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CHAPTER9
Beck watchedas Roman and Paladin searched an ever-widening area along the road, checking piles of boulders, solid walls of sedimentary rock, and tiny openings in that rock that apparently led nowhere. Finally, Paladin trotted back to Roman’s side and sat down beside his feet, waiting patiently for his next command.
Roman pressed the button in his headphones.
“The first pass fizzled out,” he told everyone. “We’re going to take Paladin and move up the road. I’ll look for the next likeliest place where a hidden cave might be located, and also to see if I find any more tire marks on the shoulder of the road.”
“Got it.”
“Ten four.”
“Want us to stake out different areas?” Dean Turner asked.
“Yes,” Roman agreed. “Let’s spread out. Two of you hit the far side of the mountains. Get up to the crest, scope out the area then start a casual search.”
“We’ll do it,” Dean told him.
“So will we.” This from Logan Tackett.
“I’ll take this spot.” Roman took out his cell phone, pulled up the coordinates map he’d gotten from Daks, and read off some numbers. “That’s close to where I am now. Call out in fifteen, everyone.”
Daks put Paladin back in the pickup and cranked the engine, waiting for Roman. He and Beck climbed onto the Ducati, and he headed up the road, easily handling two sharp turns then studying the wall of rock on his left.
“Here,” he told Beck, and pulled the bike over to the shoulder.
“What makes you think so?”
He pointed to a place where the shoulder widened and the same gravelly surface they’d seen earlier looked as if someone had been walking over it or moving something.
“I’m curious if this is evidence that they were doing something here. For people who are so secretive, they seem to have a few loose ends. Doesn’t speak well of their military training.”
“I remind you of what you just said,” Beck told him. “As far as they knew, until we all showed up, they had no reason to think there was anyone around here but them. Certainly not on this specific mountain.”
“You’re right,” he agreed. “But if they are in this area of this mountain, which I am positive they are, I’m betting they know by now we’re nosing around. Seeing our whole group so close to them had to freak them out to begin with anyway.”
Beck shoved her hands in the pockets of her jeans and chewed her bottom lip.
“If Leslie decided to ride this road on this mountain, and any of these guys were outside and saw her, they probably grabbed her. Roman, we have to be careful…”
He held up a hand. “I know. And she is definitely our first priority. That’s why we started this search. But if they have a storehouse of explosives for whatever event they’ve got planned, we have to take care of that, too.”
“I know. I know.”
Ignoring Daks, who was doing his best to be invisible, he cupped her cheeks in his palms and put his face close to hers. His eyes had darkened almost to navy, and the grooves in his cheeks deepened.
“Leslie is a priority,” he assured her. “We will get her out of this safely. If in fact they have her, they aren’t going to kill her before they have a chance to use her as a bargaining chip. And that’s where we excel. Do you trust me, Beck?”
She nodded, unable to look away.
“Good. Then let’s get moving. The first thing is to find the hidey-hole for these guys. We’re close. I know it. I can smell it.”
She waited a moment then nodded again. “Okay. Let’s do it.”
Daks had taken Paladin out of the truck. Roman snapped the leash on and tugged the dog over to the massive wall of rock.
“Finden.”
Then he kept a loose hold on the leash while the dog nimbly climbed the rock, sniffing first in one place and then another. When he moved to the area that looked like someone had been standing around, he circled and circled, finally looking at Roman and barking. Roman tugged him away, but Paladin dug in his paws and pulled on the leash. He gave a soft bark and tried to head back to the area that was obviously man-made.
“I think we have a winner,” Roman told the others. He snapped his fingers at Paladin. “Good job. Good job. Now, sit.”
Beck watched as he looked around, running his hand over the irregular piles of rocks. Pushing at some of them but unable to move them.
“Not even pebbles,” he mused.
Beck frowned. “Excuse me?”
“Any rock wall like this, if you bump it or rub your hand over it, at least pebbles dislodge and scatter. This feels like the whole thing was arranged and cemented together.”
Beck frowned. “But why?”
“To create their hiding place,” Daks guessed.
Roman nodded. “Exactly. I promise you there’s a heavy stash of explosives behind these boulders. And god knows what else. Probably a setup to keep them sequestered for as long as they need to be out of the spotlight. Certainly, a place to plan their activities away from observers.”
“So, what now?”
“Now we connect the others in and make a plan. We can’t just go barging into the side of a mountain. Not when there could be enough explosives in there to destroy a small town.”
“Yeah. No shit.” Roman pressed the button on his headphones. “Everyone, check in, please.” In moments, they were all on the line.
“Did you find something?” Hank asked.
