Protecting Peyton: The Gold Coast Retrievers, Book 4

by Muth, Becky

  She deleted the two missed calls and listened to the voicemail.

  Hey Peyton. Haven’t heard from you. Hope you’re okay. Listen, hon, they made me box up Owen’s personal things here at the college. You’re the only person they’ll release them to, or they’re going to toss them out. Can you please call me back when you get a chance and let me know if you want to come get them? Otherwise I’ll-

  Peyton closed the voicemail app and tapped the icon to make a new call. Within seconds, she was putting the phone to her ear, willing Carla to answer.

  “Hello?”

  “Carla, hi, it’s Peyton.”

  “Hey, hon. How are you?”

  “Oh, you know. I’ve been better.” Peyton rolled onto her back and Gilda nuzzled close, using her stomach for a pillow.

  “Yes, I imagine. Look, I’m sorry to bother you with this. You got my message?”

  “Mhm, most of it. When do you need me to come get it?”

  “Today.”

  “That soon?”

  “They have a new professor coming in at the end of the week.”

  A deep sigh wracked Peyton’s body. “Sure. How much stuff is it?”

  “I imagine it would fill up your car.”

  “Yeah, okay. I’ll be there within the hour.” As she ended the call, fresh tears welled against her sleep-encrusted eyelashes. She dropped the phone on the table and then stroked Gilda’s soft coat.

  “Will you be okay if I leave you here today, sweet girl? It sounds like there won’t be room for both of us and all of…” She had started to say Owen’s things but couldn’t bring herself to say her brother’s name aloud. Instead, she finished with, “Everything else.”

  Gilda nuzzled closer and licked Peyton’s hand. Although she knew her dog meant to comfort her, the gesture brought on a fresh round of sobbing.

  * * *

  Somehow Peyton managed to drag herself from her bed, shower, and get dressed. When she put Gilda in her crate, she promised to return as soon as possible. Leaving her house was difficult enough since her brother’s funeral. Leaving her dog behind was self-inflicted torture.

  Claiming an empty parking space near the entrance, Peyton took several deep breaths to calm her nerves. Despite her best attempts to hold back tears, by the time she reached the front door, rivulets ran down her cheeks.

  The door to Owen’s classroom stood open. Peyton peeked her head inside and saw Carla talking to two men. Boxes piled high on a cart between them.

  “Hey, hon.” Carla crossed the room to embrace Peyton in a hug. “You okay?”

  Peyton nodded. “I’m getting there. Is all this it?”

  “I’m afraid so, but don’t worry. These young men are here to help load things into your car. They were Owen’s students. Also, I have this for you. Hold on.” The woman disappeared into the office.

  “Professor McIntyre was the best. I learned tons from him,” the first student said.

  The second one added, “Yeah. It’s not going to be the same without him.”

  Peyton was mumbling her thanks when Carla returned with a basket filled with envelopes and dog toys and treats. She tilted her head to one side. “What’s this?”

  “Instead of flowers for the funeral, the students and staff took up a collection of gift cards for you and some goodies for Gilda. It’s to help you dedicate more time to search and rescue work.”

  The earlier rivulets returned and grew to the force of whitewater rapids with a fresh wave of tears. Peyton choked out, “I’m sorry. I just didn’t expect... I mean...”

  Carla set the basket down and pulled Peyton into a hug, letting her cry. When Peyton’s sobs settled into the occasional hiccup, she pulled away. “I’m sorry.”

  “Please, stop apologizing. You’re fine. I miss him, too.” Carla plucked two tissues from a box on the desk. She handed one to Peyton and dabbed the corners of her eyes with the other.

  “This is more than generous. Please pass my thanks to everyone. I’ll post on Reel Life later, too.” Peyton looked up from the basket in time to see one of the students shift his weight from one foot to the next. The other one rubbed the back of his neck with his palm.

  Peyton sniffled and forced a smile. “I’m sorry. We’re making you uncomfortable.”

