Cold Snap

by Allison Brennan

  Sean wasn’t confident that they were making the right decision, but he understood why Lucy felt they didn’t have much of a choice. A six-year-old was in danger, and if Ann and Jeff really planned to disappear, they didn’t have much time to save him.

  * * *

  Micah said he knew a faster route to the trailers than either following Jeff’s footsteps or the ATV tracks, but Sean was skeptical. Lucy said to Micah, “Can you give us one minute?”

  The boy looked from her to Sean. The sadness and determination in his eyes broke Lucy’s heart. No child should have to go through what he did. To be forced to grow up so fast.

  He shrugged. “Okay.” He walked thirty feet away and sat at the base of a tree. Lucy kept one eye on him while she spoke quietly to Sean.

  “He’s been hiding from the people who killed his mother for three days. He’s nine years old. But he’s a survivor. If we don’t find the trailers right now, his brother will be gone. Tommy is all he has left.”

  “Lucy—why do I feel roles are reversed? You’re usually the one demanding we call in the authorities. What’s changed?” Sean glanced at Micah.

  “Nothing’s changed. This is a completely different situation. And of course we need to call, but if Micah is right and one of the rangers is helping them, we can’t put out a blanket call for help until we get Tommy out of danger. We’ve got to find a way to delay them. But first, we get Tommy and Micah to safety.”

  “How many people are we dealing with?”

  “Three men, two women. Jeff, Ann, Cynthia, and two guys Micah called their muscle. There are two ATVs at the camp. I need to see the layout but I think I have a plan.”

  “You want to rescue Tommy and steal the ATVs.”

  “That’s about right.”

  Sean was thinking, and Lucy pushed. “Daylight is fading fast. We don’t have time. Our car is in the opposite direction of the drug camp. Micah knows where he’s going, Sean.”

  “It’s not that I don’t want to do it, but five against two with two kids in the middle?”

  “They don’t know we have Micah, and they don’t know we’re going after Tommy.”

  He took her hand and squeezed. “We’ll go his way. But Luce—tell me you’re on your game here.”

  She frowned and tensed. “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “You’re attached to him.”

  “I really don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Let’s just say you bonded quickly with Micah. Don’t be reckless, Luce.”

  “I’m not.” Lucy didn’t know what Sean was getting at, but she definitely wasn’t planning on doing anything stupid. “We’re a team, you and me.”

  Sean rubbed his eyes. “All right, let’s go.” He motioned for Micah. “You’re leading, kid. How long?”

  He shrugged. “Less than an hour?”

  “We have about an hour of light yet, and I don’t want to have to bring out the flashlights. That might give us away. This only works if we can sneak up on them.”

  Micah nodded. “I can move fast.”

  “You’re on.”

  They followed Micah in silence. The kid kept a good pace, and though both Sean and Lucy were athletic, they were doing their best to keep up over the uneven terrain.

  Lucy realized why Jeff and Ann had chosen another way to their camp. They were maneuvering through dense trees and foliage. It was darker and colder in the woods and difficult to get a sense of direction since they couldn’t see the sky except in brief glimpses through the treetops. A good place to escape, and to hide.

  Sean was getting frustrated, however. Lucy could feel the tension in his body. He was worried about all of them, and not knowing what they would be facing, not having more information, and not having the ability to communicate was probably worse for him than for her.

  He said, “How much farther?” It was nearly dark and Micah was barely visible ten feet in front of them.

  Micah turned and put a finger to his lips.

  Lucy listened. She heard a distant metal door slamming. A truck, maybe. A voice, but it was too far away to make out what it was saying.

  He motioned for them to walk carefully. Fifty feet ahead, the ground nearly gave way to a sheer drop of three stories. In front of them was a wide, sloped clearing, a valley almost completely surrounded by a ring of trees. Some of the trees appeared charred. The ground looked too green and fresh. It was brighter here, as the setting sun cast the entire valley in colors. But the light wouldn’t last long.

