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Wiz stood on the third story patio, the Sapphires behind her. “As of right now, the fire department has staged vehicles about a mile away from the ranch road, and I’ll lower the barrier if our fire suppression isn’t sufficient.” Her face disappeared, and a view overlooking the Rocking B ranch appeared. She zoomed in; news crews were already filming from the edge of the highway and other vehicles slowed, swerved or skidded to a stop on the verge. “The State Patrol is responding to direct traffic; you can see people are being stupid. I’ve triangulated the drone controller’s location—they’re north of us—and sent it to the State Police, the Sheriff and the Forest Service. All are responding and an arrest is expected soon.”
“Well, at least the sheriff is smart enough to know he can’t let arsonists get away,” Michael said. “But we’re not out of the woods. They may have a tactical team on their way to attack the house, and we can’t tell because they’ve taken out so many cameras.”
Wiz grimaced. “I’ve still got eyes out there. I sent my drone to the fire bomber’s location; there were three large SUVs parked at a high spot overlooking the valley. I found two teams of six people in tactical gear on the Crest Trail headed our way; one of them shot down my drone. But, I’m watching several wildlife monitoring networks. They took down some of those game cameras, but I’ve accessed a couple well off the trail they didn’t find. Both teams were a half-mile down the trail when something happened and they turned around. They’re loading into vehicles now, probably to avoid the police.”
“Wiz, do you have eyes to the north and south?” Geo asked.
She said, “Some. What I just described was on the north. The south is harder. Most of the game cameras there are individual hunters, and they’re not networked. I’m launching another drone, but it’s slower. Nic, Michael, if you have to escape, go north. I’m sending a map with trails and landmarks. Obviously, you’ll want to avoid the trails when possible, but with kids it will be difficult. If we have to leave, the three of us will hang back and cover your six as much as possible. I called my pilot friend, but the helo is down.”
Nic said, “Thanks, Wiz. My first choice is to go right down the ranch road. Kim can call the news stations and talk about how we’re trying to get our kids out. Any attack on us would be skewered. But that might not work if a fire gets going or someone mows down the press with a vehicle, or Koslov’s been driven to the point where he no longer cares about bad press.”
Geo waved on his camera. “I’ve got some intel from someone watching Koslov. I don’t trust them entirely, but they have no reason to lie about this. Koslov is on the move. He’s in a convoy of heavily armed vehicles and they seem to be headed for a local private airstrip. About ten minutes after he left, a couple of trucks rammed the front gate of his Seattle area home, then his front door. Men in plain black tactical gear and masks got out, and gunfire was heard. The house is on fire.” He smiled. “I think his Bratva customers decided Koslov was a liability, rather than an asset, and they’re taking him out. Or trying to. I'm trying to find out where his jet is going, but they haven’t filed any flight plans and probably won’t.”
“That would explain why the teams headed here turned around.” Wiz nodded. “But we can’t assume all of them are gone. Let’s sit tight while I get that drone out. Geo, Erin and Ryan stay alert, too.”
“We are.” Geo pointed up. “I’ve got my teams on the roof at Coffee & Cars. I agree with sitting tight for now. But let me know if you need us to sweep your properties.”
Pete snorted. “You realize the Rocking B is three hundred and twenty acres, right? And Wiz has almost that much?”
His eyebrows raised. “Okay, the areas around your houses and barns.”
“I’ll have to replace all the cameras I lost, so we’ll do it then.” Checking with each of them, Wiz’s focus shifted on the screen. “Any questions or concerns?”
Concerns, sure, but Deb shook her head. They were in the safest location possible, so why move?
Wiz’s hand reached toward them. “Okay, plan A is wait and see. Wiz out.”
Deb flicked off the video conference, and turned to face Michael and Nic. “Do you really think it’s over?”
Both men shrugged. Nic spoke first. “We can hope. I think there’s still a general threat, but I also think the larger organization will probably cut their losses here. Too much publicity, not enough gain, and they’ve got someone to blame.”
Michael frowned. “There’s a possibility of revenge for sure, but probably not immediately. As Nic said, too much publicity. I think you’ve got time to rebuild and restart, if that’s what you want to do.”
“I have no idea what I want to do yet.” Deb leaned against the wall. “Even with all the help, rebuilding seems overwhelming. And then there’s the bank loan. Two weeks of notice? That can’t be right. Normally, I’d ask Sam, but now she’s missing too. And with Mills, supposedly. But what if Koslov got her? Can we trust Mills?” Kim, the girls, and Erin were all safe, but Sam was alone. Or with her ex. Neither possibility was comforting.
“Don’t worry about the rebuild, Deb, we’ve got that.” Nic squeezed her shoulder. “I’m going to tell Kim what’s going on.” He walked away.
Michael mirrored her stance, leaning against the wall. “Nic’s right. The bakery is easy. Deciding what you want to do will be harder. I’d suggest taking a couple of days to recover before you make any decisions. You can bake thank you cupcakes—because I know you’re itching to do that—and read through the bank paperwork. Even if yours burned, the bank is obligated to give you a copy. You can probably find it online.” He frowned. “Although, I’m not sure I’d trust Sharlene Murphy. She could have modified the documents.”
Deb smiled. “Sam’s got a copy at her office, plus mine is in a small fire safe with all my paperwork. Assuming no one took it.” She hadn’t checked recently, but it was unlikely anyone had looked inside her giant roasting pan, kept on top of her apartment kitchen cabinets. She used the roaster once or twice a year for turkey, and during that time, the fire safe went in her bathroom, behind the towels. She yawned. “Sleep before decisions seems like a good idea, though. I don’t think I’ve slept through the night for weeks.”
Michael unhooked his rifle, leaned it against the wall, and spread his arms wide. “How about a hug? That might help too.”
Deb grinned, stepped in close, and wrapped her arms around him, below his vest. She didn’t squeeze, knowing his back still hurt. He held her tight, and laid his head against the side of her head. “That does help, a lot.” Deb pulled her shoulders away, and his hands slid from her upper arms to the vest across her back. She already missed his touch, but they could indulge in even better contact. “How about a kiss, too?”
“Excellent idea.” He bent and twisted, wincing.
Deb frowned. “Don’t hurt yourself.” She pulled away and took his hand, tugging him back to the tunnel door. Putting her right hand on Michael’s shoulder, she stepped up, twisted and wedged her heels onto the ledge formed into the submarine-style hatch, and put her left hand on his other shoulder. “Is that too hard on your back?”
Michael grinned and stepped closer, turning his head slightly. “Would I care?” He slid one arm up her neck, into her hair, and touched his lips to hers.
Heat flashed through Deb’s chest, and her heart sang with joy. She returned his kiss, gently at first, but it soon turned passionate. She tried to pull him closer, but their vests got in the way.
Michael pulled away. “While I’d like to keep doing that more than anything, now probably isn’t the best time. And we need to talk.”
Deb’s heart dropped from the heights and crashed to the ground. But his smile said she was overreacting.
“No, nothing bad.” He smiled and caressed the back of her neck. “I’m done resisting this. I don’t deserve you, and I’m probably not the best guy for you. I’m definitely not the healthiest. But I don’t want to let you go, either. Maybe we won’t make it in the long run, but I want to try, and I’m going for the gold ring at the end, Deb. I’m in it to win it. Does that scare you?”
