Page 64 of Twilight Tactics

“There are,” the prisoner mumbled.

Elena studied him. He could just be trying to avoid being turned over to the sheriff while biding his time to make an escape attempt.

He could be.

Unfortunately, she didn’t think so.

Sully steppedinto the barn.It wasn’t your average barn. It was high tech and temperature controlled. Their captive would be quite comfortable until they could figure out how to get him to the authorities.

He had half a mind to turn the heat off but wouldn’t want the horses to suffer. He rubbed the curious soft noses that poked out of the stalls as they walked past. Fifteen horses. “We’ll have to figure out who’s got horse duty,” he said.

Elena glanced at him. “Yes. Thankfully, the vets take turns. It’s volunteer and a lot of them really enjoy it, but if it comes down to it, I can do it. Ollie might like to help. She likes dogs, so maybe horses will interest her too—with you or Piper supervising, of course.”

“I would think so.”

“Office is this way.”

She walked him down the middle of the concrete and hay-covered barn floor to the room at the end, then tapped in the code to unlock the door.

“We’ll have to reverse that.”

“Yep.”

He stepped into the room that had changed a lot since his childhood days. What used to hold an old wooden table, four rickety chairs, a metal filing cabinet, and a fax machine with a telephone was now fully modernized.

He hung his coat on the rack. “All right,” Elena said. “If you start packing this stuff up and moving it out into the middle of the barn, I’ll move Jumper to the empty stall near the other door. We’ll store the office equipment in his stall.”

“You got it.” He rolled up his sleeves and went to work.

Elena did the same.

Ollie joined them with three other vets who helped as well. Piper stayed on guard, ready to alert them to any trouble, but the alarm never came and they finished in record time.

They all gathered at the other end of the barn, and Maya explained everything that had happened and about the bombs. “I know this isn’t what you signed up for when you came here, so if you want to just lay low in your cabin, no one is going to judge you.”

She continued her spiel to the men and women, who frowned and hung on every word and muttered concern about the situation. And offered their support.

Elena opened the newly moved refrigerator and handed out water bottles. “Now for the bed.”

“It’s in the truck outside,” Ollie said, leaning against a pitchfork. “I saw a couple of the vets drive up with it.”

Sweat glistened on her face and Elena passed her a water bottle. “Hydrate, my friend.”

Elena had been spot-on in her assessment that Ollie would want to help care for the horses. She’d jumped in and, after some brief instructions, mucked a couple of the stalls like she’d been doing it all her life.

While the teen chugged the liquid, Sully and one of the vets, Grady Little, moved the twin bed into the makeshift cell.Sully gave a short nod to Grady. “Do you mind letting David know he can bring the prisoner down?”

“Will do.”

“Thanks for your help.”

The man saluted, did a 180, and disappeared out the door of the barn.

Elena turned to Ollie. “You feel up to another lesson?”

The girl nodded. “Bring it.”

“Let’s do it here. In between the stalls. There’s enough room for what I have in mind to show you. Sometimes you have to defend yourself in close quarters.”