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Paul agreed. “I called in reinforcements from Denver. They should be here shortly. I’d like to devise a plan before they arrive, so tell us everything you know about this camp.”
Grady tugged at the neck of his Red Snow Police Department T-shirt. “What are we working with?”
The exchange details came back up.
“What a rat-ass bastard.” Easton touched the angry cut on his cheek. “He’s not going to get away with this in our town.”
“Not a chance in hell.” Grady’s face turned as red as Easton’s facial wound. “We know that camp like the back of our hands. I think Easton got kicked out of every building for one reason or another.”
Jimmy pulled up the camp schematics. Cannon pointed out what shape the crumbling buildings were in and how they might be used to Malgor’s or their advantage. “This last building on the edge of the tree line was used for storage.”
Grady’s tight lips tilted up. “That’s where we used to take girls to make out. One time, when Cannon was in there with one of the counselors, we scraped rocks against the stone and scared the shit out of them. They thought we were a bear.”
“Stupid pranks. Wasn’t funny then and isn’t now,” Cannon muttered.
A tight laugh squeezed Rosalie’s chest. “Kind of is. You said there’s only one road in and out?” A road Malgor would surely have multiple snipers on when she approached the exchangelocation. “Are there any trails in the woods we can utilize to our advantage?”
Grady nodded. “I was out there last weekend snowmobiling with some buddies. There are no trails in the back of the camp because it’s so overgrown, but the trails that lead to the side of the dining hall are navigable if you know them. Snowmobiles could approach from here.” He stepped to the map and tapped several points. “They’d have to stop and finish the rest on foot so the sound of the engines don’t give them away.”
Rosalie straightened and shook her head. “Malgor isn’t from this area, and he seems too polished for a nature lover, but he’s had time for his associates to scout the terrain. He’d expect us to flank the area on snowmobiles, but it’s a better option than the road.” She looked at Cannon. “You said before that the dining hall had windows along the front and the back of the building. Tell me more.”
“The ceiling is vaulted. Two stories high. The tall windows in front face the open quad area with an unobstructed view of the one and only road. The back ones face a wall of thick trees that ascend clear up the mountain.”
“What state are the back windows in?”
“Clear enough to see someone inside and take them out with a bullet.”
“Good. How can we get to a point where we can get a clear shot through one of those windows without Malgor spotting our approach?”
Grady studied the map. “Assuming he will have every visible road and trail covered, you can’t. But there’s a little-known ungroomed trail, with emphasis on theun, that starts at the top of the mountain and ends about twenty-five yards behind the dining hall. When the conditions are good, a patrol buddy of mine drops us from his personal helicopter, and we board down.”
Adrenaline hummed in Rosalie’s veins at the thought of both the thrilling ride and sneaking up on Malgor from behind like he had done to her. “Tell me more about this trail that shall not be named.”
Jimmy enlarged the schematics of the camp.
“It starts up here.” Cannon ran his fingers down the lines. “And ends here. The drop point is far enough up the mountain for it not to be on Malgor’s radar, especially with the storm coming.”
Rosalie glanced at Paul. His approving nod warmed some of the chill in her bones. “If we can get there undetected before the specified time, we can draw Malgor to the window with a diversion subtle enough for him to investigate but not think it’s a trap. Something nature-like to scare off his slick, city-boy pants. Grady, can your buddy get me to the top of the mountain with the storm coming?”
“Today’s weather won’t faze him. He’s part of search and rescue. I’ll make it happen. Once you’re down, there’s a spot with a gap in the trees large enough for you to get a clear shot, but the terrain is dicey at best. Can you handle a run like that? Can anyone else in the room with an FBI badge handle it?”
“I can, but…” She ran to her laptop and pulled up the list of agents from Denver who were en route. “Agents White and Clark kept up with me last time we boarded together. They can manage it.”
Cannon leveled her with a stare. “I don’t care if Clark and White are snowboarding world champions. I’m not letting you drop from a helicopter and ride that trail without me.”
She met his alpha glare. “You don’t have a say in this.”
“Yes, I do.” He stepped in front of her.
Her ego didn’t appreciate his dominant tone, but the possessive edge did weird things to her heart. “No, you do not.”
He pressed his finger to her lips to silence her. “You said it yourself a few minutes ago. I have the hometown expertise. You may ride like the devil, but it’s snowing, and neither you nor White nor Clark know the area.”
Jimmy pulled up a weather map. “There’s another storm coming on top of this one. Radar shows heavy snow for the next three to four hours.”
She shot Jimmy a death glare and mouthed, “Traitor.”
Paul cleared his voice. “Ford goes with Zenner, White, and Clark to the end of the trail. The rest of the team from Denver will approach on snowmobiles and take up positions around the dining hall.” Paul pinned Cannon with a look sharp enough to use in surgery. “You only goto the end of the trail, no farther. Are we clear?”
