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Yeah, about as far as you can toss him.As they disappeared inside the tent, Jordan’s voice held doubt. Travis was relatively confident she didn’t know Alex and his uncle ran a training camp for domestic terrorists and that she hadn’t been putting on an act.Damn it!Why did he care one way or the other? Travis’s gut ache told him something was about to mess up his plan.
He tried to ignore the prickling sensation on the back of his neck. Jordan wasn’t his problem. Alex would get her home safely, and if she were smart, she’d never see the guy again. If she did, that wasn’t his problem either. But the nagging uneasiness stayed with him as he slipped away to make preparations.
He’d made a habit of taking daily hikes, short distances from camp,to keep fit,he’d told any who questioned his activity. The routine added to his persona as a loner and gave him the freedom to come and go without suspicion. Today would be like any other, except he wouldn’t be coming back.
*****
IT WAS ALMOST MIDNIGHT, and the men still visited about the day’s events. Travis figured it wouldn't get any better between a woman in camp and the guys hashing over how Alex had humiliated the boss.It’s now or never. He gathered his few belongings, stuffed everything into his day pack, and left the tent. Nodding silently to the few who greeted him as was his custom, he maintained the aloofness they expected.
The explosive experts, and those who assisted them, were busy in the black tent. Their work was tedious, and the gas generators ran full bore, doing a fair job of keeping the work environment warm. Others, like Travis, whose jobs were to bring in more supplies and move the finished product to the underground bunker, were free to occupy themselves however they chose as long as they got in at least one training session per day. Brody wanted his militia ready for battle.
A small group gathered near Alex’s pickup, conversing with the bodyguard, drinking coffee, and smoking. It still bugged Travis that he couldn’t remember where he’d seen the guy before and considered joining them for about two seconds until he noticed Kyle was there. Travis turned toward the mess tent, grabbed a cup of coffee, positioned a chair to face the campfire, and waited for an opportunity. As usual, it was only a matter of time before a fight broke out. With everyone focused on the disturbance, he slipped from the camp.
Thoughts of Jordan kept popping into his head as he moved quickly through the trees.Why am I worried about her? She made her choices and could either live with them or decide to make some changes.Either way, it was out of his hands. The best way to help her was by making sure Alex and his uncle went to jail.
Despite applying his logic to the matter, the image of her in the tent, bruised and scared, haunted him. It didn’t help that she was smoking hot. Her almost-black hair fell below her shoulders and curled around her pretty heart-shaped face. She looked good in tight jeans, even though her coat had covered all the stimulating parts.Shit, I shouldn’t even be thinking about her that way.Besides, innocent and vulnerable women weren’t his type.
Still, he couldn’t get her out of his head, making him almost too late to duck out of sight between the time he heard voices and Alex and Brody appeared, heading back toward camp.
“Okay, I get your point.” Brody sounded like he’d had enough of Alex for one day. “I’m sorry, okay? It won’t happen again.”
Alex stopped and jerked Brody around to face him. “I don’t think you do, man. I come to see how the operation is doing and find you’ve brought a woman into camp. No one is supposed to know about this place. You’re keeping her here against her will.You threatened her!” His voice was cold as ice. “I should kill you for what you’ve done. I would if it wasn’t partially my fault for letting her get lost. Damn it.” His fists clenched as though he’d like nothing better than to deck someone.
Brody raised his hands in a gesture no doubt meant to appease Alex. “I said I was sorry. No harm’s been done. She had a scare, and that’s the extent of it.”
Alex’s laugh was anything but humorous. “You really don’t get it, do you?” He took a threatening step closer until he was right in Brody’s face. “She’s not a child, and she’s not stupid. She knows something is going on here, and it won’t take her long to put the pieces together. You’ve come off like a two-bit hood, and she’s suspicious of me because I know you. If she talks to anyone about this, it won’t be long before the conversation leads to Uncle Joe. I don’t need to tell you that your life is worth zip if that happens, do I?”
“What are you going to do?” For the first time, Brody seemed to comprehend the seriousness of his offense.
