by Desiree Holt
“No kidding. With Sam here we’d have extra backup and more people to look for the spot.”
Terra glanced at her watch. “I left space in my schedule this afternoon so I could take a cross-country skiing run. That gives us more eyes out there watching Jennings and searching for their headquarters. I don’t want him to get suspicious.”
“No, I think you’re good. You’ve established a pattern, so you won’t look out of place if you’re out there. After all, you are the ski instructor.”
She shrugged. “I guess I’m edgy after that little convo Jennings and I had.”
“Edgy is better than too comfortable.”
“Maybe we should call Hal and have him get the guys out here from Bangor who aren’t doing anything but waiting.”
“Can you do it?” Griffin poured his coffee into a to-go cup. “I’d better get moving before my supervisor starts bitching again. The guy thinks he owns the place.”
“I’ll take care of it.”
“Be very careful out on the trails, please. I’m not too happy about you being out there alone.”
Terra ground her teeth. “I understand your concern, but I’ve been an agent for more than ten years. I’ve worked solo a lot, and I know how to take care of myself.”
“And I have my years on the SEAL Teams to know it’s always better when someone has your back.”
“Not arguing that. I just don’t want you getting all overprotective on me.”
He lifted his hands. “Duly noted. Be sure to keep your burner handy whatever you’re doing. We may need to communicate. I have an itchy feeling about today.”
“Me, too.” She bit off a laugh. “I hope it’s nothing more than an itch from the cold.” Then she sobered. “Okay, Jennings is still chatting with people at one of the tables, but I think he might be getting ready to wander over this way. We’d better split.”
Terra took her coffee and pastry with her rather than chance getting waylaid by Jennings. She gobbled them down in the snow shack, watching the rear of the inn to see if Jennings came out through the big glass doors. Nothing, thank goodness. Then she checked her schedule. She had two classes and two single students in the morning. In the afternoon she only had one group listed. The others had been moved to the next day.
Good. If Jennings took out a machine, Griffin would let her know, and she could head out cross country. A natural thing for her to do, right? That way she could keep an eye out for him and see where he ended up.
The morning was fairly uneventful. When she was finished, she decided to grab a sandwich at home rather than eat at the inn. While she ate, she charged her cell phone. Maine didn’t have the best coverage as you moved farther north, but Inn on the Hills had its own cell tower to accommodate its operation as well as its high-profile guests.
When she was finished, she gathered everything she’d need for her trip. She wanted to make sure she had her weapon with her, a Kahr P380 that fit in her hand as well as into a small zipper pocket of her jacket. It was kind of hard to conceal her Glock in her ski clothes. She grabbed her cell from the charger and stuck it in another pocket. The last thing she did was to slip the strap of small but powerful binoculars around her neck, shoving the field glass themselves inside her jacket. Okay. She was well prepared.
She was about to walk out when her phone buzzed with a text from Griffin.
“Sam and Cassie are here. Bringing them over for a minute.”
“Okay to be seen with them?”
“Yes. Friends we made in town. Jennings encourages, remember?”
“Okay. Come on over.”
Five minutes later a knock sounded, and she opened her door to the three of them.
“Come in.” She waved everyone inside.
“I think Babic is here again,” Griffin told her, pulling off his gloves. “I’m pretty sure I saw him going into the inn through a side door.”
“That’s twice in two weeks,” Sam pointed out.
“Yes, and Jennings didn’t look any happier to see him today than he did the other time.”
“What if…” Terra thought for a moment. “What if, with the cabin blowing up and the DHS source being discovered and killed, these people figure their whole operation is no longer secret. What if Babic is trying to get them to pull the trigger sooner before we manage to put them out of business. What if he’s here to force them to up the timetable?”
“Sounds logical,” Sam agreed. “And good for us. Means for sure they’ll be heading to wherever they have everything.”
Griffin pulled out his phone. “I’m calling Hal. He should get the guys in Bangor over here. We need as many eyes as we can get.” He spoke briefly into the phone then disconnected. “They’ll be on their way in two minutes.”
“So what’s our plan?” Sam asked.
“Griff should get you guys out on the snowmobile.” She turned to Griffin. “But they shouldn’t go far, so you can let them know when Jennings leaves.”
He nodded. “Absolutely.”
“I’ll start on my cross-country run, and Griffin can text me when Jennings heads out. “I’ve been able to check out and cross off a number of the locations on the map I made. Griffin, you have it, so you should text it to Sam and to the two DHS agents who’ll be here soon.”
“I planned on it.”
“Sam and I are going to act like we’re locals out here for a day of fun in the snow.” She grinned. “Which is half true, anyway.”
“We’ll do our best to follow Jennings,” Sam added, “but we’ll have to break off now and then, so he doesn’t get suspicious.”
“No problem,” Terra told them. “Text me when you do, and I can get eyes on him. It’s a lot easier for me because I can hide myself in the trees a lot.”
“Works for me. That gives us two chances to find these people.”
Griffin nodded. “Sounds good, but you all have to be sure not to get caught.”
“I just don’t want to put Cassie in danger.”
