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SIX

Dani’s death grip around Grizz’s waist strained every muscle in her arms, but she refused to let go. He tore through the woods on the four-wheeler while his teammates scattered on foot.

These men were after her, and they’d just taken out her source of rescue.

She dared to glance over her shoulder and saw the skeletal remains of their escape vehicle, now an empty hull filled with flames and black smoke.

“What are we going to do?” She yelled in Grizz’s ear to be heard over the whipping wind and roar of the motor.

“I’m heading to the cabin. We should be safe in the outhouse while we regroup. At least we have a radio now. I can let the others know.”

Dani prayed these men didn’t follow them. Grizz remained on high alert, looking for trouble. The bumpy ride took less than ten minutes to return Grizz’s property. He pulled the ATV into the garage and shut the door.

“I didn’t see anyone following us.” Grizz held out his hand to assist Dani off the vehicle. “But they’ll be back. They know we don’t have a lot of options for a place to hide.”

Grizz radioed his location to the others and contacted base camp to give them an update. “My commander is going to find Rio and let him know what’s going on. They’re going to send help, but the winds are picking up, so we may have to wait it out.”

Dani grasped her hands to keep them from trembling. “This mess is all my fault. Those men are after me. I know too much.”

Grizz walked toward her and wrapped his arms around her in a hug. His solid frame enveloped her and gave her a brief respite from the storm.

“I’m going to make sure you get off this mountain, Dani. We’ll get that evidence to the FBI. We have a radio and can get in touch with Rio. We’ll make a plan when the others arrive.”

He let go, and a chill washed over her. She missed his warmth.

“I can help with food.” Dani busied herself in the kitchen area. She found some of Grizz’s famous venison stew in the freezer and began to heat it on the two-burner stove.

Grizz’s radio clicked twice. “They’re here.” He headed up the stairs to the outhouse door, unbolted it, and let the two men and one woman in. They were covered in dirt and soot, but at least they’d made it out of that explosion in time.

“Dani, let me introduce you to the crew.”

Oh, she remembered this crew . The snickers and stares came back to her from their first encounter. Would they still give her the cold shoulder now that her information had been proven true?

Grizz turned to the woman in the hotshot-logoed T-shirt and dirt-covered jeans. “This is Sanchez. And these two stragglers are Kane and Saxon.”

Dani nodded. “It’s nice to officially meet you all.”

Saxon looked at the floor. The man appeared to be in his early thirties, his long, dark hair tied in a man bun, his face sporting an even darker beard. “Yeah, about that. I’m sorry we weren’t very hospitable on our first meeting. I’m glad Grizz found you.”

Kane also apologized while Sanchez watched but said nothing. What was it like to be a female hotshot? Dani had experience being a lone female in a male-dominated career.

She stowed her emotional baggage into the recesses of her heart and accepted the sincere apologies.

She hadn’t been the nicest either when she’d demanded that they take her into the woods on a hunch.

“I just appreciate your rescue attempt. You put your life on the line coming to our aid. How did you know we were in trouble?”

Saxon shrugged. “Grizz never returned with you. And with the cell phones down, Skye was worried and sent us looking.”

“I can’t believe we were attacked again.

In our own backyard.” Kane grabbed a bottle of water that Dani had placed on the counter.

“We need to debrief. What is going down on Copper Mountain? What’s the plan?

Because I’m not a fan of being trapped here with deranged gunmen roaming the woods.

Ones that have some massive weaponry. An RPG? Really?”

Saxon spun in a circle. “I guess if I’m going to be trapped, this bunker in the side of the mountain is better than pitching a tent outside. Nice digs you’ve got here, Grizz. But I’d also like to know the full story of what we’re up against before I sleep with one eye open.”

“I’m sure you’re all familiar with Grizz’s outhouse. There’s plenty of room for us all.”

They stared at Dani like she had three heads. Sanchez said, “His what?”

She glanced at Grizz and found him looking at the ground. She was the only one who’d been here? “You’ve never seen Grizz’s place?”

“He’s never invited us,” Sanchez said. “But to be fair, he spends most of his time at base camp.”

Dani moved to the kitchen area. “Well, how about I dish us up some venison stew, and we can debrief.”

She poured the stew into coffee mugs, and Grizz pulled out some camping chairs for everyone to have a seat. Dani served everyone and took a seat, her hands wrapped around the warm mug.

