AllFreeNovel
Share Us
No answer.
“Try again,” said Sam. “It’s the middle of the night, he might be asleep.”
She knocked more loudly. “Elias. Wake up, it’s Molly.”
Still no answer. Dread gathered in the pit of her stomach. “We should go in,” she told Sam.
He nodded in agreement, but insisted on going first. He pushed open the door, using it as a shield as he peered inside. “I don’t see anyone.”
“Shit. He must be gone.”
She crowded in after him and used her phone flashlight to scan the empty cabin. Not just empty, but cold; he’d let the fire go out a while ago. “Goddamnit. I knew this was going to happen. I should have made him come with me.”
“And get shot at? No.” Sam shook his head as he prowled around the cabin, checking out every nook and cranny. “I think we should stay here tonight. He might come back. Maybe he’s just waiting to make sure it’s safe. Maybe he went out to check a trapline or something.”
“A trapline?”
“Yes, it’s a way to catch small game?—”
She waved him off. That couch was calling her name. “You know what? I don’t want to know. You’re right. Sleep it is.” She collapsed onto the couch and beckoned to him. “Come here, body heat. Come to Mama.”
25
Sam woke up a few hours later with Molly sprawled on top of him, her chin tucked over his shoulder, her hair tickling his nose. He blew it lightly away from his face so he didn’t sneeze and disrupt this delightful arrangement. Being close to her…pleased him on a primal level.
On a better-judgment level, not so much. At least they were both fully clothed, in case Elias came back to the cabin.
He freed his right hand and worked it into his pants pocket to liberate his encrypted sat phone. One-handed, he texted Agent Bradley.
Check out Scott Pharmacy in Blackbear. Lmk if anything off comes up.
Are you onto something?
Maybe. ASAP plz
There was more than one way to approach this new theory. If Soraya was playing him, then she had to be working with someone connected with the pharmacy. But the Chilkoots avoided outsiders, so who was it?
List of Scott’s Pharmacy employees. Ten names followed. Sam scanned them but none of them rang a bell. No BBB complaints, no write-ups of any kind. Spotless record.
So much for that potential lead.
But the fact that Soraya had been shooting at him was more than a lead. It was an escalation. He wasn’t surprised that she could shoot; most people out here could. And the family was known to have plenty of weapons.
He had to get a better look at what was happening in that compound.
The deep snow had made it impossible to get close all winter long. A snow machine would be heard for miles away, and snowshoeing would take too long. He’d skied out there once, but there was too much uphill terrain for him.
But the snow was mostly gone, and Molly was a distance runner. She could approach the place through the thickest part of the forest, from the direction they would never expect anyone to come. She wouldn’t even have to cross their perimeter. She could stop well short of it and use a drone.
He shook his head. Bad plan. He was supposed to be getting her out of town, not putting her in more danger.
But the fact that he was even thinking about it proved how much he respected her smarts and ability. Too bad she wasn’t on the FBI’s payroll and hadn’t signed all their paperwork.
“What’s the matter?” Molly murmured, lifting her head from his chest. Her face was flushed, with sleep creases where she’d rested her face against his sweater.
“Nothing. What do you mean?”
“You’re twitching and shaking your head. Like you’re arguing with yourself. Might as well argue with me, I’m a professional, after all.”
