by Sara York
The corners of Grant’s mouth quirked up before he turned to face Tanner. “You and Mike will head to Canada. The support team for Canada will be led by Matthew. This will allow Tanner and Matthew to gain experience. Though we don’t know of any imminent danger, I want you to run this op like it was a critical op, Matthew. The fire could be a fluke, but we need to know for sure.”
“Yes, sir,” Matthew said.
Grant moved closer to Marshal and patted him on the back. “The France team, get with Jazz to pick up your assignments. Matthew, Tanner, and Mike, you three discuss your plans. I’ll be supporting Matthew along with Roger.”
Excitement zinged through Tanner. He was going out on a mission. He turned to Mike and couldn’t help the smile spreading across his face. Mike’s lips turned up and the smile went all the way to his eyes in a way that made Tanner’s warm.
“Your first mission off the ranch, congratulations,” Mike said.
“Thanks. I know it’s not going to be dangerous, but I’m still very excited.”
Mike sobered. “We don’t know what we’ll run into. We’ll be crossing into Canada, probably carrying Canadian citizenship, that’s enough for us to end up in jail. We’ll have to play the part well to pass as Canadians. There’ll be dangerous elements, and if anything goes wrong, we won’t have any government agency backing us up. The fire, it could be someone looking for us, or it could be nothing. With your family in the FBI’s crosshairs, every time you leave this ranch there’ll be danger. You’ll have to grow a beard or something if you want to go hang out in Denver. This mission won’t be a walk in the park.”
Tanner froze at Mike’s words. The man was right, his whole life was dangerous. He and Suz were marked. He turned to stare at his sister. Did she realize how much danger they were in just being alive. They’d both been fingerprinted, both had their data on file with the government. No matter how he looked at it, they were both screwed.
Matthew had edged closer and was listening to Mike talk. “Tanner, we’ll make sure you’re safe. You’ll have to wear colored contacts when you travel, and you’ll have to change your hair. Maybe grow it out even more, for this mission you should be fine. You do need to grow out some stubble. Don’t shave at all. Jazz is working on erasing your information on the FBI and the military’s computer, but it’s tricky. We need to make sure you no longer exist as far as the government is concerned, but we need to recreate you as someone else.” Matthew leaned in closer, studying Tanner’s face. “Your eyes are beautiful. Like really striking. We really need to change the color, make them muddier, if that’s possible. Hair color too, it has to change.”
“It would be great if Jazz could get me deleted. I need to disappear, like be wiped from the system. My hair, I can change it.” Tanner pulled at the strands on the back of his head, noting how short they were. He drew in a quick breath, coming here really was going to be life altering.
Matthew nodded. “Erasing you in the system is tough, but if it can be done, Jazz will do it.”
“So, what do we need to do to prepare?” Tanner asked.
“We’ll head somewhere quiet and start planning the mission. Grant and I will be coaching you to take in all the little details, from weather, to routes, to possible problems. We’ll plan the mission down to the minute, or close to it. Of course, plans can change and things get rearranged. We just try to go into the situation with the best advantage.”
He was excited to be going out. This was why he was here. Why he’d gone through training and abandoned living somewhere like New York or LA. No question, he didn’t want to be anywhere but here.
“Let’s head to the kitchen and set up at the table while the other guys work in here. We’ll probably need to move after we eat lunch so the other men aren’t bothered by our discussions, but we’ll figure it out when the time comes.”
“Sure, sounds good,” Mike said.
Tanner followed Matthew and Mike, wondering what type of plans they would hatch.
Chapter Six
They flew into Spokane then drove north to the border where he and Tanner talked at great length to the agents about their trip to Colorado. They made it across and pointed their vehicle in the direction of James and Brody’s cabin. They had a long drive ahead of them, and he was taking the first shift. He’d sleep later, and Tanner would drive.