“I hate to ask this,” Sanchez said, her voice soft, “but what happened to the man you were with, Dani?”

Her heart sank. She took a deep breath, shoving back the tears that threatened to flow.

“We found the compound. Josh and I saw the guns and weapons. They have some sort of chemical plant in the middle of their highly guarded camp. But Josh decided to head down the mountain and was captured. They killed him. Dumped his body in the woods.”

Sanchez never broke eye contact, her intense stare giving Dani goosebumps. “Someone needs to stop these men.”

Grizz put his mug on one of his infamous stump end tables. “Dani has proof. Josh had taken pictures and video. We have the SIM card and need to get it to Rio. The FBI needs to shut this place down. I can head back to my cabin and grab my laptop so you can see what we’re up against.”

Dani gathered the cups while Grizz headed through his tunnel, returning with his dinosaur laptop. She took the SIM card out of her pocket and gave it to Grizz. The three hotshots gathered around to view the evidence. Dani didn’t need to relive it again, so she paced behind them.

Grizz paused the video. “This guy. Do you recognize him from somewhere?”

Saxon zoomed in on the guy’s face. “Jeremiah Redding.” He glanced at Kane, and they shared a hard look for a second. “Rio has an alert out for him. His entire family is bad news.” Dani caught the still frame of the dark-blond guy with the snake tattoo running up his neck.

Kane studied the frozen screen. “The guy in the background. Is that…”

“Yep. We think Senator Deville is part of this group. It explains how they’ve managed to move around undetected. Not to mention there’s video of a stockpile of weapons.”

Saxon leaned in closer. “That explains where the RPG came from.”

Grizz hit play and the video continued.

The hostage came into view and Sanchez gasped. “He’s here.”

“Who is?” Grizz’s head whipped to Sanchez. The woman’s face had paled, and her finger trembled as she pointed at the screen.

“Doctor Cortez.” Kane put his hand on Sanchez’s shoulder in a protective gesture.

Dani frowned. “Who?”

Sanchez said, “My father.”

* * *

Grizz refrained from punching the steel wall of his outhouse. No one messed with his teammates. Or Dani. Not on his watch.

“We have to go.” Sanchez’s determined gaze darted around the room. “We’ll take one of your vehicles. If there’s a chance my father is still there, I must find him.”

Kane didn’t leave Sanchez’s side. “We need to wait for backup. And daylight. We don’t know if these men are watching this place. It’s too risky to leave.”

Grizz had noted the connection these two shared. If anyone could talk some sense into Sanchez, it was Kane.

Saxon looked at Grizz. “You have weapons, I assume. And transportation. I say we go on the offensive. Before they shut down camp and bug out.”

Grizz shook his head. “These men are relentless and well-armed. I’ve only identified two of them. Plus, we know that a senator is involved with this group. Let’s face it, we don’t know what we’re up against. I agree with Kane. We wait for backup.”

Tension blanketed the room. Dani cleared her throat. This woman was as unpredictable as the Alaskan weather. What would she say to a bunch of hotshots ready to take matters into their own hands—especially Sanchez?

“I have a question.” All eyes zipped to Dani. “Does anyone actually know our friend Grizz’s first name?”

Grizz groaned. “That’s your burning question?”

“I—I actually have no idea.” Sanchez shrugged. “He’s always just been Grizz.”

“Someone has to know.” Kane shook his head. “But I don’t.”

Saxon squinted. “I want to say Phil. Or Peter. Or it starts with a P or an R maybe?—”

“Wait, how do any of us not know?” Sanchez relaxed her shoulders, and Grizz was impressed with Dani’s ability to change the subject.

Dani sat back in her camping chair. “Seems like he’s concealed his identity well. Good thing I’m an award-winning investigative reporter up for the challenge.”

Kane smirked. “Looks like Grizz has met his match.”

Grizz felt the heat rising up his neck. He hated being the center of attention more than he hated his first name. But if it gave Sanchez and Saxon pause before rushing headfirst into danger, he’d take the brunt of their teasing.

Dani kept egging on his crew. She was good at getting people to talk. “At least give me some ammunition. Who’s got a good Grizz story? I pay cash for the best story. Once I return to civilization and find an ATM.”

Sanchez showed a hint of a smile and sat next to Dani.

Grizz shook his head and sat in the chair across from the women. “They wouldn’t dare.”

