“It’s over Deville. Where is Dani?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. You don’t know who you’re dealing with. When I’m through with you…”
Grizz walked away and headed to the end of the car. He tapped on the trunk, and someone knocked back.
Dani!
Grizz rushed to the front seat and grabbed the keys from the ignition. He clicked the button for the trunk and popped it open.
Dani lay on the floor of the trunk, gagged and tied up but very much alive. He pulled the gag from her mouth.
“Grizz. I knew you’d rescue me.” Her words were slurred. It looked like the senator had drugged her.
He lifted Dani out of the trunk, cradling her in his arms. “You’re safe now. And I’m never letting you go.”
THIRTEEN
“I almost didn’t make it.”Dani stood in the driveway of the senator’s house, giving Rio a play-by-play of how Grizz had saved her life.
Once Grizz had freed her from the trunk, he’d radioed for backup. Officers had picked up the senator, and Grizz had given Dani a ride to the mansion on the motorcycle.
Dani had also brought the case with the canister and handed it to Rio, who had been busy trying to track down the fleeing helicopter.
Grizz handed the keys to the bike to Rio. “It’s a nice bike.”
Rio snorted. “I love your definition of the wordobserve. But you apprehended the senator. I owe you one.”
Grizz had saved not only the day but her life. Again. But did he want her to stick around?
Rio squinted in the sun—the first sunny day Dani had seen since arriving in Alaska. Had it only been three short days ago?
So much had transpired. Her brain fog began to lift.
She gripped Grizz’s arm. “The other canister. Cortez. Kill switch…”
“Slow down, Dani.” Rio passed the case off to two other officers. “Just take a deep breath. What did you learn about the canisters?”
She took his advice and inhaled. “They were making biological weapons in the compound. They have five in total. The senator took one of the suitcases, and a different man—the one who took Cortez—had the other.”
“This tracks with what I found at their compound. We found containers with spots for five canisters. But there were only three on site.”
“So, we now have one biological weapon unaccounted for along with a missing scientist.” Rio ran his hand through his hair. “Local police found the senator’s helicopter abandoned on the other side of Copper Mountain. They’re still searching for the suspect and Cortez.”
Dani said, “I saw Sanchez’s father. He told me their entire plan. They want to poison our food supply via airborne dispersal of a neurotoxin. But Cortez put a kill switch on the devices. We just need to find the missing one before anyone else gets hurt.” Memories of Josh flitted through her mind. These men had caused enough death and destruction.
Rio barked more orders into a cell phone while he wrote notes on a notepad and talked to them. “We’ll get Doctor Cortez back, and that device. They’re not getting away.” He ran off as fast as he’d approached.
A car pulled up in the driveway. Kane and Sanchez. Dani let go of Grizz’s hand and raced up to Sanchez. The woman had an expectant look in her eyes.
Dani took the woman—who clearly wasn’t a hugger—and wrapped her in a bear hug. “Your father is alive. I spoke with him.”
Sanchez softened in Dani’s embrace. “Thank you.”
“He was taken on the helicopter, but the FBI will find him. He’s too valuable for these men to hurt him.” But even still, the older man hadn’t looked to be in good health.
How much longer would he last?
Sanchez took a step back. “Thank you, Dani. And I’m so glad you weren’t hurt.”
