Page 41 of Under Fire in Big Sky

“I already heard the spiel from Trujillo. I’ll tell you the same thing I told him. We’re not terrorists. We’re activists.”

“The government disagrees. There’s absolutely nothing I can do for you, Audrey, but my offer isn’t for you. It’s for your brother. Kevin,” Olivia said, and Audrey looked at her. “I can help him. Make it possible for him to still have a future. He’ll get a slap on the wrist and avoid getting any permanent nasty labels. Like terrorist. Provided you cooperate.”

“Aegis is an evil entity. You serve the devil. I’m supposed to trust you and make a deal with you?” Audrey shook her head. “I want to see it in writing.”

“No time for that. You have fifteen minutes left before the offer expires.”

“This could be a lie.” Wary hazel eyes scrutinized her. “A setup.”

“You’re right.” Olivia took out her phone and dialed the number Lauren gave her. She placed the call on speaker.

“Deputy Director Baccarin,” the man on the other end of the line said.

“This is Liv Lane with Aegis. I’m sitting with Audrey Carter. Please confirm the specifics of the offer.”

“Miss Carter, if you give us actionable intelligence, I’ll see to it your brother is charged with a misdemeanor. He’ll do six months in county jail. Refuse to cooperate and he’ll be charged and tried as a terrorist. When he’s found guilty, he’ll do years in a supermax, where we send the worst of the worst. Kevin will be in gen pop. Those hardcore offenders will tear your little brother apart for entertainment,” Baccarin said, and Audrey cringed. “The choice is yours and the clock is ticking.” The deputy director hung up.

Olivia set the phone down. “Is your baby brother going to suffer because you dragged him into this mess? Or are you going to save him? Ten minutes left.”

Squeezing her eyes shut for a moment, Audrey hesitated. “Okay.”

Olivia nodded. “Good. Now, Shepherd. Tell me about him. Is that his real name?”

“He found us and called himself the shepherd.” Straightening, Audrey began to fidget. “We shortened it. Simply calling him Shepherd. I don’t know his real name.”

“What does he look like?”

“Early fifties. About six feet tall. Really fit. Beard. Green eyes. Glasses. Black hair.”

Great. That described roughly twenty-five percent of the men in Montana. They would need to get a forensic artist in to give them a sketch. “You told Maben that Shepherd has military training. What branch of service?”

“That rat,” Audrey hissed. “Shepherd was never specific. All he told us was Special Forces.”

It could’ve been a lie, the part about being spec ops, to give the group a false sense of confidence in him. Olivia hoped the guy had inflated his skills and expertise. Though she suspected the military training was true. “Where can we find him?”

“He was staying at an old dairy farm that shut down years ago.” Audrey gave the address, in a town two hours away. “After we hit the Rising Rock Resort, he planned to move on to his next objective. Without us.”

“Without you?” That was odd. “Doesn’t he need your help?”

“No. He has others. New members he recruited.”

“I’ll need their names. Addresses. Anything you can tell me about them.”

“I don’t know who they are. Shepherd changed the way we operate. He organized us geographically, different towns and different cities into separate groups. The members in my group don’t know who the other members are. Or their mission.”

A clandestine cell system. Compartmentalization made the network harder for authorities to detect. Groups like the IRA and al-Qaeda utilized a similar cell-based approach for security and to carry out attacks.

Olivia straightened. “I need actionable intel.”

“That’s all I know.” Biting her lip, Audrey bowed her head.

The woman knew more. Olivia felt it in her gut. “You’ve given me nothing. I can’t save your brother with nothing.”

“Shepherd is doing great things. He’s trying to make a difference. This is about something so much bigger,” Audrey said, sounding conflicted, torn between protecting the group and her brother.

Olivia needed to clarify things for her. Make the choice easier. “The report about the ferrets was falsified. Someone paid to make sure the endangered species wouldn’t stop the eminent domain from going through. People are digging into it. They’ll find the truth and expose the people responsible.”

Audrey’s eyes glistened with unshed tears. Her bottom lip trembled.