Page 23 of Deadly Sins

And going on a date didn’t mean the man wasn’t also their mystery writer. But it didn’t feel right. For now, until they exhausted all other avenues, he’d go with his gut.

He pulled a package of beef jerky out of the jar on the counter. “Copy that.”

His mind raced as he considered their next move. The abandoned communications camp Rog mentioned could be a lead worth pursuing. If it wasn’t a Rog-generated trap.

He turned to Kate, his eyes sparkling with a mix of determination and mischief.

“I say we check out this abandoned station,” he suggested, his voice low and conspiratorial. “Could be our mystery person is holed up there.”

Kate nodded, her eyes narrowing in thought. “We should head out in the morning, get a fresh start.”

“Really?” He gestured towards the window, where the perpetual darkness of the Arctic winter loomed. “Why wait? It’s not like it’s going to get any lighter out here. Besides, as Rog said, there’s another storm coming. We don’t want to get caught in that.”

Kate blew out a breath. “You’re right. We should provision up, rent a couple of snowmobiles, and go now.”

Fenn peeled open the package, snapped off a bite and chewed hard, savoring the salty, smoky flavor. “Sounds like a plan,” he said around the mouthful of jerky.

A super bad one, for sure, but for now, it was the only one they had.

15

Bridger North balancedon the ladder, his attention split between the tangle of lights in his hands and Tai’s chatter below. The scent of fresh pine filled the living room, and Bridger couldn’t help but smile. This was what Christmas was all about—family, friends, and a sprinkling of chaos.

Big hands wrapped around the rails, Tai stared up at him from the bottom of the ladder. “Seriously, Bridge, did you have to pick the biggest tree on the lot?”

Bridger looped another strand of lights around a branch. “Go big or go home, right?”

“And the three other trees for headquarters? Did we really need one in the gym?”

A flush crept up Bridger’s neck. Okay, so he may have, possibly, gone slightly overboard. “It’s Christmas, brother. Live a little.”

Tai held up a hand in surrender. “Hey, no judgment here. I love seeing you embrace the whole dad thing.”

Bridger climbed down the ladder, ready to defend his newfound holiday spirit, but Tai’s grin stopped him short.

“Speaking of…” Tai’s fist shot out, connecting with Bridger’s stomach. “I see the dad-bod’s coming along nicely.”

Bridger’s eyes narrowed. Oh, it was on. He launched himself at Tai, and they wrestled like a couple of overgrown puppies. Laughter filled the room as they traded playful jabs.

Finally, Bridger extricated himself from the headlock Tai had him in. “No dad-bod for me. Not yet anyway.”

Tai brushed pine needles from his shirt. “The way Jane cooks? Give it time, my friend. Give it time.”

Bridger shook his head, a smile tugging at his lips. Truth be told, he couldn’t wait for more kids, more chaos, more everything. But first, they had to bring Jason home. Until then, he had to stay mission-ready, just like the rest of the team.

They worked in companionable silence for a bit, adjusting the tree and wrapping it in twinkling lights. His thoughts drifted to Fenn and Kate, and he shivered.

“Think they’re frozen stiff yet?” Tai asked, as if reading his mind.

“Gotta be. We’ve only been back a few days, and I’m already craving sunlight. I can’t imagine going back to that constant darkness.”

Tai opened a box of ornaments, studying them as if they were Christmas cookies. “And the boredom. I bet Kate’s ready to strangle Fenn by now.”

Bridger frowned. “Why would she?—?”

“Oh, come on. You know how they are. Love. Hate. It’s a fine line.”

“What are you talking about?”

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