Page 30 of Twilight Tactics

Elena stayed still,her heartpounding a frantic rhythm. Sully had pulled his phone out and was snapping pictures. She shot him a glare. The phone didn’t make any noise, but if he did...

He took one more photo, then tucked the device into his pocket while his hand hovered over his weapon. She focused back on the conversation the group was having.

Only it appeared like they were done. One of the suits passed a briefcase to one of the preppers. She didn’t recognize any of them. LaRoche wasn’t there and she wondered where he was. Or if he was even still alive. A Google search had said the land still belonged to him, but that didn’t mean he was still living on it.

“Get it done,” one of the suits said. “We’ll be waiting.”

With those parting words, the suits climbed into their vehicle and headed away from the campsite. The remaining six men and two women sat in silence for a good minute. Then the one nearest Elena stood. “Everything is set. Let’s put it in motion. Alert the others that it’s time.”

Elena blinked. Time for what?

“I’m not sure about this, Owen,” a woman’s voice said from the far side of the firepit. “This isn’t part of our creed. Our way of life.” She stood and spread her hands. “What we’re here for.”

Elena bit her lip. Lindy Grace.

“You want out, LG, get out. But keep your mouth shut.This money is going to buy us a lot of supplies. Do our community good. Take care of a lot of people. That’s our creed, remember?”

Lindy Grace—LG?—nodded. “I know, but—”

“No buts. If you can’t be trusted, then you can’t go back to the compound.” He lifted his rifle and aimed it at her.

Elena swallowed a gasp and Sully shifted, his hand going to his weapon. The others shot to their feet.

“Owen, no!” The second woman’s shout echoed.

Elena clamped a hand over Sully’s forearm. They stayed frozen in place. Sully would intervene if he thought the man would kill the woman and then they might end up dead as well. But no way would they sit by and watch him shoot Lindy Grace.

Elena’s former friend lifted her hands in the surrender sign. “I may not want anything to do with this, but you know I’m loyal. No one’s going to hear anything from me. You do what you think is best for the group and I’ll just stay in my corner.”

Owen hesitated, then gave a short nod and lowered his weapon. If Lindy Grace didn’t mean it, she sure was convincing. Thank goodness. Sully relaxed enough to remove his hand from his weapon.

“Then let’s get back,” the man said. “We have some planning to do.”

Elena shifted and her boot squeaked. A soft, barely there sound that echoed in the stillness like a gunshot.

Sully shot her a look and the message was clear.Don’t move.

“What was that?” Owen spun, his gaze landing right where they were hidden. “Who’s there?” He pulled his gun once more and aimed it in their direction. “Come out or I’m going to start shooting.”

There was no way they could step out now. Outnumbered and outgunned. “Run,” she mouthed to Sully.

He gave a short nod and motioned for her to take the lead.She wasn’t sure if that was because he figured she knew the area better or because he was trying to put himself between her and a bullet.

Probably both. She didn’t waste time arguing and took off running through the brush and bushes, crouched low, heading for the direction of the ranch, doing her best to pick a path that would allow for the protection of the trees.

The gun cracked. Then again.

A bullet came way too close to her right cheek and she ducked left, then back right, zigzagging her way across the forest floor. Sully was one step behind her, his footfalls steady and close. Her brain filtered ideas by the second, searching for a hiding place. A clearing to her right centered her. She knew exactly where she was. She made a sharp right. “This way. To that tower.” The abandoned fire lookout tower stood out above the treetops, the skeletal frame rusted, but still in one piece. It rose nearly forty feet in the air, steel stairs spiraling upward, the top platform enclosed in shattered glass and rotting wood. Ivy climbed up the lower supports.

“We’ll be sitting ducks if we cross that clearing,” he said.

“That’s why we’re going around.”

He followed her without question, and they hurried, staying low, slipping from shadow to shadow. The gunshots had stopped, but...

“They’re tracking us,” he said.

“I have no doubt.”