  “Those boys will see worse emotional outbursts than this in their lifetimes.” Carla winked at the young men.

  “Yeah,” Peyton agreed. Especially if they lose a family member. She gulped the lump of emotion in her throat. “It’s a good thing I didn’t bring Gilda. I would have had to make two trips.”

  “Is Gilda your dog?” the taller of the students asked. “Professor McIntyre would always talk about her. Especially if one of us lost an assignment. He’d say, ‘Do I need to have my sister bring her search and rescue dog to help look for it?’”

  For the first time since the police told her about her brother’s accident, Peyton laughed without tears. “Okay, I should get home. Poor Gilda will think I’ve run off and joined the circus without her.”

  Carla and the young men escorted Peyton to her car and helped her pack it full of things from Owen’s office.

  “Will you be a teaching assistant for someone else now?” Peyton asked Carla when they finished.

  “No.” She leaned close to Peyton and her voice took on a conspiratorial tone. “I don’t like the other professors enough to work with them this much. I only did this for Owen.”

  “That’s really super generous of you.” Peyton felt emotion rising and gulped it down. “What will you do now?”

  “I’m only one class away from getting my degree in business. Maybe I’ll get a job doing something, somewhere. Maybe that bridal shop in town. You know the one. Hidden Gem? Maybe I could plan weddings.”

  “If I ever get married, I promise you can help plan my wedding.”

  Carla beamed. “You know, I have no daughters. I would love to help you plan your wedding.”

  Peyton rocked on the balls of her feet and wrapped her arms around herself.

  “Do you want me to drop by when I’m done here and help you unload it?” Carla asked.

  Peyton shook her head and stepped forward to give the other woman a quick hug. “Thank you, but no. I need to do alone.”

  “I understand. Call me if you need anything.”

  Peyton promised she would.

  * * *

  By the time she pulled the Mini into her driveway, Peyton felt emotionally wrung out. She grabbed the basket from the passenger seat before exiting the car and walking up the walkway leading to her front door. That’s weird. Usually Gilda’s going nuts inside her crate.

  Her cell phone screen lit up inside its charging dock, the ringtone alerting her to an incoming call. Tapping the icons to answer in speaker mode, she said, “Hello?”

  “Hi Peyton, this is Hawk. Erm, Firefighter Hawkins. I owe you an apology.”

  “What?” Peyton wracked her mind. The memory came to her all at once. This was the woman from the day she and Kurt went to that coffee shop with the big donut cake. “I mean, why would you owe me an apology?”

  “I used the Freedom of Information Act as an excuse to leak that footage of Kurt to the TV station. There’s no good reason. I was jealous and had no idea that your brother would be on the video, too. I’m really sorry.”

  Peyton listened in disbelief at the woman’s confession. “Yeah. I bet you are.” Oops? Was that out loud? Too bad, because I’m a little beyond caring.

  “I super am, and they put me on probation at the firehouse,” the woman whined.

  “Good. That's probably for the best.” Peyton ended the call before she said something inappropriate.

  Upon entering her home, the silence was deafening. Peyton deposited the basket on the table and then noticed that the sliding glass door in the dining room stood open by a couple of inches.

  Peyton ran into the living room and saw at once that Gilda’s crate door stood open. Dashing back to the dining room, Peyton started toward the slidi
ng door. As she darted around the table, she spied a note that she had missed before.

  Hovering over the note, she read aloud, “You want your dog? Come to this address. No cops.”

  She rushed to open the sliding glass door to check the backyard. This had to be a joke. Although she knew in her heart that her dog was gone, she looked under the deck and beneath the hedgerow where Gilda liked to roll in the dirt.

  Back in the dining room, she pulled her phone from her pocket. There was no way she was going to a strange address alone. It was only right that the person who failed to help her find Owen go with her. She didn’t care if he was on medical leave from his job as a police officer.

  Chapter Thirty

  Kurt scrambled for his phone and swiped his thumb across the screen to answer the call. “Hello?”

