He softened, just a fraction. “Still—without your call, and without you confirming the location, they might’ve moved before we got eyes on them.” He looked from Sarah to Eleanor. “So… thank you. Seriously.”
Eleanor couldn’t speak. She just pressed her forehead to Rex’s shoulder and shook, hands buried in his fur like an anchor. Behind them, officers poured into the barn. Doors were forced open. Locks snapped. Dogs barked—not panicked now, but pleading, hopeful, loud in a way that sounded like a first breath after a long time underwater.