“I’m good, Sam,” she protested. “And you can always let me off and ask Griffin to send someone to pick me up.” She grinned. “Or I can flag someone down and tell them my boyfriend dumped me. Literally.”
“Yes on the first part but no on the second,” Sam growled, and they all allowed themselves a little laugh.
“Okay.” Griffin started toward the door. “I’ll make sure I have machines set aside for Hal’s guys. I’ll also send the map to their phones. That gives us more people with an eye on Jennings, so he doesn’t focus in on one of us. And also multiplies our chances for finding their hidey hole.”
“Good.” Cassie zipped her jacket back up. “Then let’s get going. And Sam, if you need to dump me off anywhere, I promise not to give you a hard time. I want these guys caught as much as the rest of you.”
Cassie and Sam left with Griffin, heading toward the snowmobile barn. Griffin already had his phone out and was calling Hal. Terra dressed in her all-white snowmobile outfit so she’d blend in better with the snow. She headed back toward the slopes, observing the activity around her. Cassie and Sam stopped at the snow shack to pay for the snowmobile rental then continued on to where Griffin waited for them.
Terra walked by the ski lift and the path to the barn to the start of the cross-country trails, taking her time. From where she was standing, she had a good view of the rear of the lodge, the side parking lot, and the paths leading up to the snow activities. Guests were making their way to the slopes after lunch. Others were coming in from the parking lot.
She spotted Jennings leaving the main building with Babic walking beside him. Neither looked like happy campers. As she glanced to the left she saw as if in a panoramic video Griffin settling Sam and Cassie on a snowmobile and explaining the controls to them.
Her burner phone vibrated, and she pulled it out of the pocket she’d zipped it into. The readout showed the symbol for Griffin.
“What’s up.”
“Look over at the walkways from the inn to the barn.
”
Jennings and Babic had left the inn through the rear door and were heading toward the snowmobiles. Jennings looked distinctly unhappy, and Babic looked apoplectic.
“I bet they’re getting nervous,” he told her, “the Sons of Allah especially. They’ll be the ones who are all for getting it done now before something can go wrong.”
“You may be right,” Terra agreed.
“I’m calling Hal to let him know the guy is here right now,” Griffin told her. “He may want to call his guys with further instructions. Babic is probably going to make Jennings take him on his snowmobile run.
“This should be interesting.” Terra frowned as a thought hit her. “I’m down to a few places on my map, but what if I’ve eliminated one by mistake?”
“There’ll be enough people out here we can cover whatever we need,” Griffin assured her. “Wherever they end up, my instincts tell me they’ll be doing more than dropping in a few minutes for tea. Not if there’s a battle for leadership going on.”
“Then we’ll have time to spot them. Tell Sam and Cassie we’re looking for isolated locations with old barns or farmhouses. Facilities like that. And probably on a little country road with zilcho traffic because they’d need a place where neighbors couldn’t spy on what they were doing or watch the traffic in and out,” she agreed.
Griffin nodded. “Exactly. “
“But even if it’s well hidden,” Sam told them, “they’ll be smart enough to have security sensors around the place to warn them if anyone gets too close.”
“Right.” Griffin nodded. “But they have to either place them in locations where they won’t be obscured when it snows or get out there to clean them off regularly. And you can bet they’ve got them embedded in their driveway if they have one.”
“Okay.” Terra checked her watch. “I’m going to fiddle around over at the head of the cross-country trails. Maybe I’ll stop for a few minutes at the snow shack and check my schedule for next week.”
“We’ll get ready to take the snowmobile out,” Sam told them. “We can always take a little detour and circle around. Griffin, you can give us a heads up when Jennings leaves if we have to do that.”
“Okay.” Griffin checked his watch again. “Hal’s guys should be here any minute now. One of them will ding me, and I’ll pass the word to you.”
“Okay. Let’s do this.”
Chapter 9
Terra paused at the crest where she had a panoramic look at the area. Despite the fact it was a weekday, all the activities were busy. The alpine slopes were filled with people taking downhill runs. The skating rink was jammed and, even at this distance, she could hear the notes of the music that played constantly, an extra touch the rink supervisor told her was added to put people in a good mood.
Terra snorted. As if they weren’t already.
Several snowmobiles had already pulled out of the barn and hit the trails. Jennings, who appeared in a sour mood, had Griffin pull his personal snowmobile out and check the fuel. A group of people exited through one of the rear doors of the inn, heading in different directions, two of them veering off toward the snowmobile barn. Terra was pretty sure they were the men Hal had sent.
Everyone now had her map on their phones, and they would switch off keeping an eye on Jennings, maintaining regular contact. Terra was more than grateful that Inn on the Hills had its own cell tower because otherwise out here in the wilderness reception was spotty at best. Other people were starting up the cross-country trail, so she moved up and to the side to get out of their way for the moment. She’d have to get started soon or someone might wonder why she was still standing there. With all the others off on their snowmobiles, she texted Griffin she was heading out.
The plan, so hastily put together, actually worked out much better than she could have hoped, probably because the people involved were experienced at this game and knew what they were doing. She worried about Cassie getting caught in any crossfire, but she was sure Sam would keep her safe.
