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So far, so good, Ethan thought as he rode with Renault back to Shelby Bay, but Renault didn t drive to Oakley s house.

Instead, he took a route to a more deserted area where a few businesses had closed down, including a couple of warehouses, a movie theater, a hardware store, and a couple of other nondescript shops at the edge of a wooded area.

Where are we going? Ethan tried not to sound like he was getting a little worried and ready to take Renault into custody before Ethan was ambushed.

I told you. I have a new location where Kroner could be staying.

How did you learn of it? Ethan was wary of this whole situation.

Ferret. He trusted me to take your place as his handler and gave me the new intel. Of course, we don t know if it will be any good, given that he gave Charlene s house address the last time with regard to Kroner, but what if it s right? It s worth taking the chance to check it out.

What about Grainger? You know he can fire you if he learns you re going out on a limb like this without his approval. Especially since he already said no to you doing this on your own.

Exactly. That s why I need you to be with me. You legitimize the action since you re already doing the surveillance under Grainger s orders. I can just happen to be with you when we catch up to Kroner.

Hell. Ethan had known Renault hadn t gotten approval from Grainger. He just hoped they had been wrong about Renault and he could be trusted. He also hoped that Noah was following them to serve as his backup if this all went sideways and Renault hadn t lost him.

Renault parked near one of the warehouses that looked abandoned.

Paint was peeling off the outer walls, but a side door looked secure, and so did a rolling, commercial steel garage door.

Both doors looked out of place with the condition of the rest of the building.

Which made it appear promising that the warehouse could hold some secrets related to a criminal enterprise.

About a hundred yards to the west of the warehouse was an auto body repair shop that looked rather shabby on the outside but also had a new steel garage door and heavy-duty front door.

To the south were woods and to the east of the warehouse, a couple of abandoned shops, the signs long gone.

The windows were boarded up and the properties were listed for sale.

Across the street was an old movie theater, also boarded up.

It was a shame that someone couldn t come in and revitalize the area.

Look, Renault said, pointing to a pickup truck near the smaller door.

Hell, is that… Ethan started to say.

Lawrence Baker s truck? The police officer with the Portland Police Bureau? Yeah. What s he doing here if he isn t involved with Kroner? Renault asked.

It looks like Lawrence Baker is one of the moles.

Yeah. Look, there s Agent Manx Ryerson, Renault said, motioning to the car that just pulled up. One of our DEA guys.

It looked like Ethan and his friends had it right. Officer Baker and Agent Ryerson were involved if Kroner was here.

Two more cars pulled up and Ethan barely breathed while four men climbed out of one car and three out of another.

Oakley, Renault said.

Kroner. We need to call this in. We can t take all these men in on our own, Ethan said.

Come on. We can take them, Renault said. The element of surprise.

Ethan looked at Renault like he was crazy. No way could they take that many men down on their own. No telling how many others were in the warehouse.

Ethan texted Grainger with their location and names of all who were at the meeting at the warehouse, then told him that Renault was there with him, and Ferret had given Renault the information.

Grainger texted him back, despite the early morning hour. I m sending the local police force your way, but you re in charge. Where s Noah?

Ethan texted: He s in another car. I ended up with Renault.

Have you cleared him of wrongdoing?

Ethan glanced at Renault. He was texting someone. No, sir.

Keep an eye on him. Take him down if you suspect he s in collusion with Kroner.

Yes, sir. Before Ethan could text Noah, he texted him instead.

Noah texted: We re right here.

Tori called Ethan on his cell, and he told her, We ve found everyone. He gave Tori the location of the warehouse. Renault and I are watching the building now. Noah and Josh just arrived. We re waiting for local police backup.

We followed Baker here. We re just pulling up now. My boss got word from your boss, but we also found the connection between police officer Elias Davis and Kroner, Tori said. You didn t think Adam and I would let you take all the credit for taking these guys down, did you?

Ethan smiled. Good show. He wanted to ask her if her financial guy had learned anything about Renault s finances.

Then the police cars began pulling up, shining their headlights and spotlights on the warehouse.

Ethan had the officers surround the warehouse to make sure no one left it. He noticed then that the building had several security cameras. Probably so that Kroner would know if the police or any thugs who wanted to rip them off showed up.

Tori and Adam joined him. Ethan figured she would be glad when this case was over as far as him doing stakeouts and calling her all night long. Unless Noah started calling her on missions once Ethan was fully retired.

Then Noah and Josh Wilding joined them, and Renault s jaw dropped. When did you get back to Oregon? Did Grainger send you, Noah? Renault asked.

I ve been working with Noah undercover, Ethan said. We weren t supposed to tell anyone, but we all need to work together to take these men down.

Well, hell. Renault gave Noah a hug. Glad you re here for good now.

Yeah, me too. Sorry. Our boss swore me to secrecy, Noah said. I m just glad Ethan was able to help you take down Thor. I wanted to help, of course, but I was watching over Charlene.

Oh, of course. Ethan had worried that I might have led the stalker to Charlene s house, Renault said.

Right, Noah said.

I just hope Kroner and his men don t have some other way to exit the building that we are unaware of. Ethan spoke with Ty Richardson, the officer in charge of the support officers there. I need the blueprints for the warehouse if you can get them quickly.

