“It’s not lost on me the level of ability we have when we combine our skills. Some of you, that’s public knowledge, others it isn’t. And you all have a part to play. We don’t know what’s going to happen but something will, and it’s likely that it will be soon.
“What we have here is exactly what we need. And I know there’s reason for that. God didn’t leave us high and dry. He gave us what we need to get this done. I believe that involves all of you, all of us working together. We can keep this town safe. He knew I wouldn’t be able to do this on my own, and I’m not going to try. He sent me all of you.”
Dan grinned. “Amen.”
John chuckled. “I just call it as I see it.”
Everyone seemed to think that was funny. Beth rolled up to her tiptoes and spoke in his ear. “John only became a Christian before Thanksgiving, but apparently he’s a fast learner.”
Sam smiled at her. She didn’t seem to think John’s faith was a bad thing, and she’d never questioned Sam’s. Beth knew what she was capable of achieving on her own, and she’d proven it. What he didn’t know was if she’d ever asked God for anything. He’d needed plenty over the years to get through the dark days of war and being separated from his wife. Some of the men in his unit had thought it was folly that he looked outside himself for what he’d needed, but it was the way Pop had taught him. Strength came from something bigger—wisdom, too. And he needed those things now. Maybe more than ever.
They all bowed their heads—everyone except Bolton—and Dan prayed. Sam absorbed the words like a balm on his soul. These people held him to the place he needed to be, just the way Pop had. But what would happen when he left?
John lifted his head and looked at Sam. “I know you’re used to a team. We have one here. As far as I’m concerned, this is your operation.”
Sam’s eyes widened. “My team trained hard to learn each other’s moves.”
“Then I guess we’d better get started before the safety we have here breaks apart and Abigail calls in the syndicate, or whoever she’s planning on reaching, and they show up.”
“And the reason you’re going to go ahead and let her do that is…”
A couple of guys perked up like they too wanted the answer to that question.
John didn’t look fazed by it. “Any contact is good for us. Ben’s guys are monitoring the phone she has, but they can’t get much unless she uses it. They can’t breach the security on the phone itself to get into her call history, or anything else. We need her to make a call.”
“Okay.” Sam nodded. “So what’s the plan for today?”
John grinned. “Target practice and then a workout.”
“Sounds good to me.”
Beth shifted. “You worked out this morning.”
“I never turn down an opportunity to work out.” Sam caught Bolton’s eye roll. “Problem?”
Bolton pressed his lips together and shook his head, but it was plain he very much did have a problem.
“I want you to take the sheriff’s office again, Bolton.”
The rancher shot a look at John. “I’m not being relegated to the sidelines.”
“I need someone to watch Shadrach and Abigail.”
“Until you need me to slip up so they can escape.”
John didn’t back down. “I don’t want you injuring yourself. More.”
“I’m fine right now.”
Remy moved closer to him, her voice low. “It was a temporary fix.”
Bolton glanced at her. “I’m going to live my life.”
She bit her lip. “That would be foolish.”
While they talked, Beth stiffened beside them. She shifted her gaze to Sam and whispered, “What did she do to him?”
Sam shrugged.
Bolton stared down Remy. “I’m going to live my life.”
“And when you’re paralyzed because you don’t know how to quit?”
Nadia gasped at Remy’s words, but Bolton didn’t even flinch. He leaned down so his face was closer to Remy’s, as though they’d shared something private. “You’re on that, remember?”
Remy blanched. “It’s experimental at best and far more risky than anything I’ve ever done. You can’t ask me to do that, Bolton.” She took a step back. “Not when it could kill you.”
“I’m not just gonna sit around like an invalid.”
Remy glanced at John, her gaze entreating him for help. “I didn’t want this.”
John said, “You’re the only doctor we have, and we all know you’re doing the best you can.”
“Bolton needs a specialist.”
“He can’t leave town right now.” John waited, his attention on Bolton. The rancher took a step back.
