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She was able to name who lived in most of the cabins and pointed out the community building, barn, and equipment shed. He was right—the pole barns were a shop facility.

“What about that big building over there?” He pointed at the farthest building beyond the others.

“That one’s new since the last time I was here. I honestly don’t know.”

“So, if the PHP is doing something new, it’s likely to be contained in that new building.”

She shrugged. “I highly doubt they’re building a nuclear bomb in there if that’s what you mean.”

“You know these guys really well. How long have you been watching them?”

She shrugged, her shoulder lifting against his. “I’ve kept tabs on them for a while.”

“Why these guys? They’re a pretty obscure little group.”

“Until they went to Khartoum,” she replied sourly.

“After dark, let’s go down and have a look in that new building,” he suggested.

Horror crossed her face. “Are you crazy?”

“Not at all. Something has changed with these guys. That’s the one physical feature that has changed recently. Let’s check it out. It’s not like they’ll have pressure pads and laser beams guarding the place.”

“I can’t agree to this plan. It’s dangerous and it’ll tip off the PHP that we’re watching them.”

She couldn’t agree?“I’m not asking your permission, Piper.”

“And why’s that? I’m the expert on these guys, not you. I should be the one making the call, and I say we stand off and watch them for a day or two.”

“We don’t have a day or two for leisurely surveillance on these guys. Tick tock, baby. Tick tock.”

“I know we’re on a short clock. But you’re underestimating them. Which is irresponsible.”

“Not at all,” he ground out. “It’s called taking a calculated risk. The time crunch demands that we move this investigation along. And if you don’t have thecahonesto take a chance in the field, go home. I’ll handle this on my own.”

She threw up her hands. “Oh, now we’re getting to the heart of the matter. You don’t like having me out here! You want to do this alone and get all the glory for yourself!”

He rolled onto his side to stare at her. “I beg your pardon?”

If she seriously thought he did this job for glory, then she didn’t know him in the least. Yes, he took deep satisfaction in his work, and he was the first guy to appreciate an attaboy from his boss. But it had always been about doing the right thing, protecting his country and family. It had never been about personal aggrandizement.

“You heard me.” Her voice quavered with a little less resolve than before.

“I heard you. I just can’t believe what I heard.” His voice dropped into a low, dangerous tone. “If you ever accuse me of doing my job for glory again, we’re going to have a serious problem.” And that was as much of a warning defining his line in the sand as she was going to get out of him.

Piper fell silent. Hopefully, she was digesting his warning and becoming one with it. Eventually, she murmured, “For security, they mostly rely on good old-fashioned guard dogs. Which are not to be underestimated. They’ll rip your throat out and are noisy as heck.”

He accepted her surrender to his authority out here—and her unspoken apology—with grace. He replied easily, “Dogs are one good bone away from quiet and your best friend. Let’s head backto town and pick up some steaks. We can be back here before dark.”

“You’re nuts.”

“I’m a man on a tight schedule. We haven’t gotten any texts from my boss, which means Yusef isn’t talking. You and I both know that, if he hasn’t talked by now, he’s not going to talk at all. It’s up to us to figure out where he dropped his virus bomb. And those people down the hill are our best bet at getting an answer.”

Piper was uncharacteristically quiet on the ride back to town. She seemed inordinately ill at ease being back here. Like she’d gone back to her old high school and realized that, as an adult, she no longer fit in.

They picked up a bunch of T-bone steaks and headed back up into the mountains. The PHP compound was actually several miles outside of tiny Elkville, which was little more than a gas station and convenience store. More of an intersection than an actual settlement.

They settled back into their hide as the gloaming settled quietly around them. He commented, “This is my favorite time of day. When the colors have faded to shades of gray and night has not quite fallen.”