  Three trailers were lined up twenty feet apart. She could only see two pickup trucks, each with an ATV in the bed. They would only be able to haul two trailers away, either because they planned to come back, or they didn’t care that they abandoned the others.

  A trailer with a metal attachment extending the entrance was distinctly separate from the group. The meth lab? Probably. That’s where three men were talking. One was Jeff. Two went inside and Jeff walked across the clearing to the living quarters.

  Lucy said, “We have to be careful there—the chemicals are extremely dangerous.”

  Sean turned on his phone. “No signal.”

  Micah pointed south. “Walk along this ledge. Ann used to go to the rock grouping down there to call people. Phones work in the valley, but they drop off all the time. The rock is higher. But you might be seen.”

  “Text messages can often get through as long as there is a minimal signal,” Sean said. He handed his phone to Lucy. “You know who to call.”

  “I’m not going to leave you.”

  “We agreed—we need backup. We’re going to sit here and keep an eye on the place. If they look like they’re moving out, we’ll change the plan. For now, we watch and wait.”

  Lucy agreed. “I’ll be back as soon as I get through to someone.”

  Micah looked worried. “What if they see you? Ann is real mean.”

  Lucy rubbed the bump on the back of her head. “I know. But it’s nearly dark, I’ll be careful. You, too.”

  Sean watched Lucy weave through the trees to avoid being seen by anyone below. He motioned for Micah to step back a bit and dropped his backpack behind a fallen tree. “We’ll stay here for now.”

  “Is she going to be okay?”

  I hope. “She’s good. She won’t be seen.”

  “I don’t want Ann to hurt her again.”

  Sean glanced at him. “You saw what happened?”

  He nodded, his eyes wide. “I thought she was dead. Ann hit her, then tied her up and took her stuff and left.”

  Sean wanted to deck that bitch.

  A vehicle was approaching; it sounded like a truck. Micah moved forward, but Sean held him back. “Stay.”

  Staying low to the ground, he ventured toward the edge of the cliff. It was quickly getting dark, and all he saw were the headlights of a truck. Then it turned and Sean noted a seal on the door and emergency lights on the roof. U.S. Forest Service most likely. The corrupt ranger. There were loud voices, shouting, but Sean couldn’t make out what was being said.

  He pulled out his binoculars and looked at the scene. Ann and the ranger were arguing about something. It appeared that Ann won because the ranger looked pissed and stormed off into the meth trailer. Two men came out when the ranger went in and walked over to Ann. Damn, Sean wished he could read lips.

  He looked around the camp. He hadn’t seen any sign of Micah’s little brother. But he spotted two dirt bikes, one small, one larger, next to the trailer closest to the cliff.

  He went back to Micah. “Is your trailer the one closest to us? With the bikes?”

  “Yes,” Micah whispered. “Did you see Tommy?”

  Sean shook his head. “You said Tommy’s father is in jail?”

  “That’s what Mom said. They never got married. He was this guy my mom was seeing for a while. He left when she got pregnant. Just like my dad left.” He frowned. “She said they didn’t want kids, but she loved us enough for two parents. She always said that.”
/>   “Then believe it.”

  He shrugged. “We wouldn’t be here if she hadn’t brought us.”

  “She was under a lot of pressure.” Sean didn’t know what else to say to Micah. Lucy would know exactly the right words to make the kid feel okay about his mom and himself. Sean agreed with the kid: what mother would bring her young kids into the middle of this? But it couldn’t have been easy for her, a recovering drug addict raising two boys.

  Sean glanced at his watch. Lucy had only been gone ten minutes. It felt much longer.

  “I hate drugs,” Micah said.

  “So do I.” Sean glanced at him. Now that the sun had gone down, the temperature had dropped substantially. He pulled out his extra sweatshirt and handed it to Micah. Micah put it on. It went to his knees. Sean rolled up the sleeves for him. “My oldest sister, Molly, overdosed on drugs. I was little, younger than your brother, when it happened. I barely remember her, but my parents were so sad and angry and they blamed themselves.” He paused. Like Justin’s murder had forever changed the Kincaid family, Molly’s overdose had a similar effect on the Rogans. “You’ve been strong for three days, Micah. I admire that. Your brother’s going to need you.”