Sam figured it was the right time to ask. “So when do we tell the rest of the town we think something bad is going to happen?”
“When it’s imminent. Let’s run an emergency drill today. The kids will think it’s some Friday afternoon fun. We can practice it—get everyone prepped just in case. But I don’t want Abigail to get wind.”
An older man who’d been sitting across the room with a middle aged woman in a skirt-suit got up. She followed him as he approached.
Sam’s eyes widened. “Major General Halt. It’s an honor to meet you.”
Despite him being Army, Sam had followed the major general’s career ever since he discovered what the military was. The older man strode over with his hand out. “Lieutenant Myerson?”
“Yes, sir. Sam.”
The man nodded. “Got it, Sam. Halt.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” Sam motioned to Beth. He felt like a dweeb introducing his wife, who probably already knew the major general. But he was proud to have her by his side and didn’t want to be rude.
Beth lifted up on her toes and planted a kiss on his cheek. “Halt.”
He grinned, and then introduced the woman. “This is my assistant, Caroline Fornale.”
This woman was no assistant, but if she or Halt wanted to make that play then Sam wasn’t going to argue. In this town, people could—and would—be anything they wanted to be.
Caroline turned to John. “We’ll announce the emergency drill and set that all up. I’ll speak with Olympia about providing refreshments. Make it a Friday night party of sorts. It’ll be good for morale.”
“Thank you, Caroline.” John glanced at Frannie and Matthias on the far edge of the huddle. “That all right with you guys?”
Frannie nodded. “I’ll help. Matthias should go with you.” Frannie’s fiancé started to object, but it was half-hearted.
John gave them a small smile. “Okay, you all know what to do.”
Beth tugged on his hand. Sam moved aside with her, and she slid her arms up over his shoulders to link her hands behind his head. “I’ll see you.”
She moved in to kiss him, but his head jerked back. That was what she’d always said when they parted—for good. What did she think this was? Goodbye?
“What?”
Sam frowned. “What do you think is going to happen?”
“I don’t know. Neither do you. That’s the point. I want to cover my bases, just in case.”
“Then tell me you love me instead of saying goodbye.”
“I do love you, but—”
“That’s not the point?” He thought it was the point of all of this. Why would he be there unless they felt that for each other? “I need my head on this, not worrying about what’s going on with you.”
“Okay, fine.” She started to pull back, but he caught her.
He didn’t let her go. “That means we have to sort this out, not dismiss it as not a big deal when it is.”
“You’re…wired. I know you’re protecting me, and I know it’s because you think something is about to happen.”
“It most likely will. It’s what I’ve been expecting since I got here.” He paused. “I honestly didn’t think we’d have this much down time before it all blew up.”
“But you were injured. You nee
ded time.”
“Sure, maybe it is like John said, and God knew what we needed. But eventually it ends, it always does.” He shrugged.
Her eyes flooded with something he couldn’t discern. “Are you ever going to come home from war?”
“I’m here now.”
She stiffened. “You know what I mean.”
“We can talk about that after.” Sam lifted his hand and touched the warm skin at the side of her neck. “I know you want a full-time husband, and our son deserves a full-time father, but I don’t know what the future is going to bring. I need you to hold this position with me right now. Until it changes, this is where we’re at, and this is the battle we face. Even if there’s peace, life will be one battle after the other. Whether it’s the flu, a nine-to-five, or fending off our crazy extended families, we’re going to fight it together. I can promise you that.”
Beth nodded. “I can’t promise I won’t smack Remy upside the head while I’m here.”
Sam dropped a soft kiss on her lips. “Everything will be fine.”
Too bad his gut said otherwise.
Chapter 17
Dawn left the basin where Sanctuary sat draped in shadow. Sam crouched, tucked against the prickles of a pine with a scarf over his mouth. Mist covered the ground, but he could hear Abigail’s footsteps. Shadrach wasn’t much louder than a ghost.
