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The sheriff had cut the zip ties off both men’s ankles after they were in the cells, but he’d left their wrists bound after Cody warned him not to remove the wrist restraints.
The guy he faced was muscle. Huge biceps, thick thighs and a muscular chest and trunk, along with stone-cold eyes, told him this guy did a lot of physical work. The other man was more slender, but very fit.
They might be muscle, but they were high level muscle. They’d been entrusted with a sensitive, important job. They weren’t the thinkers of the Bratva, though. The only way the fibbies might get them to talk was by dangling the witness protection program.
“Sure you don’t want to talk?” Cody asked the guy. “You could do yourself and your family a big favor by cooperating.”
At the mention of his family, the guy’s eyes had flickered. Not much, but it was a reaction. Cody would mention it to the agents when they arrived.
After another two hours, a man and a woman walked into the office. They flashed their FBI badges at the sheriff. “We’re here to pick up a couple of Russians,” the woman said.
The sheriff stood up. “Back here.”
The agents nodded when they saw the zip ties on the guy’s wrists. “Good. You have their weapons?” they asked Cody.
“Gave ‘em to the sheriff,” he said.
“They’re in evidence bags,” the sheriff said. “I’ll get them.”
He produced the bags -- four knives and four guns -- and receipts for the agents to sign. They scribbled their names on the receipts, then escorted the men, one at a time, to their van. After they chained the first man to a bolt in the floor, they retrieved the second guy. Locked him up, as well, then slid into the front seats. “Thanks for catching these guys,” the woman said.
“My pleasure,” Cody said, then watched them drive away.
Blowing out a breath, he turned to the sheriff. “Thanks for your help. I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t mention this to anyone else, even your deputies. This is a sensitive operation, and the fewer people who know about it, the better.”
“No problem,” the sheriff said. “When you called at two am? I figured it was tricky. I sent my night deputy out to patrol to keep him away from the station.”
“Great. I’ll keep you posted,” Cody said, deliberately keeping things vague.
He exited the office and swung into his truck. Drove toward the farm, resisting the urge to speed. He suspected Sierra had figured he’d deal with the threat and be back within an hour. It was now four hours and counting, and he was afraid she’d be frantic. Worried about his safety. Wondering what had happened.
Once he was out of the town proper, he pressed the gas pedal to the floor.
* * *
Sierra paced the small safe room, resisting the urge to glance at her watch every thirty seconds. Cody was fine. She had no idea how long it would take to track the intruders down and deal with them, but she trusted Cody to take care of the problem. He was smart. Could think on his feet. And he’d seemed well-prepared for anything that might happen.
As long as the intruders didn’t get the drop on him.
Cody clearly didn’t follow her careful, cautious approach to life. He struck her as the kind of guy who jumped in feet first, ready to take on the world. She was far more deliberate, not acting until she had all the facts and had considered every possible outcome.
But even so, Cody didn’t seem like the kind of man who took crazy chances. He simply assessed and processed everything very quickly, far faster than anyone Sierra knew, then acted equally quickly.
She trusted he knew his job, just assheknewherjob.
But she couldn’t stop the doomsday scenarios scrolling through her head, and the waiting was driving her crazy.
She glanced at her watch again. It was edging close to four hours since he’d locked her in this room and gone off to confront the intruders. He’d told her it could take a long time, but visions of Cody lying injured or worse somewhere on the farm scrolled through her head.
She shivered. Drew her sweatshirt more closely around her body as she continued to pace. Moving was better than sitting and waiting. She’d go crazy if she couldn’t move.
Finally, she heard a tiny click from the door. Another. She wanted to press closer to it, but she stepped back. Stared at the latch, hoping it was Cody and not someone unknown.
After what seemed like forever, the door swung open and Cody stepped through into the room. She threw herself at him and embraced him tightly. “Are you okay?” she murmured into his neck.
“I’m fine,” he said, wrapping his own arms around her. “Two guys. Neither of them touched me.”
Sierra clung to him, savoring the feel of his hard muscles against her chest and legs. Inhaling his familiar scent. Finally she leaned back, still holding onto him, and scanned him from head to toe. No blood. No torn clothes. No apparent damage. “You sure you’re okay? You’re not being all manly and stoic?”
