Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

Garrison

The sun was barely peeking over the tops of the trees as I reached the end of my fourth mile. I began most mornings with a run through the nearby park, always ending at exactly the same time. However, this morning I'd gotten a late start. The previous evening had been unexpectedly hectic, first fighting off a murder attempt, and then spending several hours being questioned by police.

They hadn't even seemed to care about my answers, just filling out the paperwork so they could file the whole thing away.

This resulted in not getting home until the early hours of the morning, which threw off my sleep schedule and caused me to wake up late.

As I started the fifth mile, I checked my watch.

Still four and a half minutes behind.

I needed to run faster if I wanted to get my routine back on schedule.

I sucked in a deep break, my lungs filling with brisk morning air, and relished the burn of my muscles as I started running faster.

By the time I finished the park's six-mile loop, I was exactly on schedule. My right knee throbbed with each step, but the dull ache was easy enough to ignore.

So far, it was a good day.

My usual path ended near the park's playground. It took me exactly one minute and twenty-eight seconds to pass by the area. The playlist I listened to while running had been curated so the last song ended just as I reached my car. I removed the earbuds and reached for the door handle, barely noticing the sounds around me.

Before I could open the door, however, a child screamed.

My heart rate immediately jumped, and I spun to press my back against the side of the car. My gaze darted around for the threat while I grasped in my waistband for a gun that wasn't there.

The scream turned into loud sobbing. I tracked the sound to its source, finding a toddler-aged boy sitting on the ground under the slide. His tiny fists were balled up and pressing against the boy's eyes as he cried.

A moment later, the boy's mother picked him up out of the mulch and brushed him off, calming his tears with the efficiency of an experienced parent.

I breathed a sigh of relief when the noise ended, only then peeling myself away from the side of my car and opening the door. As I slid inside, I shook my head in frustration. Adults could make any noise they wanted and I wouldn't care, but the sound of a child screaming sent me jumping like a jackrabbit.

Before I started driving, I took a moment to cycle through a few breathing exercises. May as well make use of the only thing I'd gotten out of my mandated therapy.

After a minute, I was calm enough to maneuver my car onto the street, but pain throbbed in my knee like a second heartbeat, and my scars felt stiffer than before.

Maybe today wasn't so good after all.

The ringing of my phone while I was parked at a red light emphasized that thought. Someone was calling me rather than just texting, which meant it must be serious. I answered the phone, stopping just long enough to check the caller's identity.

"Caden? What's wrong? Something about last night?"

Caden's voice sounded weak over the connection, so much so that I checked the volume on my phone.

"Garrison, hey, um, sort of. I just received a strange request. Look, I'm not the best person to explain this. I've just sent you an address. How soon can you get there?"

"I'm in the car right now, so about ten minutes. Why? What's going on?"

"Good. Go there right away. He can explain it to you."

The light turned green, but my foot stayed planted on the break.

" He who? What are you talking about?"

The phone beeped and fell silent.

"Caden? He who?"