“Up with the baby, already awake,” he said, unbothered.
“We’ve got a missing teen up in the mountains somewhere, possibly injured, definitely was drinking. His friend ran back for help and can’t remember exactly where he left him.”
Next to her, Ryder hunched down even further.
“Got it,” Cal said. “Does he know if it was within Park boundaries?”
“He says further east. Can you get your people together to help?”
“Absolutely. You have a radio frequency?”
Misty gave it to him, and told him to rendezvous with the deputies. “Ty and I are headed up with the friend right now, since we’re the closest. We’ll be shifted, but we’ll check in periodically by radio, give you our location, let you know if we find him.”
“Good. We’ll be in touch.”
Misty hung up and turned to Ryder. “How’s it coming, kid?”
“It’s definitely this way,” he said tensely. “We headed out from behind my house. You can turn off into the woods from there, the road’ll take you part of the way.”
“Good,” Misty said.
“All right if I speed up?” Ty asked over his shoulder.
“Go ahead,” Misty said, and was startled at the burst of speed the Jeep put on.
“Combat driving training,” Ty explained as he hurtled along the road. His reflexes were shifter-fast, and he handled the Jeep as though he’d been driving it since it was brand-new. Every move he made was precise; it seemed like he started turning before anyone could even see the road start to curve, and never had to make a single abrupt swerve, despite the way the trees were blurring outside the window.
“Turn’s coming up,” Ryder said quietly, and Ty sent them off the main road and into the forest with a smoothness Misty couldn’t have managed yourself.
“Much call for combat driving these days?” she asked him, fascinated. “You seem to have kept your skills up.”
“Only avoiding Los Angeles drivers on their cell phones,” he said dryly. “I’ve done some offroading in the mountains here and there, but mostly it’s just something you don’t easily forget.”
“I guess not.”
Misty wondered how many more occasions she’d have to be grateful that Ty was here with her, ready to bring his considerable skills—and considerable brains, kindness, strength, and love—to any problem she faced.
She had a feeling it was going to be a lot.
***
Ty
Ty wasn’t sure it was right to get any enjoyment out of the situation—a kid might be seriously hurt, after all—but there was a certain exhilaration to be had in using his reflexes to the full extent of their capacity, for the first time in a long time.
His job in Los Angeles was challenging, but it was challenging on a mental and emotional level. Almost never did he have to exercise any physical effort—and if he did, that usually meant that something had gone very, very wrong.
Out here, he was starting to realize, the very day-to-day life would be partly outdoors, and the job of keeping the community safe could be hard on the muscles as well as the mind.
He was looking forward to it. He’d forgotten the pleasure that could come from this kind of exertion. If he could use his body as well as his mind to help stranded kids, well, that was just one more reason to belong up here in the wild instead of in the citified streets.
“We’re coming up on where we turned off into the woods,” Ryder said quietly, and Ty slowed.
Ryder was much, much more subdued than he?
??d been the other day. Which was understandable, but also reassuring. If his rulebreaking was more bravado than anything else, then there was still a good chance that they could get through to him, show him how he could turn his trajectory around from the destiny of petty crime he currently had stretching out in front of him.
He pulled the Jeep to a halt at the spot Ryder pointed out, and they all piled out of the car. “Okay,” Misty said. “We’re all going to shift, and you’re going to lead the way, Ryder. If at any point you get confused, or you’re not quite sure which way to go, stop and shift back. Don’t keep going if you don’t know exactly that you’re going in the right direction. Understood?”