They hadn’t spoken much, which was fine. He’d pushed away the desire he had for Tanner and focused on their mission. Their search for James and Brody wasn’t anything hard, but it also wasn’t a throwaway mission. People wanted them dead. That was a fact. They were fairly sure Craig’s old partners weren’t in a position to find out enough information about them to cause any problems, but they really were the least of their worries. It was the groups they’d shut down in the past which could come back to bite them if they ever figured out where they were.
The Wild Bluff team had hidden their information behind IP address blocking software, keeping low profiles, using subterfuge on trips, and otherwise manipulating people into believing they were someone they weren’t. It was easy to throw off people who didn’t know to look for you. They saw what they wanted to see. You tell someone you’re Russian, even if your Russian is bad, they believe you. Same with Spanish, or French. He lied, manipulated, and bluffed his way through situations, always escaping without incident. Even in Boston, they’d been able to get away. Having one of them threatened, even if they were gone from the ranch, was concerning. Of course, he wasn’t sure if James and Brody had been threatened or if they were laying low.
It was dark when Tanner woke from his nap. “Pull over, I’ll drive for a bit.”
“Sure, I was getting tired. Want anything to eat? We have the sandwiches we packed.” They also had MREs but he wasn’t willing to break those out unless they needed them. They should be at the cutoff which would lead them to the trail where James and Brody lived at around two in the morning. Once at the trail, he figured they could both catch some sleep before the sun rose.
“I’ll take a sandwich and eat it before I start driving. I need to piss. Find a place and let’s stretch our legs for a few.”
“Sure. Watch for bears,” Mike said.
“You know it. I certainly don’t want to be attacked,” Tanner said.
“Yeah, we wouldn’t have any medical support out this far. Last town was about two hours ago.”
“How long did I sleep for?”
“A couple of hours. I guess I’ve been driving for around four-ish hours. We’re on track. Everything looks good.”
He found a place to pull off the road safely. He waited a moment before opening the door. Tanner stepped out of the car and stretched before moving a few feet away. The sound of his zipper made Mike’s balls pull up. He’d been doing so good not thinking anything sexual about Tanner. This was a mission and he needed to focus.
He stepped away from the car and pulled out his dick, trying hard to ignore Tanner. The cold wind distracted him and he finished his business fast.
Their place in Colorado was secluded, this was just plain desolate. No one lived out here, no one drove out here, no one was out here. It was raw and rugged land with few who could survive. He hoped James and Brody were okay. It would be terrible if something had happened. The fire had him worried. But Jesus, if someone had tracked them down out here, it would be a miracle. James and Brody were careful. Really the guys were beyond careful. They hadn’t done anything to attract attention. James loved Brody too much to put him at risk. He stole a glance at Tanner and his heart squeezed.
They were back at the car and Tanner held out his hand. Mike handed the keys to him, happy to take a break.
“Not a lot going on out here. I haven’t seen anyone for a while, Mike said.
Tanner glanced around the area, noting how empty the place was. “It’s desolate. I kind of like it.”
Mike opened the back door and pulled a sandwich out of the ice chest. He handed one to Tanner. “Eat up.”
They stood
beside the car and ate in silence. The food was good. He was a little disappointed they only had two more in the chest. They hadn’t packed a lot though it was cold out. The ice chest would be impossible to carry, and it would be unwise to carry the sandwiches in their packs with the bears running wild out here.
Tanner finished his sandwich and placed the trash in a Ziploc bag they’d brought with them.
“You ready to roll?” Tanner asked.
“Sure am.”
Once in the car, Tanner turned the engine over before glancing his way. “Have they been out here long?”
“It’s been a few years. Before Davis came to the ranch so I guess it’s been a little longer than I thought.”
“Hmm,” Tanner took a drink from his water bottle. “You think they like being this remote?”
“Yeah. I do.”
“So you think they stayed out here and just lost contact. It’s so empty.”