Between her white suit and the thick trees, Terra was able to be mostly invisible. The first place on her map she checked turned out to be a dud. It was a big old house for sure, with a large barn next to it and no other houses around. But kids were playing in the front yard with two dogs and, with adult help, building a snowman. She took a moment to scope the area, just in case, before pushing off again, damn glad she kept herself in good shape. Otherwise all these miles on skis would be killing her legs, and she’d be no good to anyone.
Griffin texted her when the two DHS agents hit the trails. Each of them had rented a machine, increasing their capacity to follow and search. With so many eyes on Jennings, they were able to switch off and still keep track of him. The trails went way up into the hills, winding through forested areas, which meant Jennings could take advantage of cover as much as all of them could.
She could hear the noise of the snowmobile engines and now and then spot some of them through the trees. Although the snowmobile trails and the cross-country trails were clearly marked, experienced people often went off-trail. That meant Cassie and Sam could diverge, and no one would be asking questions. That went for the other DHS agents as well.
Jennings and his passenger stuck to the trail in the beginning, probably to make sure they didn’t call extra attention to themselves. But then they veered off. Terra did her best to follow without exposing herself. She didn’t know where the others were, but she knew they checked in with Griffin regularly, making him the point man to share information. Sam had spotted another of the places she’d marked, but again there were people there, and again, they didn’t fit who they were looking for. The number of snowmobilers had decreased by now, also, which meant they all had to be doubly careful.
When she stopped again and looked at her watch, she discovered they’d all been out here for almost two hours. She needed to give her legs a little rest, and she wanted to check in with Griffin, who was monitoring everyone. She mentally crossed her fingers his supervisor wasn’t getting suspicious and giving him a hard time, although she trusted him to manage everything without raising any suspicions.
She moved to a place where the ground sloped downward, where there was a better angle to see through the trees, and her breath caught at the sight. There it was. This had to be the place. She saw an old farmhouse, large, with an enormous barn next to it and some outbuildings behind it. And by the big door to the barn sat a snowmobile. With her glasses, she saw the Inn on the Hills logo on it. Jennings must have taken shortcuts to get here.
At that moment a white panel van turned in from the two-lane road that ran past the property. Lucky for Terra, the driveway angled so when the van parked the license plate was visible and free of snow and ice. Using her field glasses, she read the license plate and texted it to Griffin.
A text came back at once.
Sent to Hal. Where are you on map?
Location #12. Definite operations base. Everything generates from here.
And what better place to set up than in the godawful cold of Maine in an old house with no neighbors around for a couple of miles in each direction.
In seconds, Griffin texted again.
OK. Sending info to others. Watch for them.
She texted him OK then shoved the phone back in her pocket. Just in case, she took her Kahr out of the pocket it was zipped into and checked to make sure there was a bullet in the chamber, and it was ready to fire. She was sure no one had seen her, but she was all about being prepared.
As the driver’s door to the van opened, so did the door to the house, and both Jennings and Babic walked out. When the passenger climbed out, they both shook the man’s hand and indicated the house. Terra focused on the spot, waiting until the passenger became more visible. Although bundled up in a heavy jacket, she could make out the features of the passenger. Male, and definitely Middle Eastern, exactly like the men they’d followed to the cabin. Definitely Sons of Allah members.
Terra waited until they were all
inside before backing up into where the trees gave her complete coverage and called Griffin.
“This is definitely the place,” she whispered and cupped her hand around her mouth. She knew sound was amplified in cold weather. Without other buildings to break it up and refract it, she might as well shout directly into the building. “Jennings’ snowmobile is here, so they have to be inside. And get this, the latest delivery arrived the same time they did, so everyone’s in there together. I’ll bet the guy Griffin and I were following is there, too, along with god knows who else.”
“Okay. You’re well hidden, right?”
“Of course.” Did he think she was stupid?
“I just…You can’t afford to be spotted but, you know that. I’m going to text everyone right now to meet you there, and I’m calling Hal. While you wait, you have to stay invisible. Are there enough trees where you can hide and still see the house and barn?”
“Yes. Tell everyone to text me when they get close. They’ll have to shut off their machines and hoof it. and I don’t want anyone sneaking up on me. Also, whatever security system these people have probably picks up sound, too.”
“Got it. Hanging up.”
It killed her to back off, but she knew Griffin was right. She managed a spot where she could see between the trees with the binocs and get a decent view of the property and the buildings. There was no further activity outside at the moment, and the truck was still there. That added another person into the mix, an unknown quantity, that she needed to be alert for.
She positioned herself so she could keep an eye on the house and still watch for arrivals behind her. Barely fifteen minutes had passed before Sam and Cassie approached on foot. Cassie hung back
“I’ll watch for the other agents,” she told them.
Sam moved up to stand beside Terra. He lifted his binoculars from around his neck and spent some time looking at the location.
“I can spot where they’ve got some of the security cameras.” He spoke in a very low voice. “They’ve probably got them around the house and the barn on all sides. And I’m pretty damn sure they’ve got a generator set up, maybe in that barn. They wouldn’t want to leave themselves vulnerable to a power company, not if they’ve got a sophisticated computer setup in there and god knows what else.”