“Well…” Saxon helped himself to another bowl of stew and then plopped into a camping chair next to Grizz that wasn’t meant to hold the muscular man’s weight.

“Let’s see. There’s the time we had to rescue Grizz from a tree.

He thought he’d cut down the tree from the top down, but it doesn’t work out so well when you forget to gas up your chain saw. ”

“No way. Stuck?” Dani was enjoying this a little too much, but he savored her smile. This was the first time she’d let loose and had fun around him.

Saxon guffawed. “Stuck in the tree like the proverbial cat. We had to get a ladder truck to get him down.”

“Or what about the time Grizz met his match against that moose?” Sanchez nodded to Grizz. “He was a quarter mile behind us, and the next thing I see is this blur run past me. I’ve never seen anyone run that fast.”

“That was one ticked-off moose.” Grizz soaked in the camaraderie and light-hearted banter, letting it erase a bit of the tension from the past twenty-four hours. But he couldn’t completely let his guard down.

Dani leaned close to Sanchez. “Tell us about your father. How is he caught up in all this?”

The others fell silent. Sanchez wasn’t known for being talkative, especially when it came to her story. At least, Grizz didn’t know much of it.

Sanchez sighed. “He was kidnapped fifteen years ago. I’ve been searching for him for years, but…”

No one spoke or moved. Sanchez’s grief was palatable, engulfing the room. Grizz kept his voice low. “Is anyone looking into this?”

Sanchez shook her head. “To my knowledge, they’ve written him off, but I refuse to lose another parent. And now we have proof he’s out there. We have to find him.” Her throat bobbed as she sucked down her emotions, a move she’d obviously perfected.

Dani gave Grizz a small nod to indicate she wouldn’t press Sanchez for additional information. The dazed look in Sanchez’s eyes told him it was time to switch gears.

Grizz stood. “I recommend we get some rest for a few hours. I’ve got plenty of places for us to crash for the night. Even have some sleeping bags and pillows if anyone wants to rest. I’ve got my lookout and will take the first night watch.”

Saxon snorted. “Do you think any of us will sleep? I’m going to patrol the area, see what I can find.”

Grizz nodded. “Be careful. I’ve got some trip wires set up to alert me to intruders.”

“Of course you do.”

After receiving a quick rundown of the perimeter system, Saxon gave him a mock salute before heading out.

Grizz grabbed some sleeping bags out of a storage bin where he kept his camping gear. He handed Dani the bedding and pointed to his perch above the property. “I’ll be up there on overwatch.”

“Copy that.” She gave him a weak smile, and he prayed she’d take the opportunity to rest. The dark circles under her eyes betrayed her fatigue.

“Dani, please don’t go rogue on me. I know you have a big heart and want to help Sanchez as well as avenge Josh’s death by stopping these terrorists, but we have to wait for resources. Tomorrow we’ll be able to get the evidence to Rio. Until then, please rest.”

She nodded. “You can trust me. I’m following your lead. I’m willing to admit I’m out of my element. And you’ve kept me safe this far.”

There was that word again. Trust . The one thing Grizz didn’t give easily. Could he trust her not to race headfirst in harm’s way?

Kane and Sanchez remained in the camping chairs.

Sanchez stared into space, and Kane acted as the overprotective brother.

The Trouble Boys had always looked after Sanchez.

They’d become a family, though Grizz speculated that Kane’s feelings were a little less like a brother and more romantically inclined.

But Kane would throat punch him if he dared suggest it.

Grizz watched Dani curl up in the corner with the sleeping bag, and he headed to his loft.

He used his night-vision goggles to watch for any signs of life.

Darkness blanketed the mountainside due to the storm clouds churning through the sky.

An occasional streak of lighting flashed, temporarily blinding him.

He spotted Saxon in his second perimeter.

Grizz’s eyelids grew heavy. Maybe he should go inside and get some rest. Tomorrow, Rio should be able to reach them.

Thunder rumbled in the distance.

Wait. Not thunder.

That was the sound of the garage door opening and closing. Grizz tore into the loft and flew down the stairs. He stared at the empty space where his motorcycle had been previously parked.

The sting of betrayal slapped him in the face. He moved in a circle around the middle of the outhouse garage. No sign of Sanchez or Kane.

But the biggest kick in the teeth was that Dani had left with them.

So much for trust.