He howled and loosened his grip. Dani flung herself to the ground, wheezing and sucking in gulps of air.
The shot echoed cross the postcard-perfect Alaskan backdrop.
Jeremiah clutched his chest and stumbled backward, hitting the top step that led to the yard. He tumbled down the stairs, his eyes staring up at the sky, not blinking.
Grizz lifted her from the deck. “Don’t look. You don’t need to see another dead body.”
But it was too late. She’d already seen the man’s lifeless stare and the blood seeping from his chest.
* * *
The second the bullet had left his gun, Grizz had known Jeremiah wasn’t going to make it.
He carried Dani into the house. Her bravery in the face of that horrible man warmed his heart. She was a fighter—his fighter—and he was going to do everything in his power to make sure she got off this mountain.
He put her on the couch and rearranged the pillows around her. Purple bruises were beginning to surface around her neck, but she seemed to be more stunned than injured.
The side doorbell chimed. Sanchez and Saxon were propping up Kane on either side. They set him down next to Dani on the couch.
Kane groaned. “I was ambushed. He conked me on the head and dragged me out into the woods. I tried to make my way to the house to warn you. Don’t know where my radio went. Must have dropped it.”
Sanchez returned from the kitchen with a bag of ice for Kane’s head.
Dani touched her tender throat. “He—Jeremiah—told me his beef was with me and Grizz. That’s why he didn’t take you out, Kane. He came for the camera. They know we have the evidence to shut down their whole operation.”
Grizz grimaced. Taking a life always took an emotional toll, even in self-defense. “Jeremiah won’t be a threat any longer. I took him out on the deck.”
Saxon looked at Grizz. “What do we do? This place is compromised. If you killed one of their men, they’ll come for you even harder.”
Grizz shook his head. “What is taking Rio so long to get here?”
“We’ve got to get that evidence to him.” Sanchez paced, probably worried about Kane’s injury, although she’d never admit it.
As if the moment had been scripted, the intercom chimed. Grizz raced to the wall panel that showed the activity at the main gate.
Rio’s face filled the screen, and Grizz wanted to kiss the monitor. He hit the button to open the gate.
“Perfect timing. Rio is here. Now we can get this evidence into the right hands.”
He had to get Dani out of this house and off the mountain before these lunatics realized Jeremiah had failed. This wasn’t over, and these men would return—with reinforcements.
Sanchez opened the door, and Skye Parker pushed her way through and had Dani pulled into a hug in a matter of seconds.
“Dani, you had me worried. And when Rio filled me in on what you discovered about the compound in the woods…I’m just glad Grizz found you.”
Rio walked in behind Skye. “I brought reinforcements.” Two other agents with FBI logos on their jackets followed Rio in.
“What happened here?” Skye said, looking from Kane to Dani.
“We had a run-in with Jeremiah Redding.” Grizz took the camera’s SIM card out of his pocket. “Here’s the evidence from Dani and Josh’s camera.”
Rio crossed his arms and frowned. “Redding was here? And did that?” He pointed to Kane, who had a bag of ice covering his temple.
Grizz nodded. “Jeremiah jumped Kane, then snatched Dani. He held her at gunpoint, demanding the evidence. They apparently caught Dani on camera filming their compound. But Dani managed to stab him in the leg, and I shot him. He didn’t survive.”
Rio rubbed the stubble on his chin. The man looked like he hadn’t slept in days. Rio nodded to the two agents, who headed out back. “I brought my laptop. I’m going to take a look at this SIM card. Dani, I’m so glad you’re safe after your ordeal, but I’ll have to take your statement once we get to base camp. Sorry to make you relive it, but your testimony is going to put these men away.”
Dani moved into the kitchen, where Rio set up his laptop on the counter. “The camera captured a few faces,” she explained. “It proves that Senator Geoff Deville was at the compound.”