Mike shrugged. “They could’ve moved somewhere else, a city or something and they would have been fine. But caution is always warranted. Brody had some issues, had to disappear because his family was stupid and got involved with some shady shit.”
Tanner eased onto the road. No cars were following, hadn’t been at all since they crossed over into Canada. It made Mike feel better. They hadn’t been compromised by staying in communication with Brody and James, but he had no clue why the pair hadn’t contacted them.
Mike jerked awake and found the car stopped. He had no idea how long he’d slept for, but it had to be after midnight. Were they close to the cutoff? They wouldn’t get cell service out here so he couldn’t check their location on his phone.
He stretched then slowly opened the door. Tanner jumped and reached out, grabbing his arm.
“It’s okay, I just need to pee,” Mike said.
“Okay, I need to too. I didn’t want to wake you so I held it.”
Mike cracked the door, realizing how cold it was. He shivered and stared up at the sky. There were stars visible, which had to be why it was so cold. No clouds to hold in the heat. Though they could get a storm, he didn’t think it would be snowing at this time of year. Sure, the mountains could be cold, but snow was a long shot. They’d packed for snow though they may not need the equipment. He wished they hadn’t needed to bring extra gear, but they always planned for the worst.
After they both finished, they got in the car and Mike turned in his seat. “How far did we get?”
“As far as we could. The road ends here. We’re at the trailhead.”
“Wow, you drove the rest of the way. So we just need to sleep then we’ll start hiking in.”
“I’m ready.” Tanner said.
Mike chuckled. “It’ll take us the better part of the day. They built this place on their own. They’re resourceful guys. They did have some stuff brought in, carting it with ATVs. Most of the material they cut, scraped, and put together on their own.”
“That’s cool.” Tanner yawned and Mike watched as he closed his eyes. It was dark out, with little light filling the car, but it was enough he could see a little of Tanner’s face. He shouldn’t stare, but with Tanner not paying attention to him, it was hard to deny himself the pleasure.
Mike must have drifted off because he woke to the sky turning shades of pink. The car was empty and he found Tanner outside heating up water.
“I needed coffee,” Tanner said.
“Sounds good. I need coffee too. The MRE coffee is okay, but yeah, having hot as opposed to room temp, yeah, that’s better. I’ll get out some food.”
“Sounds good. I’m hungry.”
“We need to be careful with the bears close by. Did you see any bear poop, markings on trees, anything to indicate a bear was near?”
“No. I looked about twenty yards out from the car. One could come up, but I didn’t see the signs.”
Mike grabbed their tin cups for coffee and helped Tanner get food and coffee ready. They ate in silence. While Tanner cleaned out the car, wiping their prints from the steering wheel, he called Matthew on the satellite phone to inform him of their progress.
“Watch for weather,” Matthew said. “There’s a disturbance off the coast near Seattle. They don’t think it will get bad where you are, but storms have a way of popping up. It could snow.”
“Sure thing, we’ll keep our eye out. Tanner is wiping down the car and getting our bags ready.”
“Stay safe. We still haven’t heard from the guys. If we do, I’ll call. Also, if the weather turns, I’ll call if I can but I know you need to leave the phone off.”
“We’ll be good. How’s Duff?”
Matthew made a noise he interpreted to mean not good. “I’m keeping an eye on it.”
“Is he right there?” Mike asked.
“Yes, sir. I’ll chat with you later.”
“Okay, phone is going off to conserve battery power.”
Mike hung up and turned to Tanner who had their gear ready, the car wiped down, and the wipes stowed in a trash bag. The fire had been extinguished, their food taken care of. If they came back this way, they’d use the car, but they may end up leaving by a different route. He’d seen enough in this job to always expect the unexpected.
“You work fast,” Mike said.
“I try. Are you ready? Do we need to do anything else? I tried to do as much as I could think of.”
“You did real good. Thank you. Is the ice chest empty?”
“Oh, I may have forgotten about that.”