“Nothing.You’regoing to clean up the mess you made.” Alex stared at him until Brody looked away. “The way I see it, nobody found her last night or today, and sometime before dawn, she’ll have a tragic accident a long way from here. These mountains can be treacherous, and it’s easy to lose your footing.” Alex paused. “Do we understand each other?”
Brody nodded.
“Good.” Alex smiled, visibly relaxing. “I’ll stay tonight and report her missing in the morning. Now, let’s go see the stockpile.”
Brody fell in step beside him, and they walked together toward camp, leaving Travis to the silence of the forest and a burning ache in his stomach. After a minute, he rose from his crouch and took a deep breath. The pulse hammering in his ears couldn’t block out Alex’s cold-blooded order to end Jordan’s life that continually looped through his mind.
I should have expected this.It was the reason Travis’s gut had been warning him. So, now what? If he went back for Jordan, he could kiss off any chance of nailing Halstead. As soon as Jordan disappeared, and they realized he was gone too, his cover would be blown. Alex would be alerted to the danger and wouldn’t go near his uncle. Months of investigation flushed down the toilet. If Travis did nothing, she would die. It shouldn’t be a difficult decision to make. There was no choice. He had to help her, but he didn’t have to be happy about the situation.
Travis skirted the camp's perimeter until he was directly behind the semi-circle of tents at the edge of the trees. There was no guard on Jordan’s tent, undoubtedly by Alex’s order to make her feel less a prisoner. No sound or sign of activity came from Brody’s tent, where she waited for Alex. Two men sat in lawn chairs beside one of the shelters, drinking coffee and probably discussing the day’s events. They appeared in no hurry to leave, making it impossible to get in and out of Jordan’s tent without being seen. Removing them from the equation would be easy enough but would attract attention sooner than necessary. He had contingency plans for everything, including his exit when the time came. Unfortunately, none of them included taking someone out with him.
He needed a diversion. A fire should do the trick, big enough to threaten the stockpile of explosive devices but small enough that they’d be able to get it under control with extinguishers. If they didn’t, and the fire got to the explosives, it would be one hell of a show.
Several yards into the trees, to the east of the black tent, lay the bunker, so named because it was the only stick building they had. Half-buried in the mountainside, it held the bombs and other incendiary devices that were ready to go.
The bunker was usually deserted, but Travis had to curb his impatience today while Alex and Brody finished their inspection. What should have taken five minutes lengthened tediously to an hour as the two lingered outside the structure, deep in conversation. Alex passed on shipment instructions and deadlines while Brody talked of supply problems and new techniques the explosive experts had implemented in the lab.
Travis’s special ops training had taught him to bide his time. The nature of the job demanded self-control. Yet, as each minute passed, his patience dwindled. The moon disappeared behind the mountains, and the lack of light would make their trek harder. Even in the morning’s chill, he began to sweat, but he didn’t dare move and risk detection. A frustrated glance at his watch confirmed that the early morning hours were slipping away. If Alex and Brody didn’t move on soon, he’d need a different plan.
When they finally left, striding in the direction of the lab, they passed so close to the thick brush where Travis hid he held his breath until they were out of sight. Another minute ticked by before he approached the bunker. A small mound of dry twigs, broken limbs with partially dried needles, and a crumpled piece of paper from a straw he found in his pocket sizzled with a touch of the match. The tiny flame caught, then stuttered and caught again, burning hungrily through the dry twigs. He slipped quietly away when the green branches and pine needles kindled and sent a plume of smoke skyward.
He was halfway back to his spot behind the tents when the first shout offirewent up. Men dropped what they were doing and hurried toward the smoke.
There was no one around to see him enter Jordan’s tent, and he had to let his eyes adjust to the inky darkness before he saw her lying still on a sleeping bag. It wasn’t until Travis dropped to his knees beside her that he realized she was awake. Fear and distrust swept over her expression as she scrambled away. He grabbed her leg and dropped his body on hers. A strangled scream escaped her throat before he clamped his hand over her mouth.
