The Butterfly Effect (Boggy Creek Valley 1)

“Stay. Stay,” Hunter calmly said.

Smiling, I knew what was coming next, and I felt my heartbeat kick up in anticipation of what Jack was going to do when given the command.

“Get him!” Hunter said, causing Jack to jump up and latch onto the padded arm. He growled and barked as Chris hauled him over the wall. I gasped. Then Hunter gave the release command, and Jack did so immediately and went to Hunter’s side.

“Good boy!” Hunter said in a high-pitched voice he only used for Jack and Ben. “That’s a good boy! That’s my good boy!”

Hunter glanced over and saw me. A smile broke out over his face, and he threw Jack’s favorite tug toy in the field. He made his way over to me while Jack retrieved it.

“Hey, I thought today was harvest day?” he asked, kissing me on the cheek when I met him halfway. Jack ran up, and I dropped down to give him some attention.

“What a handsome man you are. Such a good police officer you are,” I said as I gave him scratches behind his ear. He, of course, only had eyes for my brother.

Jack dropped the tug toy and sat as he dutifully looked up at my brother, who promptly picked up the toy to throw it again.

“That dog has you wrapped around his finger,” I said.

“We’re partners. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for him, and him for me.”

I couldn’t help but grin. “Have you decided?”

Hunter nodded and looked down at Jack as he ran back with the toy. “Narcotics. That’s the way we’re going.”

I wasn’t even aware I had been holding my breath. “Good, the idea of Jack going in after bombs didn’t really sit well with me.”

Hunter laughed. “Not much use for a bomb dog in Boggy Creek.”

I felt my brows rise. “But there is for narcotics?”

He sighed. “Drugs are everywhere, baby sister.”

Frowning, I replied, “I guess so.”

A proud smile appeared on Hunter’s face, but when he looked back at me, he frowned. “What’s wrong?”

Forcing a smile, I said, “Nothing’s wrong.” But my voice was a little too high, and I’d answered a little too fast.

“It’s harvest day, you’re not at the farm, and you’re here visiting me. You have a look in your eyes. Something is wrong indeed.”

I pressed my mouth into a tight line and tried to hold back my emotions. I wasn’t sure why I suddenly had the urge to cry.

“Fuck, what did Aiden do?” he asked as he rubbed the back of his neck, then slapped his hand against his leg. That drew Jack up into a sitting position. The dog could instantly tell something was wrong. Hunter placed his hand down and patted Jack on the head before he reached for the tug toy and played with him.

I narrowed my eyes at my brother and asked, “Why do you instantly think it’s Aiden?”

“Call it a gut feeling,” he replied.

I closed my eyes and slowly let out a breath before I focused back on my brother. “Do you have any free time to get coffee? I need to talk to you about something important.”

A look of concern came over his face. “Yeah. Of course I do.”

Hunter glanced over his shoulder and called out to Chris. “Chris, do I have time to grab coffee with Willa?”

With a thumbs-up and a nod, Chris replied, “Yeah, no problem. We’ll start in about two hours.”

“I’m sorry if it’s not a good time—” I started to say before Hunter cut me off. He wasn’t in his uniform, but he was dressed in slacks, his gun tied around his upper leg, and a Boggy Creek Police T-shirt.

“No, it’s fine. Today is a scheduled training day, and both Jack and I need a break. Let’s go.”

As we started toward the parking lot, I stopped and looked at Hunter. “Can we go somewhere private to talk? I don’t want to risk anyone overhearing us.”

Now my brother really looked concerned. “Willa, you’re starting to worry me. Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine, Hunter.” I blew out a breath. “It’s not me. It’s Aiden.”

After getting two coffees to go, Hunter and I headed over to Liberty Springs Park. This time of day there was hardly anyone there. We walked over to a picnic table and sat on it while Jack lay in front and kept a watchful eye out.

We sat without speaking for a few minutes as we both drank our coffee. Finally, Hunter broke the silence. “What’s going on, Willa? My mind is conjuring up all this shit, and it’s starting to get pretty bad in my head.”

I set my coffee down and turned my body so that I faced Hunter. “How much do you know about PTSD?”

He looked taken aback. “Um, I mean, not a crazy amount but enough. A few of the guys on the force have suffered from it. Two were in the military.”