  “Kurt.” Any other time, Peyton’s voice would fill him with joy. Her tone set him more on edge than he already was.

  “Peyton, it’s good to hear from you. What’s up?”

  “You need to get over here right now.”

  Before Kurt could reply, she ended the call. Opening the texting app on his phone, he pulled up the last number he texted and used his thumb to tap out IT’S A GO.

  Kurt shoved the phone into the pocket of his jeans and grabbed his keys from the kitchen island. Your actions speak louder than your words. The fortune cookie message glared up at him.

  "I know. Trust me, I know," he muttered before stepping into the hall and locking the door behind him.

  * * *

  Kurt pulled his Jeep into Peyton’s driveway. His splinted wrist hurt from driving, but it was a small price to pay for seeing her again.

  At the door, she pushed past him, retrieved a box from her car, and pushed past him again.

  On the return trip, she beckoned. “Come on. We’ll take my car.”

  “I can drive,” he protested. “Where are we going?”

  “Gilda’s gone and, no offense, but I don’t want to ride with someone who only has use of one arm. Whoever took my dog will be expecting my vehicle. You’re only coming with me because I want a witness.”

  “Fair enough.” Kurt entered the car from the passenger side. He waited until Peyton began driving to ask, “How are you?”

  “I’m great, Kurt. My brother is dead, and my dog has been kidnapped. How do you think I am?”

  “Sorry.”

  “Not really feeling the small talk.”

  “Listen, Peyton, can I explain-”

  “No. Right now you have one job. Help me get my dog back. Since you failed to find my brother, consider this a chance to redeem yourself.”

  Kurt looked out the window and bit the inside of his jaw. I wish I could open up and tell her everything, but I can’t mess this up. She’d hate me even more. Aside from the occasional stolen glance at Peyton, he focused his gaze on the familiar route.

  The satellite navigation system in Peyton’s car led them straight to the pre-arranged location where she parked the car. Hers was the only car in the parking lot.

  “This place is deserted. Whoever took Gilda is probably ransacking my house right now. I really fell for it, didn’t I?” She grabbed her phone from the car’s built-in charging dock.

  “What are you doing?”

  Peyton looked at her phone and slammed the palm of her hand on her steering wheel. “Not making a telephone call because this place has no cell service. I’m going to check those woods to see if Gilda’s here.”

  Kurt watched her exit the car and stride in front of the car toward the woods. As she walked, she pulled her shoulders back and held her chin high. When she was a few feet from the tree line, he left the car and went after her.

  “Peyton! Hold up, I’m coming with you.” He sprinted in her direction, catching up to her not long after she crossed into the woods. “Do you see her anywhere?”

  “No. I thought I heard a dog barking so I’m following this trail.”

  “This may not be safe. Maybe you should rethink calling the police.”

  Peyton pivoted on her heel to face him. Before she could speak, two men in tactical gear appeared on either side of them.

  “You’re both coming with us,” one of the men announced.

  “Wh-who are you? Are you the men who took my dog?” Peyton’s head swiveled from side to side.

  Despite her confrontation, Kurt noted that her voice held the beginnings of a shrill tone. One of the men stared at him. Throwing his hands up in front of his chest, he said, “Look, we don’t want any trouble. We’re just trying to find her dog.”

  “Should’ve listened when we told you not to involve the cops, lady,” one of the men warned, his voice gruff. “Now stop talking and keep walking down this trail.”

  Kurt and Peyton walked side-by-side. With each step they took deeper into the forest, their surroundings darkened. The shadows on the forest floor stretched farther. The patches of dappled sunlight dwindled to near nothing. An all-terrain vehicle came into view.

  “Who puts an oversized golf cart in the middle of the woods?” Peyton asked, her voice low.

  “Nobody told you to talk,” came the order from behind them. “Get in the back.”

