Page 12 of Gone (Gray Wolf Security #23)

By the time the women reached the area where the two prisoners were being held near the trail, they were long gone, having been taken by the agents and the rangers. Mary, Alexandra, and Tory were no doubt safe and at camp.

Back at base camp, all of the women did what they do best. They organized the work, prepared for what might come, and made sure everything was ready for any circumstance. They scrambled to be sure they had supplies for whatever injuries, hopefully none, the children might have.

Code didn’t unleash on Hannah, but he also didn’t speak to her at first, too afraid of what his reaction might be. When she gripped his arm, gently turning him, she knew why. He was silently crying, tears trailing down his cheeks.

“Code,” she whispered, feeling the pain and agony painted so clearly on his face.

“I can’t lose you, Hannah. You’re my whole world. I couldn’t get the tracking devices to work properly because of the iron in the mountain. I thought…” he said hesitantly.

“Don’t. Don’t think about that,” she smiled, hugging her husband. “We’re all safe. You guys have taught us well. We knew what we were doing.”

Code nodded, turning back to his cameras, drones, and electronics. The team back home air-dropped a few items that could help them to overcome the issue of the iron, and for now, it was working.

“Mama, maybe you and Miss Ruby should go back to your place,” said Marie.

“We’re not goin’ anywhere. We’re gonna sit right here with all of you until we know those boys are safe. We notified Sven and Matthew, and they’ll know what to do if we need something. Until then, they can catch their fish.”

“Mama, that could take a while,” said Camille. “That canyon where the caves are is enormous. We have no idea which cave they’re going to go into.”

“Code and Sly will figure that out,” said Ruby. “Once they find them boys, our boys will get them home. They’ll be hungry when they come, so let’s be ready.”

The women all looked at one another. Marie shrugged, smiling at her sisters, and nodded.

“Alright, Mama. Tell us what you want us to do.”

With everyone having their marching orders, the camp was like a buzzing hive of activity. The federal agents and rangers were impressed at the organization of the group and the supplies they’d brought with them.

Two rangers and two agents stayed with the women, while five additional men followed along the trail to catch up to the Gray Wolf team.

“What brought y’all out here?” asked one of the agents.

“Just a vacation,” said Alexandra. “Our husbands enjoy the outdoors. We enjoy other things. We went to Italy on our last trip. This one was here. It’s a fair trade.”

“I should have had you speak to my last two wives,” frowned the man. “They didn’t believe in fair trade.”

“Well, now,” said Mama Irene, smiling at the young man. “We’ve got a lot of pretty women back home. Maybe you should come see us sometime.”

“Mama, now is not the time to play matchmaker,” said Suzette.

“It’s alright,” laughed the agent. “It’s kind of nice to have someone actually want me to have a happy life.”

“What’s your name, baby?” asked Ruby.

“Peter, ma’am. Peter Eagle .”

“Eagle. Are you indigenous?” she asked.

“Yes, ma’am.” Lena smiled at the man, nodding.

“She asks because I’m Navajo. So is the husband of that woman over there. Noelle’s husband is Mohave Apache.”

“That’s very cool,” nodded the younger man. “My folks still live on the rez in North Dakota. Standing Rock Sioux .”

“Do you get back much?” asked Lena with a keen interest. She loved it when the younger generations of indigenous people were curious about their history and carried that forward.

“As often as I can. I’m working a lot, so it can be challenging. When I was deployed, it seemed like years between visits home. It’s not exactly easy to get to.”

“What branch did you serve in?” asked Kari, giving him a curious expression.

“I was a Marine, ma’am. Ten years. Deployed for six of those. Married before I left the first time. She filed for divorce while I was gone.”

“I’m sorry,” said Kari.

“Don’t be. We weren’t right for one another.

It was a hasty decision based on loneliness and the stupidity of eighteen-year-old hormonal kids,” he smirked.

“The second wife I married two weeks after my last deployment. She thought I was going back. I knew I wasn’t.

Let’s just say that was disappointing to her.

So, two marriages. Two divorces. No children, and I’m suddenly an FBI agent chasing bank robbers through state land. ”

“It’s a good occupation,” said Kari. “Sophia’s husband was an FBI agent at one time. We have a few others as well. In case you didn’t know it, most of these men were Special Forces.”

“Seriously?” he smiled.

“Yep. Rangers, SEALs, MARSOC, Coast Guard, Air Force, Green Berets, and Delta. These guys are no joke.”

“Wait. Are you, or were you, REAPER?” asked an older agent.

“That’s us,” said Marie.

“So, these guys are Gray Wolf and your kids, or the younger guys, they’re all Voodoo Guardians?” The two agents and two rangers stared at the women.

“Yes. That’s right,” said Grace, looking at the men now. “Is that a problem?”

“Absolutely not, ma’am. We had no idea. You tell us what you need here, and we’ll do it.” Grace looked at the four men, then back at all the women.

“Son, we didn’t tell you that to get you to do things for us. As you’ve seen, we’re quite capable all on our own.”

“Yes, ma’am,” said Peter, “but we should be doing the work here, not you.”

“Oh, good lord, don’t pull that shit on us,” said Faith. “We’re all grown women, capable, many here served as well. You’re here in case the bad guys come back this way and try to take one of us. That’s why you’re here.”

They all nodded, but the women could tell that they were nervous after learning about their husbands. Sometimes it was better just to keep it to yourself.

With the food simmering over the fires, medical stations ready and stocked for any injuries, they felt confident about being prepared.

The scout leader had been taken to the hospital, where he was being treated for his injuries, which included broken ribs and fingers, thanks to one of the convicts.

“We’ll take shifts on watch,” said Vince, looking at the agents and the rangers.

“Yes, sir,” they said in unison.

“You don’t have to call me sir,” said Vince. “We’re one team here. Everyone shares the work.” Baptiste pointed to Nash and one of the rangers.

“The three of us will take first watch. We’ll wake you when it’s your turn unless something changes in the night.”

“Should we evacuate the women?” asked the second FBI agent.

“What’s your name?” asked Bull.

“Saul Goldstein, sir.” Bull rolled his eyes, letting out a long, slow breath.

“Saul, my name is Bull. Not sir. In case you missed it, these women caught two of the convicts, had them hog-tied, and waiting for us. They are intelligent, strong, capable women who technically don’t need any of us.

“Now, if they want to leave, we’ll get them out of here. But I seriously doubt if you’ll get them to move. And I damn sure don’t intend to try.”

The four men nodded.

“Alright,” said Grace. “We know that you’re Peter and you’re Saul. Who are you two?”

“Chevy Moore. This is my partner, Kip Boggs.”

“Got it,” said Bull, looking at the others. “Again, I’m Bull, that’s Angel, Gabe, Nash, Bryce, Vince, Baptiste, and Luc. The two men in the tent with all the electronics are Code and Sly.”

“I’m surprised they can get anything to work out here,” said Peter. “The iron in the rocks and mountain causes things to go haywire sometimes. We typically rely on just two-way radios. Everything else doesn’t seem to work.”

“Well,” smirked Luc. “That’s why they’re the experts.”

“Dinner’s ready, boys. Y’all go wash up and come on back,” said Ruby.

“What are we having tonight, Miss Ruby?” asked Bryce.

“Jambalaya, peach cobbler on the open fire, and green beans cooked in fresh spring water and bacon grease.”

“Damn. Do y’all eat like that all the time?” asked Chevy. Gabe laughed, nodding.

“Every day, brother. Every day.”