  Micah didn’t say anything for a minute. Then, “Do you hate your sister?”

  “Of course not. She didn’t want to die. Drugs are addictive, they destroy people. She didn’t know how to stop. Even with all the help my parents gave her, she couldn’t seem to get out of the cycle. Sometimes—well, I was really small, but my parents were sad, and my brothers were sad and angry. I think they were mad at her but they also loved and missed her.”

  Sean motioned for Micah to stay hidden. “I’m going to check out what’s happening. I don’t hear anything.”

  He crawled over to the edge and looked down at the camp. The lights were on in all the trailers. He made out shadows and silhouettes but it was hard to discern how many people. Boxes were being taken out of the meth trailer and carried across the open space to the trailer on the far side. The ranger was still there, but Sean couldn’t see him. Or Ann.

  He crawled back to Micah. “They’re definitely moving out,” he said.

  “Did you see Tommy?”

  “No.”

  “We have to get him!” Micah’s voice cracked.

  “Shh, I know. I’m working on a plan.”

  “What?”

  “I’m thinking.” He had no idea how to get the kid. He didn’t know if someone was in the trailer with him, or if he was even in the trailer Micah identified. Sean needed to get closer, but he wasn’t going to leave Micah alone. When Lucy returned, he would find a way down to the camp. He didn’t know how long it would take for them to pack up, but they didn’t seem in too much of a rush. He suspected a few hours, then they’d leave. They might even wait until dawn.

  “Ten more minutes,” Sean said.

  He heard the slide of a gun and a round being chambered. “You don’t have ten minutes, Sean Rogan,” Ann said behind him.

  He kept his hands in sight and slowly turned around.

  Micah leaned against Sean, shaking.

  “Thank you for finding him. He’s been nothing but a fucking pain in my ass.”

  “Don’t. Touch. Him.”

  She laughed. “You should be more worried about yourself. I don’t kill kids.”

  “Where’s Lucy?” Sean raised his voice, hoping Lucy could hear and would stay away.

  “She’ll be fine. It’ll take her a while to get out of the woods at night, but she’ll make it. By the time she gets to the road, we’ll be long gone.” She stepped forward. “I’m not cruel. Micah, where did you hide my book?”

  Sean frowned. “What book?”

  “He didn’t tell you he stole it from me. It has everything I need for my business.”

  Micah’s voice cracked. “You killed my mom.”

  “The book, Micah.”

  “No!”

  “I said I don’t kill kids. But him?” She turned the gun on Sean. “My book, Micah. I’ll count to three. One.”

  That’s why she was looking for Micah—not because he’d run away, but because he’d taken something from her.

  “Don’t say anything,” Sean said. “That book is what’s keeping you alive, kid.”

  “I’ll take you to it,” Micah said.

  “Just tell me where.”

  “I buried it. You won’t be able to find it at night, but I can.”

  Ann motioned to the two guys behind her. “Take Rogan to the camp and secure him. I’ll go with the kid.”

  “I swear if you hurt him—”

  “You’re not in a position to make threats,” Ann told Sean. “I’m not going to hurt him. He knows these woods better than anyone, it appears. He’ll find his way out soon enough.”

  “Where’s Tommy?” Micah demanded, his voice cracking but holding his chin up.

  “Don’t worry about Tommy. If you take me to my book, I’ll take you to Tommy. Deal?”

  Micah nodded.

  The two guys grabbed Rogan and zip-tied his wrists together, then led him along the edge of the cliff until it started to descend into the camp.

  Sean looked over his shoulder and saw Ann, gun in hand, following Micah into the woods.

  CHAPTER 6

  Special Agent Noah Armstrong, Lucy’s former training agent and a friend, wasn’t answering his cell phone or his home phone. She sent him a text message, telling him it was urgent she talk to him immediately, then she called her sister-in-law Kate Donovan. Kate taught cybercrime at Quantico and was married to Lucy’s brother Dillon.

