Page 60 of Trusted Instinct

“Rou!” Creed panted his command. “Back up. Pull. Back up. Pull.”

He couldn’t see what she was doing, but the string overhead grew taut.

“Good girl, Rou. Pull hard. Pull. Back up.”

And little Rou dragged and tugged until the string pulled Parker’s leg up. Yes, there was an angle to it. No, it wasn’t by any stretch of the imagination perfect. But Creed was able to shimmy and adjust the trap so that Parker’s foot could come free.

Then, leaning his weight onto his left hand, Creed shifted his right hand under the man’s slick-soled shoes to make sure it was clear of the trap as it snapped back in place.

“Good girl, Rourou. Release.”

Once again, there was slack in the line.

Creed kicked the closed trap out of the way and eased Parker to the ground, laying him flat on his back.

“Rou, come cuddle.” Creed snapped his fingers and pointed at the man. The day was chilly, made even colder by the gusts of wind. And Rou’s warmth would help until Creed could get the man’s leg stabilized.

Rou didn’t have to be told twice, though the way she hopped and danced her way forward made her look like a court jester or the town drunk.

“Parker is clear from the trap.”

From the phone line, Creed heard the high fives and sighs of relief from Mandy and Tamara.

With his rescue shears, Creed cut Parker’s dress pants from the cuff to the knee. He carefully unlaced his shoe, pulled it free, and then cut into the sock.

Creed had already decided that he would treat this as a worst-case scenario. He was walking a tight rope here. With Parker being uncommunicative, Creed didn’t know if he should call the man’s attention back to the situation or let him cope as best he could in his own mind. Creed simply didn’t have enough information.

He decided to narrate to the wind, to tell the tree what he was doing and what it might feel like. “There is a bleeding cut. I’m going to put gauze over the cut and apply pressure to stop the flow of blood. This is the gauze. Here is more gauze. And the last piece of gauze. Now I’m applying pressure all the way around the leg with my big hands. This pressure is to stop the blood.

Each and every step, he told the trees.

He kept his voice gentle but firm, conveying that he was there to be kind but dependable.

Was he doing the right thing?

He had no idea.

But the drips that the wind shook loose on the way in gave way to a sky that was opening back up.

Getting Parker stabilized and back to shelter took on a dangerous urgency.

And to Creed’s deep relief, Jack and Deep moved into view, carrying a stretcher between them.

Deep called out. “The evacuation team is on the scene.”

Chapter Nineteen

Auralia

“Here goes nothing,” Auralia mumbled under her breath.

The car had been stable. The rain had shifted to a pitter-pat.

It had been her intention to be ready but stay put. Eventually, rescue workers would arrive on the scene, and she had an advantage in her position. She was close to the truck that had caused this whole thing.

Initially, this seemed like a good approach because the rescue workers would park on the side of the road and jog forward to assess the situation. And she was in a very visually precarious situation. They’d want to get lines on her right away.

As time went on, that hope dimmed.