“It’s right over here.” Her voice echoed between trees to where he’d stopped.
Fatigue descended as he stayed on their six, minute after minute, while Shadrach and Abigail went left, then right. Tree to tree. Hiding spot to hiding spot. He’d hidden in worse places; that was for sure. Not to mention the target wasn’t usually American.
“Did you lose it?”
Abigail’s voice came back high and harsh. “It looked different last time I came, but this is the landing site where they dropped the package.”
So that was how she’d gotten in a cache of stun gun, computer tablet, and phone. Did she have more than that? And how on earth had the military not noticed someone in their no-fly zone dropping a package? If Sam was planning on staying here, he’d have to find out whose job that was—and then he’d recommend they be fired.
Shadrach’s voice cut through the silence. “You’ve done a commendable job infiltrating the town. I bet you’re ready to go home now.”
“You have no idea.” Abigail gave a wry chuckle. “Once this is finished, I’m out of here, and I’m never coming back. I can’t believe these people actually choose to live here. I’d have killed myself by now. No internet except desktop PCs at the library? No alcohol. Basically no crime. I’ve been itching to punch someone for days…or stab. I’m not fussy. But the urge to do some damage is welling up, and I’m ready to let loose.”
Shadrach’s chuckle was low and rusty. “A woman like you, I bet you let loose well. I’d stick around for that showdown.”
“You’re right.” Her voice was silky, seductive. Sam could picture her eyes in his mind, a gleam that was halfway sickening because she’d been pretending to be his mother. “I do, and you should.”
Sam’s earpiece clicked. He’d taught John Mason a few things and learned more than he ever needed to know about the Sanctuary terrain over the last sixteen hours. He’d also managed a short nap. His leg ached, and nearly every muscle in his body had been worked. His only comfort was that John—nearly a decade older—was likely in worse shape this morning.
The first click meant John was in position. Together they flanked Abigail and Shadrach.
His earpiece clicked again, the sharp sound of a tongue against the roof of a mouth. John could hear Abigail and Shadrach from his side.
“It’s here. I found it.”
Scratching, which was likely Abigail pawing at the cold, hard ground, was followed by a grunt. The flick of metal against metal. Sam moved closer, and the lid slammed against the forest floor. The sound echoed like a shot erupting against the silence.
Sam eased up to stretch out his muscles. It wouldn’t do to have them lock in place if he needed to move fast.
Abigail continued, “I’m going to call my associate. I need to tell them Doctor Wilder is here, and that I’ve been compromised.” She quit talking abruptly then said, “Yes. Hello?” She spoke quickly and reiterated what had happened. She clearly did not grasp the extent to which she had been compromised.
Hal’s voice came through Sam’s earpiece. “I’ve got the call.” He paused. “It’s audio, but I’m not showing any connection to a cell tower. Satellite phone…. She’s using the same system y’all’s phones use. The one that pings the signal all over the place.”
Sam figured there was a technical explanation for it, but Hal’s was more amusing.
“She must have acquired it from the same people. It’s the only way she’d have nearly the exact signature as—” He cut himself off. “Well score one for us. The destination is a residence in Virginia. I’m forwarding the information to your brother’s email now, Sheriff.”
“Copy that, Hal. Ben’s guys can move on this.” John’s voice was low. “Any idea who she’s talking to?”
“Older man. Neither of them have said a name yet.”
“What?” Abigail’s surprise cut through the quiet. “What do you mean?”
Sam peered around the tree but didn’t have a good visual. Still, he figured Shadrach knew exactly where he was. The sniper had done Ranger training, and so had Sam as part of his SEAL experience. In any other situation they would have been solid brothers instead of distrust ruling the day.
“The man just told her they already know about Remy,” Hal said. “Some other contact in town. So I’ll have to check all the logs. NSA must have missed it. Her contact says they’ve already dispatched a team to take care of it. She’s no longer needed.”