On it.

Okay, good. We need to keep the warehouse surrounded. These men are considered armed and dangerous, and we witnessed them going inside.

At least the building didn t have any windows so no one could shoot out of the building that way.

An IT hotshot we called has disabled their security cameras, Adam said.

That s good to hear, Ethan said. I figured Kroner and his men were watching us, counting our numbers, sweating it out.

Yeah, for a little bit until their screens went dark. The power s being cut too. Tori smiled. I got hold of the electric company. I m sure Kroner and his men are a bit rattled.

That s where we want them to be. Ethan hoped Kroner was losing control of his men and everything was chaotic inside.

At least wolves could see in the dark. These guys couldn t see a thing when the warehouse didn t have any windows even to let in a little illumination from the police lights set up.

He was glad he could count on his wolf friends to work with him to tackle the problem.

Ty got on a horn and called for the men to come out and surrender. We ve got the place surrounded.

There was no response.

Ethan could envision them having a standoff for hours, days maybe if the guys inside had planned for a siege and had enough water to drink and food to eat.

Adam got a call on his phone. It s Chief Covington. Then he said to his boss, Putting the call on speaker so that Ethan and Renault from the DEA can listen in if it s all right with you, sir.

Yeah, I m keeping in touch with Grainger. Kroner called me and said that he has gotten Baker and one of Grainger s men, Agent Ryerson, as hostages, Covington said.

No way, Ethan said. Renault and I both watched them walk into the warehouse on their own, no coercion whatsoever. Unless their families are being threatened.

Anticipating that, we ve already picked up their families, just in case, but they said they haven t had any trouble, Covington said.

We believe it s just Kroner s ploy so that we don t approach them while they ve got the so-called hostages.

Though knowing Kroner and his murderous tactics, he might end up killing one of the officers to show he s serious.

The corrupt DEA agents and the police officers should have known how ruthless Kroner can be and that all his men are expendable.

He can get replacements for all of them with a snap of his fingers, promises of riches, and his innate charm, though I sure as hell don t see how people can fall for it.

Yeah, me either, Ethan said.

The water department cut off their water supply, so unless they have stockpiles of food and drink, we hope this won t last long. I ve got to go. Let s keep each other informed, Covington said.

Will do, sir, Tori said.

Trucks arrived to tow off Kroner and his men s vehicles.

Once the vehicles were gone, barriers were set up for everyone to stay behind. At least the warehouse was far from any other businesses that were still in operation, though it was quiet out here, dead even, so civilians shouldn t be in trouble.

The side door opened and a man who Ethan didn t recognize had Officer Lawrence Baker in front of him, his hands tied in front.

Baker was sporting a black eye, and Ethan wondered if Kroner had his men rough Baker up a bit to make it look like he was really a hostage, or he did it because he thought Baker had led the police to him.

If Kroner only knew Ferret was the one who had told them, he would want him dead.

Ferret s going into the Witness Protection Program, isn t he? Ethan asked Renault.

Yeah, the minute he told us where Kroner was going to be and once you and I learned Kroner and his men were actually here, they whisked Ferret and his immediate family—mother, sister and her baby—away for their own protection, Renault said.

I wonder how Ferret learned about Kroner being here. Ethan always asked Ferret when he gave him some good intel or bad.

Oh yeah, I asked. He said he always liked you and you treated him like a person.

He said Kroner was coming after you, making it his priority.

Ferret has been going to all the places that he knows Kroner or his men hang out.

About half an hour before all of this went down, one of Kroner s men was talking to another, and he said Kroner and a bunch of the guys were going to the warehouse.

That he felt it was a death trap, and that Kroner was making it harder for the rest of them to keep from getting caught because of his vendetta against you.

Smiling, Tori shook her head. I can t fathom an informant would be worried about Ethan s health when he had to believe that Ethan was retired and unable to help him out any longer while on the force.

Ethan had never told anyone, but he d gone out of his way to see that Ferret s mother was getting some medical care and his sister was provided for when her baby came due.

It wasn t just about the job. The guy had just needed a break and it never came until Ethan began to get tips from him and could help Ferret and his family out in some small way.

Moving him and his family into the Witness Protection Program, getting him into treatment, getting a job, all of that would hopefully set him on the right path.

Yeah, Adam said. You think Ethan s this tough DEA agent who eats drug dealers for lunch, but he has got a heart. At least Sierra always says he does.

Me too, Tori said, winking at Adam.

Ethan felt his cheeks heat with embarrassment.

Noah was smiling. That s pretty great that the people you work with feel that way about you, truthfully.

Ethan had thought Noah would believe he had been too soft on the job. Ethan also knew his friends were giving him a hard time because they figured this would be the last job he did.

Ty brought them the blueprints on the warehouse. Ethan and the others looked them over. There were six rooms, and the rest was an open space, no second story, no basement.

Ethan knew that all his wolf friends had their tactical backpack harnesses if they had to turn wolf. They were tucked away in their gear so that humans wouldn t ask what that was for. He didn t believe they would need them, but if they did, they would be prepared to run as wolves.

But for now, they were stuck playing the game as humans, armed to the teeth with guns.