your friend Vale said the same thing.”
Colin’s face tightened.
“Move away from him.”
I stepped sideways.
Titan didn’t.
Colin aimed at him.
“Call him off.”
“Titan. Heel.”
He didn’t move.
My heart stopped.
Not again.
Colin’s finger tightened.
May you like
And Titan suddenly lunged.
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