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Boomer rounded the corner. The highly trained protection dog’s ears swiveled as he checked the area visually. When he focused his attention on the package’s remains, Burke relaxed. No threats remained in the area. Boomer was never wrong.

Gray appeared next, with Ford and Knox on his heels, weapons out. After a quick visual check to ensure he was okay, his brother and friends surveyed the area and the mess that the explosive had made.

Lawson and Dani pulled up in his truck. When his brother opened the door, Bibi jumped down. “What the fuck happened? Is that the blowout from an IED?”

Burke nodded. “One wrapped like a Christmas present.”

The men cursed, and Gray ordered Boomer to sit and guard. The German shepherd immediately followed the command, and his attention returned to their surroundings, ensuring no one would sneak up on them.

Knox pulled his phone out. “Hey, Marcus, it’s Knox. We’ve had an IED disguised as a present explode at the entrance to the farm. Burke has some cuts, but nothing looks serious.”

Burke frowned at that. He should have brushed the metal shards off his jacket and jeans before calling anyone. It had taken his head too long to clear. “I’m fine. Nothing penetrated my clothing.” Not quite true, but the cuts were minor. He didn’t need a doctor.

Lawson frowned at him. “The one on your thigh looks deeper than the others. You sure you’re okay?”

Burke brushed the remaining shards away. Looked like scrap metal. “I’m good. I should have realized something was off, but I figured a neighbor had dropped off a gift for the family and wanted to remain anonymous. When I bent to pick it up, I heard the click.”

The men swore, and Dani frowned. “What does that mean?”

Lawson had Dani tucked under his shoulder, and he squeezed her to him as he surveyed the area for danger again. “Why don’t you take the truck down to the inn?”

Dani rolled her eyes. “Only if we all go.”

Lawson sighed and pulled her in front of him. His brother wrapped his arms around Dani, protecting her from any sniper attack from the woods. It was good to see his brothers so happy and in love with amazing women.

Ford took a video of the scene and photos as well.

Burke’s phone vibrated with a message. Because everything was under control, he pulled it out. A message from Rissa. Are you okay?

He didn’t want her to worry. Telling her a Christmas present had exploded and knocked him on his ass wasn’t something you texted. I’m fine. I’ll catch you up soon, but we’re going to talk with the police chief from Phail first so it will be a while.

Gray looked at Boomer. “There might be too much activity here already, but we’ve got photos and video. Everyone back up a bit, and I’ll see what Boomer can track.”

Once they’d all moved back from the site, Gray ordered Boomer to track. The shepherd turned his attention to the debris and took a few steps closer to sniff, carefully avoiding the metal shards. Then he followed an invisible path a few steps into the road, where he circled a few times and then stopped. He sat and barked once, signaling the end of the path. “Looks like the asshole drove here, jumped out to place the box, got back in, and drove away.”

Burke pulled out his phone and brought up the security app. He blamed his banged head for not thinking of it sooner. The cameras were angled to show anyone crossing onto the property. There should be something on them.

Sure enough, he found the angle was good enough to catch the bottom edge of a black Ram truck with metal running boards, which stopped on the road just after sunrise.

As he watched, a person climbed down from the truck. Jeans, large work boots, probably male. When the man set the box beside the fence, he kept his face angled away from the camera, but his outfit and size were visible. Black hood, black winter jacket, and work gloves on a large, powerful frame. Definitely male. He climbed into the truck and drove away.

Nothing much to identify him.

Anger rippled through Burke. Someone had set an explosive device on their farm, and his own lack of caution had probably ruined any evidence.

At least it had been him, not one of the others. The thought of Rissa picking it up sent shudders running through him. She wouldn’t have been able to rely on military training to help her. Frizzle was always at her feet. The blast could easily have killed by the tiny dog.

They were going to find this fucker and take him down.

Rissa spotted the police cruiser at the top of the driveway, with Burke and the others standing beside the uniformed officer. Instead of joining the group to see if Burke was truly uninjured, she walked into the No Phailed Apples Inn with Wyatt and Esme. Apparently, the situation was under control, and there wasn’t any danger, but the people in the know wanted everyone else inside, anyway.

Rissa was annoyed and scared. She didn’t like either feeling.

When there were questions, she found answers. She’d even named her RV the Question Lab. Now, she couldn’t find answers because no one was telling her the questions.

Sure, she could defy Wyatt’s request that they go inside, but that was rude, and it wasn’t as if Burke wanted her with him.

Maybe that’s what bothered her the most. He told her he was fine in a text. She had too many memories of the other times he’d told her he was fine in texts and emails. None of those had been true. Was this one?