Page 31 of Under Fire in Big Sky

“We’re going to need the names and addresses of all known NDR members,” Trujillo said.

“I’ll give you what I can, but there’s no telling who’s still active and I’m not privy to any of the new people. It’s my understanding there are a lot of them all over the state.”

New leadership and turnover in members were going to make their job that much harder.

“I also need you to tell us everything you can about Audrey Carter,” Olivia said. They needed to know her weaknesses, habits, whatever made her vulnerable.

“Not much to say about her,” Maben said. “She’s headstrong. Tough. Drawn to power like a moth to a flame. The only thing she cares about more than NDR is her brother. Kevin.”

“Kevin’s her brother?” Eli asked, almost to himself.

That tidbit was in the deep dive Lauren had sent to Olivia. There was so much to share with Eli, she hadn’t gotten around to that part. The two grew up in a broken home, with a single mother who was an alcoholic. Audrey was five years older, and Kevin was only twenty-two. She protected her mother from the scrutiny of child protective services and did whatever was necessary to avoid foster care. At seventeen, she turned to the NDR, looking for purpose and a different kind of family. She found both. After that, there wasn’t much on either Audrey or Kevin.

“Yep,” Maben said. “It’s just been the two of them for so long. Audrey convinced Kevin to join New Dawn. I think it was a way for her to keep him close. She’d do anything for him.”

Maybe that was something they could use. “Any idea where she’d go to hide out?”

“Not far, I can tell you that. Rising Rock, the surrounding towns, Kevin, and the NDR is all she knows. All she has.”

Not anymore. She also had Shepherd.

“When you were in charge,” Olivia said, “did you make a habit out of giving your planned attacks—”

“Demonstrations,” Maben interjected, “and protests.”

“Did you give them operational names?”

Maben’s brow wrinkled. “What do you mean?”

“The attack at the hotel with the fires,” Eli said, “they called it Protocol Gloriosa.”

“Gloriosa?” Maben scratched his head. “Like the flower?”

“What kind of flower?” Olivia wondered.

“It’s a striking lily. The petals are bright red to orange. It’s often called a flame lily.”

“Clever,” Olivia muttered.

“I never named any of our demonstrations or protests,” Maben said. “That’s different.”

Everything was different because of Shepherd. She exchanged a glance with Eli. A leader of a terrorist organization with former military experience was proving to be more than problematic. This new entity was dangerous.

Maben made coffee. Everyone sat, except Eli—he preferred to stay standing and move around a bit—while the founder of NDR gave them a list of names, addresses, and phone numbers of the members he knew. They spoke for hours, squeezing the founder for anything potentially helpful.

Trujillo warned Maben not to leave the area and then they left his house.

In the driveway, Trujillo stopped them. Or rather Olivia. “Hey, Lane.”

Eli hoped this wasn’t going to get ugly.

“I think it’s time to hit him with the four essentials,” Olivia whispered to Eli.

She’d spoken of it many times. Her former mentor’s essential four steps for effective persuasion. Ask questions. Establish credibility. Find common ground. Create buy-in.

But Eli had never seen her put it to work.

Olivia turned around and plastered on a pleasant smile. “Yes?”