  Peyton and Kurt followed the instruction. Once they settled into the tiny seats in the rear of the vehicle, the men blindfolded Peyton and tied her hands in front of her. Kurt longed to put his arms around her and tell her it would be okay, but they were too close to the end for him to blow their cover. Leaning forward, he accepted the blindfold. As discussed when they planned the operation, because of his splint, Kurt’s wrists would remain unhindered.

  The engine started and the vehicle began moving to their destination. Kurt felt Peyton’s head on his shoulder and felt her body shaking against his. A whimper confirmed she was crying.

  Kurt leaned his head against hers. “Shh. Everything will be okay,” he promised. I just hope it’s worth it.

  They spent what seemed an eternity huddled together when the engine stopped. The muffled sound of a dog barking filled the air.

  “Gilda? Where are you? Whoever you are, let me go right now! That’s my dog!” Peyton demanded.

  The men removed Kurt’s blindfold first. The vehicle sat in a small clearing, several yards from a cabin. He watched one of their captors remove Peyton’s blindfold and wrist restraints. She shoved the man aside and made a break for the cabin, disappearing inside.

  Sergeant Collins stepped around the corner of the tiny home and smiled. “Good job, son. I’m proud of you.”

  Kurt stiffened, a tentative smile playing at the corners of his mouth. Unable to speak, he nodded to acknowledge the rare compliment and waited for Peyton and her dog to emerge.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Peyton rushed into the cabin and gasped, her fingers flying to her mouth. Her feet shuffled back a step and she shook her head. Inside her chest, her heart raced. “What? How?”

  Gilda ran to sit in front of her to announce that she found their target.

  Peyton absentmindedly petted the dog’s head. “Good girl. Show me.”

  The golden retriever ran back to where Owen stood in the back of the room and barked once.

  “Hey hey, Pey-pey.”

  “How are you here? I mean, I attended your funeral.”

  “I know. I was there.”

  “Wait, you were there? Why would you do that to me?” Peyton heard her voice crack on the last word and felt her chin trembling.

  Owen crossed the room in two steps and grabbed her into a tight hug. “I’m so sorry, Peyton.”

  She wrapped her arms around him and wept tears of relief. After a couple of minutes, he pulled away.

  “Come on. Sit down. We don’t have a lot of time, and there’s a lot that I have to tell you.”

  Peyton walked stiff-legged to the table and sat in one of the two chairs, Owen claiming the other. Gilda danced between the siblings in celebration of the reunion.

  “First, I want to apologize. If I could have told you I was al
ive, I would have. My funeral had to look as real as possible.”

  “Did you fake your own death?”

  “Something like that, yeah. It was for your own safety, though, and Gilda’s. Well, and mine.”

  “Why would you do such a thing? Thinking that you were dead, it nearly destroyed me. It was as if I lost mom and dad all over again. Only this time, you weren’t there because you were in that box.” Peyton’s began to cry. "At least, that's what I thought at the time."

  Owen reached across the table and took her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “I can never apologize enough for what I have put you through. Do you remember when I went missing the first time?”

  “Yeah. You never mentioned where you went, though.”

  “I was in Vegas, dealing with grief by gambling away half of mom and dad’s life insurance money.”

  “Are you serious?”

  “Don’t judge me. It was a long time ago and, all things considered, the only time I wasn’t there for you.”

  “Except at your fake funeral.”

  “My real funeral, sis.” Owen withdrew his hand and ran it through his hair. “While I was in Vegas, I almost lost it all. Then I bet everything I had left at the roulette table using mom and dad’s anniversary. I won it all back and then some “

  “Wow. Why wouldn’t you have just told me?”

  “Do you know how embarrassed I was? I nearly lost everything we had, Peyton. By the time they took out taxes, it was a little more than what I had when I started.”

  A knock on the door preceded an announcement from outside. “Ten minutes.”

  “Ten minutes until what?”

  “Ugh, this is taking longer than I thought. Listen, Peyton, you know Professor Mason, right?”