Page 31 of Forest Reed (Seals on Fraiser Mountain #8)

Forest

We crammed into the gutted café on the corner, its front window blown out, glass crunching under our boots. The smell of smoke and burned coffee lingered, but it was the only place big enough to hold us all.

Fraiser spread a rough street map across the counter, weighting the corners with coffee mugs. His voice cut through the din outside. “We lock this town down tight, or North turns it into his playground.”

Max leaned against the wall, arms folded. “Main road in and out is here.” He jabbed a finger at the map. “We set a roadblock—he won’t slip past it without a fight.”

Nate shook his head. “That’s not enough. He’s already proved he can stage bombs in plain sight. We need eyes on rooftops, on alleys, on every damn shadow. Otherwise we’re blind.”

Jason muttered under his breath, flipping through a notebook of intel. “Blind is exactly how he wants us.”

“Then we cut the power,” Axel said, tone flat but eyes alive. “No lights, no cover. Force him to move in the dark where we own it.”

“That’ll spook civilians worse than the bomb,” Lane snapped. She was pacing tight circles, hands on her hips. “We can’t just black out a town and hope people stay calm.”

“They’ll be calmer than if another truck explodes under their kids’ feet,” Zoe cut in, sharp as a blade.

The room went quiet. Every head turned her way. She didn’t flinch.

“North feeds on panic,” she said. “We starve him. Lock this place down, no cars in or out, eyes everywhere. And we put every warm body who can hold a rifle on that perimeter. If he wants a show, he’ll have to stand center stage.”

Jack Raider grinned, leaning on the doorframe with his shotgun. “Damn. Brewer here’s got more bite than half the brass I ever worked under.”

“Focus,” Forest growled, but his hand brushed Zoe’s arm under the table—a quiet anchor only I felt.

Fraiser studied the map, then gave a sharp nod. “All right. We lock it down. Max, Nate—you take rooftops. Axel, Lane—you’re on the roadblock. Jason, Brewer, Forest—you’re mobile. Eyes, ears, and muscles. If North blinks, I want to know before he finishes the thought.”

The weight of command settled in the room, heavy and final.

I looked at Zoe. Her jaw was set, her eyes fierce.

We weren’t just chasing North anymore.

We were about to box him in.