“I haven’t finished my task,” Abigail insisted. “Sending in mercenaries to take out Doctor Wilder and her friends isn’t going to fix this. This isn’t a smash-and-grab. We need her to tell us where the item is.”
Silence.
“He isn’t having any of that,” Hal filled in. “He considers it done.” Hal paused. “I just got word from Ben’s guy that he’s headed to the house with his team. Ben got out of the hospital last night, back to VA. They’ll be there in an hour.”
John had explained Ben’s condition to Sam. What exactly did it take to bring down the man? Certainly not being injured and rendered unconscious. But then, if there was an incident such as this one which involved Sam’s family and the town they lived in, then he’d be all over that, too. There weren’t a lot of men in the world like Ben Mason, but Sam didn’t know any other way to live than full-speed, all-in. Life was a roller coaster, but however much it twisted and flipped, all there was to do was enjoy the ride with his hands in the air. Going all out to protect the people he cared about was part of it.
“You don’t understand—” Her already high voice became a screech. Sam winced.
She huffed. “Fine.”
“Hung up on him.” Hal chuckled.
Abigail’s distress echoed in the stillness of the morning. “I can’t believe this. They’ve already dispatched the team! I haven’t even figured out where Remy hid the suitcases. This is unbelievable.”
“I guess that ride is out of the question then?”
“We’ll have to hike out after all.” Abigail stared at the phone. “Our only other option is to get the item first, and then barter with the mercenaries for a ride.”
“Do you have any idea what it is?”
“I’m not sure the syndicate even knows, except for the very top. They feed information down, but only enough to lure you into sticking around and begging them to give you more.” She sighed. “Now we’ll have to kill Beth to regain our standing. Then Remy will tell us where she hid it. But we can’t let anyone know, or they’ll do it and get the credit. You can take out the guards with that gun of yours.”
“It’s a rifle.”
Sam’s gut clenched. Metal clanged
against metal, like someone rummaging through a lockbox. He took another step closer, using the mist and trees as cover.
“Are you looking for this?” Shadrach’s voice was low and steady.
Abigail gasped. “Why do you have the knife? You have your gun. That’s my weapon.” She whined like a recalcitrant child.
Shadrach’s rifle was still in the sheriff’s office, after Sam had double-locked the safe. If Shad wanted to get it, it was going to take him a while—giving Sam and John plenty of time to “discover” him.
“I happen to think one can never have too many weapons.” A note of darkness had settled into the tenor of Shadrach’s voice.
Sam broke from his position, which had the cover of the tree, and crept toward the voices.
“Well, give it to me! I need that knife. The mercenaries will be here before we know it, and then we’ll all be dead. They won’t care that we’re not supposed to be here with these people. They will kill us!”
John’s voice was a whisper. “Sam, hold.”
If the sheriff knew he was moving, that meant he could see him. Because Sam was making no noise. He shook his head and continued on, close enough he could see the breadth of Shadrach’s shoulders.
“You’re actually scared.”
“Of course I’m scared. I’m not going to die here.” A second passed. “Give me the knife.”
“I don’t think so, no. Not if you’re going to kill Beth Myerson.”
“Why do you care about that snobby—” The word she used made Sam grit his teeth. It wasn’t the first time someone had insulted her, but it wouldn’t be the first time he’d retaliated, either.
Shadrach’s arm moved. Sam shifted through the trees so he could see them both in profile. When he spoke, Shadrach’s voice was void of emotion. “You’ve been deemed a liability to this mission.”
Abigail gasped. “Wha—”
Shadrach twisted. He swiped the knife across Abigail’s throat. She clasped her neck with both hands, gasped, and fell to her knees. Blood seeped from between her fingers. Her last breath left her lungs in a gurgle.
John spoke in his earpiece. “Lock him down, Deputy.”
Sam emerged from the trees with his gun drawn. “Put the knife down, Gunney.”
Sanctuary Breached WITSEC Town Series Book 3 Page 19