Mike grabbed the rest of the food out of the chest and dumped the ice near a tree. He glanced around, happy with their efforts. “I think we’re ready, let me check the car one last time.” He put on thin gloves and opened the door to the car before popping the trunk. He stowed the empty ice chest in the trunk then checked in the glovebox to make sure all their information was gone from the car. They were planning on coming back this way, but if they had to abandon the car, he wanted nothing tying them to the vehicle.
“I think the packs are equally weighted and I have bear spray for both of us,” Tanner said.
Mike chuckled and shook his head. “I really hope we don’t have to use the spray.” He shut and locked the car, pocketing the keys. “Looks good, let’s head out.”
They started walking, neither one of them saying too much other than Tanner pointing out a few birds he found interesting. They came upon a family of deer munching on grass. He pointed them out to Tanner.
“It’s nice out here.” Tanner stopped walking and pulled out his water canteen. The dear watched them while they drank. It was weird being so far away from civilization. After their short break, they continued on their path. About a mile later Tanner pointed out a fox.
“It’s so pretty out here. I kinda like foxes,” Tanner said.
“It is nice. I like foxes too though I know they can be a menace.”
Tanner sighed. Mike took in the landscape, trying to ignore his desire. “It’s quiet out here.”
“Hmm.”
He stored his water and Tanner did too. The path got steep then leveled out. They didn’t talk much other than to point out a few animals and birds. The trees were green and flowers dotted fields which popped up every so often. Luckily, they saw no bears, which he was very thankful for.
At close to ten the sun disappeared behind a cloud. He worried they would see cold rain, but the sun came out again. The clouds looked ominous, and he pointed it out to Tanner.
“It doesn’t look good. We should pick up the pace.”
“Sure. I’m hungry.”
Tanner pulled the last of the non-MRE food and tossed their trash into a Ziploc plastic bag, making sure they had no unwrapped food in their packs. He didn’t want a bear thinking they smelled good. Bear attacks were rare, but when they did happen, it was terrifying.
By twelve thirty they were close to the cutoff to James’ cabin when he noticed snow had started to fall and was sticking. For the first minute or so it was coming down slowly, then it picked up.
Tanner turned and caught his gaze.
“It’s getting bad. How far are we from their place?”
Mike looked at the time. “Three hours walk, in this, maybe longer.”
Tanner trudged on and he followed. The snow kept coming down, getting worse as the minutes stretched on. The beautiful white powder was wet and sticking. It had accumulated enough to make him worry. He figured it would be annoying to walk in, but then the snow really picked up, blowing hard, creating foot high drifts.
“This is bad,” Mike said.
Tanner paused and he stopped too. “We need to get out of this,” Tanner said.
“Let me call Matthew.” Mike tried to raise a signal with the sat phone, but the snow was causing a whiteout.
Tanner had a map pulled out and was staring at the markings. Mike worried they would be stuck in the snow. He knew how to build a snow habitat, how to find a way to stay warm, and where to get wood, but it would be a rough time and they would be cold. He had Tanner with him, which meant more body heat, but if they had a place to hunker down, the next twenty-four would be better. Any one of the paths they’d crossed could have led to a hunting cabin. James said the area was fairly uninhabited but there were a few cabins.
“I think there’s a structure about three hundred yards away, just over the rise,” Tanner said.
“Show me.” Mike looked over his shoulder at the map he was working on.
“This, see the rise, it’s this one here.” Tanner pointed at the map then out at the small hill to their left. “We walk up this path, it’s by the tree about ten feet up.”
“How do you know that’s the right tree?”
“Look at it, it’s next to the stand of trees from this satellite photo. The path leads over the ridge and then goes to the valley. Before the valley bottoms out, you can see the structure there.” Tanner pointed at a small clearing and a house. He drew in a slow breath.
“You really think this is the right area?”
“I do. I’ve been following our location on the map since we started. Before we left I overlaid the map on these satellite photos. I have this book of them.”