Page 85 of Mountain Refuge

“How long will I be down here?” Her voice rose. “I’d rather fight than hide down here. I don’t like…this.”

He turned to face her. “You might not have a choice, Tracy. This could be the only thing to save you when they come.”

“They’ll see the moved boxes.”

“Not if I secure the boxes to the door. When you pull it closed, it’ll look as if nothing was disturbed.”

“You’ve thought of everything.”

He certainly hoped so. If not, they could all perish.

Chapter Fourteen

Ryan really didthink of everything. Taya blinked back tears. He truly cared about her niece and would do whatever was in his power to keep her safe.

She stepped onto the stairs leading to the cellar. “My contact will meet us in the parking lot of Lucy’s Diner in two hours. I’d like to go into town and stock up on supplies in case we’re stuck here.”

“Okay.” Ryan stood at the bottom of the stairs. “We can put some blankets and stuff down here, too. Just in case.”

A wonderful idea she prayed they wouldn’t need. She moved back and waited for the other two to join her. “The closet seems a weird place for a storm shelter.”

“It looks like this part of the house was built on after the fact. See?” He ran his hand over a seam in the wall. “This closet and the back bedroom are newer. So, since the cellar makes no sense being in the closet, it’s perfect.”

A quiet Tracy pushed past them, Betty on her heels.

“She doesn’t like the idea,” Ryan said.

“I don’t imagine she does.” Neither did Taya. The thought of hiding her niece underground made her stomach roll. What if she couldn’t make it back to rescue her?

Ryan ordered his two dogs to stay in the yard, then held out his hand for the keys. “Feed my ego and let me drive.”

Taya laughed. “You don’t have an ego.” She dropped the keys in his palm.

Once inside the Jeep, he asked, “How can your contacts be here so fast? It’s at least four hours from Oklahoma City.”

“I never said they were in OKC.” She tilted her head. “But they were until they received a tip that there’s a trafficking ring close by my location.” It bothered her that the group had kept tabs on her. She’d asked that they let her go for Tracy’s safety. So much for favors.

He frowned. “Did everyone know the ring’s location except for us and local law enforcement?”

“We know now.” All they had to do was find them before they found Tracy.

“What kind of supplies? Food? Water?”

“Is there someplace to get infrared goggles? A Kevlar vest? Those types of things?”

His eyes widened. “You going out into the field?”

“If they come to the cabin, I plan on coming up behind them.” She hitched her chin. “It’s what I do, and I’m very good at my job.”

“I don’t live here, so I have no idea where someone would buy that kind of stuff.”

“I’ll look online for a military surplus store.” Minutes later she found one in Langley. “If we hurry, we’ll have time to make my appointment.”

Ryan nodded and pulled onto the interstate. “Best to get the groceries after the meeting in case it goes long.”

“It won’t.” She should’ve asked her contact to bring the goggles and vest along with guns and ammo, but it had slipped her mind. Preparing for war had thrown her off kilter. Or, at least, some semblance of war. When had things gone so wrong? Answer—When her sister died and left her to raise a preteen. Taya hadn’t been qualified. Her job took her away too often, leaving Tracy unsupervised. Then, Taya had quit after the rescue, only to find herself right back where she started—going out to fight and leaving her niece behind.

“What’s wrong?” Ryan cut her a sideways glance.