“I can’t believe we were attacked again. In our own backyard.” Kane grabbed a bottle of water that Dani had placed on the counter. “We need to debrief. What is going down on Copper Mountain? What’s the plan? Because I’m not a fan of being trapped here with deranged gunmen roaming the woods. Ones that have some massive weaponry. An RPG? Really?”
Saxon spun in a circle. “I guess if I’m going to be trapped, this bunker in the side of the mountain is better than pitching a tent outside. Nice digs you’ve got here, Grizz. But I’d also like to know the full story of what we’re up against before I sleep with one eye open.”
“I’m sure you’re all familiar with Grizz’s outhouse. There’s plenty of room for us all.”
They stared at Dani like she had three heads. Sanchez said, “His what?”
She glanced at Grizz and found him looking at the ground. She was the only one who’d been here? “You’ve never seen Grizz’s place?”
“He’s never invited us,” Sanchez said. “But to be fair, he spends most of his time at base camp.”
Dani moved to the kitchen area. “Well, how about I dish us up some venison stew, and we can debrief.”
She poured the stew into coffee mugs, and Grizz pulled out some camping chairs for everyone to have a seat. Dani served everyone and took a seat, her hands wrapped around the warm mug.
“I hate to ask this,” Sanchez said, her voice soft, “but what happened to the man you were with, Dani?”
Her heart sank. She took a deep breath, shoving back the tears that threatened to flow. “We found the compound. Josh and I saw the guns and weapons. They have some sort of chemical plant in the middle of their highly guarded camp. But Josh decided to head down the mountain and was captured. They killed him. Dumped his body in the woods.”
Sanchez never broke eye contact, her intense stare giving Dani goosebumps. “Someone needs to stop these men.”
Grizz put his mug on one of his infamous stump end tables. “Dani has proof. Josh had taken pictures and video. We have the SIM card and need to get it to Rio. The FBI needs to shut this place down. I can head back to my cabin and grab my laptop so you can see what we’re up against.”
Dani gathered the cups while Grizz headed through his tunnel, returning with his dinosaur laptop. She took the SIM card out of her pocket and gave it to Grizz. The three hotshots gathered around to view the evidence. Dani didn’t need to relive it again, so she paced behind them.
Grizz paused the video. “This guy. Do you recognize him from somewhere?”
Saxon zoomed in on the guy’s face. “Jeremiah Redding.” He glanced at Kane, and they shared a hard look for a second. “Rio has an alert out for him. His entire family is bad news.” Dani caught the still frame of the dark-blond guy with the snake tattoo running up his neck.
Kane studied the frozen screen. “The guy in the background. Is that…”
“Yep. We think Senator Deville is part of this group. It explains how they’ve managed to move around undetected. Not to mention there’s video of a stockpile of weapons.”
Saxon leaned in closer. “That explains where the RPG came from.”
Grizz hit play and the video continued.
The hostage came into view and Sanchez gasped. “He’s here.”
“Who is?” Grizz’s head whipped to Sanchez. The woman’s face had paled, and her finger trembled as she pointed at the screen.
“Doctor Cortez.” Kane put his hand on Sanchez’s shoulder in a protective gesture.
Dani frowned. “Who?”
Sanchez said, “My father.”
* * *
Grizz refrained from punching the steel wall of his outhouse. No one messed with his teammates. Or Dani. Not on his watch.
“We have to go.” Sanchez’s determined gaze darted around the room. “We’ll take one of your vehicles. If there’s a chance my father is still there, I must find him.”
Kane didn’t leave Sanchez’s side. “We need to wait for backup. And daylight. We don’t know if these men are watching this place. It’s too risky to leave.”
Grizz had noted the connection these two shared. If anyone could talk some sense into Sanchez, it was Kane.
Saxon looked at Grizz. “You have weapons, I assume. And transportation. I say we go on the offensive. Before they shut down camp and bug out.”