  “Kate, it’s Lucy.”

  “Aren’t you camping?”

  “I need to reach Noah.”

  “I can barely hear you—are you whispering?”

  “Yes. Long story, no time to explain. Sean and I found a meth lab.”

  “In the woods,” Kate said flatly.

  “There are two kids in jeopardy, a nine-year-old boy named Micah Sanders and his brother, Thomas.” Lucy had gotten as much information from Micah as she could while they were walking to meet Sean. “Their mother’s dead. There are three men and two women involved in the lab, and at least one forest ranger.”

  “Where are you?”

  “Sean told Patrick where we were going, and I have Sean’s phone. I unlocked Sean’s GPS signal and Patrick should be able to track it. We’re on the eastern side of the Shenandoah National Park. There was a fire in the area a couple years ago; the meth lab is in a valley created by the fire. There’s no obvious road going in and out that I can see, but there are three small trailers, two trucks, and a large trailer that appears to be where they’re producing the drugs. They’re packing up now.”

  “I’ll call DEA. I have a friend who I trust. Just stay out of sight.”

  “We can’t. One of the boys, Micah, is with Sean. His little brother is in danger. We need to get him out. He’s a potential hostage.”

  “Lucy—”

  “They killed his mother, Kate.” Lucy lowered her voice. “I don’t have time to argue. Tell your contact, and Noah when you reach him, that they are armed and dangerous. The meth lab is fully functional.”

  “I got it. I’ll call Patrick for your coordinates, but even if there’s a team in the area, it’s going to take an hour or more to get to that location.”

  “We’ll try to delay them.”

  “Don’t do anything stupid!”

  Lucy heard voices on the cliff—that couldn’t be good. “I have to go.”

  “Lucy—”

  She hung up and pocketed the phone. She hoped Patrick could pinpoint their GPS and Kate had the right contacts to get DEA or FBI out here as soon as possible. Because right now she feared that little Tommy was in the middle of the danger zone.

  The best of all possible worlds would be to get Tommy from the camp and disappear into the woods until the cavalry arrived.

  Voices again. Lucy scurried into the woods, stepping lightly, keeping within the shadows of
the trees, grateful she was wearing all black.

  “Where’s Tommy?” she heard Micah say loud and clear.

  Lucy stopped. A female voice responded, but she couldn’t make out what she was saying.

  Ann?

  Flashlights reflected an area about twenty yards in front of her and to the right. She stayed behind a tree and watched. In the circle she saw Ann holding a gun walking with Micah, then quickly lost sight of them. Remaining in the circle was a restrained Sean—and two armed men. They started walking toward her, then turned down the slope to her right.

  How could she make this choice? Follow Sean or Micah? The man she loved or an innocent little boy?

  They hadn’t killed Sean, so it was likely that they wanted to keep him alive as a hostage or to interrogate him. Ann didn’t know she had escaped her binds; Sean wouldn’t have let it slip, and Lucy hoped Micah hadn’t, either.

  She didn’t have time to ponder. She waited until Sean and the men passed by her hiding spot, then she pursued Ann and Micah.

  Please, Lord, look after Sean.

  She wasn’t going to wait to act. She pulled the gun Micah had given her and followed Ann’s flashlight through the trees. She was gaining ground.

  She tripped once and bit her tongue to keep from crying out when her knee hit a rock. It took her a moment to get up and shake off the pain. She thought she’d lost them and scanned the area, looking for a light, listening for voices. They had stopped. She quietly drew closer.

  Micah was kneeling on the ground, practically hidden within Sean’s MIT sweatshirt, and Ann was closely watching him. What were they doing? At first Lucy thought that Ann was going to execute the kid, shoot him in the back of the head, then she saw that Micah was digging in the ground.

  She got as close as she dared, shielded only by the cover of darkness.

  “You’ve got balls, kid, but I don’t like games. That book is my life, and that means you screwed with my life.”