Page 27 of Under Fire in Big Sky

Kevin grabbed onto a tall metal cart of supplies and flung it over into the middle of the corridor. Then he rushed through the stairwell door.

As Eli jumped over the cart, his foot got caught on one of the racks. He tripped, and his knee slammed against the floor. Cursing, he leaped up and shoved on the door, racing into the stairwell. Eli saw Kevin, one flight down, with a gun in his hand.

Pop! The bullet struck the steel railing.

Ducking back into the corridor, he let the door shut. The guy only missed him because of lousy aim.

Eli wished he hadn’t left his firearm in a locked box in his Ram. But he didn’t think he’d need it in the hospital.

With his back pressed to the wall, he took a breath. Listened. Heard footsteps retreating. He hurried back into the stairwell and peeked over the railing.

Kevin was close to the ground floor. The guy glanced up. Spotted him. Aimed again.

Hustling backward in case he got lucky, Eli moved out of the way as the next bullet pinged the railing. He dashed down the steps, sticking close to the wall.

By the time he reached the ground floor, there was no sign of Kevin.

Eli ran to the exit that led out into a parking lot. A black truck was speeding away. The vehicle turned onto the main road, tires screeching, and disappeared into the night.

He stared out at the parking lot, searching for anyone else lurking around.

Why was NDR still after Olivia? They stopped the opening of the resort. They won.

Were they determined to kill her because she worked for Aegis?

More importantly, if she insisted on pursuing this investigation, how was he going to keep her safe?

Chapter Seven

The files Lauren emailed Olivia last night regarding the history of the resort’s development along with updated information on the New Dawn Revolution provided much-needed clarity, but they didn’t come close to answering all their questions.

“It looks like the town council of Rising Rock used eminent domain to seize the land used for the resort,” Olivia said from the passenger’s seat of Eli’s truck as he drove northwest to their destination.

“On what grounds?”

She scrolled through the file she had opened on her laptop. “Infrastructure and private economic development designed to increase taxes and jobs.”

“You told me NDR was upset about weasels.”

“Black-footed ferrets. They’re an endangered species. One of their last breeding grounds was on the land. Chip Whitney and the other investors were aware of that fact and simply didn’t care, according to the file.”

“That may be, but I’m sure someone caused a stink about those ferrets before the eminent domain was approved. Didn’t the EPA have to investigate?”

“The US Fish and Wildlife Service is responsible for implementing the Endangered Species Act and protecting the animals listed.” She scanned the pages until she found the part she was looking for. “They collaborated with the Montana department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks and FWP handled the investigation due to state expertise.”

“Anything in your little file to indicate whether that was unusual?”

“No. But the odd thing is, according to the FWP report, there were no ferrets on the land, and the breeding ground was supposedly located miles away.”

“Do you believe it?”

“NDR was so certain the breeding ground was destroyed they were willing to kill. I believe the report was falsified. But I need to prove it.”

“Doesn’t proving it only help NDR?” Stopping at a traffic light, he glanced at her. “I thought they were the enemy we were hunting, not helping?”

“I might be able to use proof as bait. NDR would love to use concrete evidence to drag the investors through the mud. Various environmental organizations would line up to file lawsuits. Criminal penalties.”

He turned left down a residential street.