Page 79 of Her Silver Fox Mountain Men

“What are the guys going to do about it?”

“We’ve got eyes on her,” Kirby replies. “Chip is going to intercept her once he’s got a clear line. First, we need to make sure Igor is busy staying on James’s tail, though. It’s a multiple prong approach, so let’s focus on what we have to do first.”

“Okay,” I nod slowly, my heart lodged in my throat. “Where are we meeting Janice and the twins?”

“The diner. It’s the lunch rush hour. It’s the perfect time for you to slip away.”

“How so?”

Kirby’s lips hint at a smile, his brown eyes constantly flicking back and forth between the road ahead and the rearview mirror. “We didn’t pick up a tail of our own, so that’s good.” He presses the comms button on his earpiece. “Warlock here. Taking Dove to the assigned location. No tail. I repeat, no tail. We’re in the clear for now.”

“Good,” James’s voice comes through my earpiece. “Glad to hear that. We’re dragging our three mooks along the belt road. So far, so good.”

“Bald Eagle here,” Oliver chimes in. “I’m following the pack, making sure we don’t lose them.”

“Keep us apprised,” Lang says. “I’m watching your GPS dots on the map moving in real time. The sheriff has been updated on the situation as well.”

Updates continue to pour through, so I know where the guys are at any given minute. The operation seems to be going smoothly, but Kirby has yet to answer my question.

“Kirby, how is the lunch rush going to help Janice and me slip away with the twins?”

“The diner will be crowded with locals. There could be a couple of Igor’s spies mixed in there, but it’ll be hard for them to keep an eye on who’s doing what. The bosses made sure to send several local businesses over with their crews to eat. More trucks are parked outside, which means more ruckus. It’ll be just enough chaos for us to move around the block undetected.”

It’s a daring plan, but I recognize its brilliance.

And it works.

The entire stretch of Roker Street in front of the diner and its neighboring shopfronts is riddled with cars and trucks from local small businesses. The diner itself is bustling, with crews of workers crammed around every table. If Igor has spies in there or in any of the cars parked outside, they can’t see us. There’s simply too much happening at once.

Kirby takes a sharp turn into the narrow alley to our right. It’s dimly lit and is situated behind the diner.

At the far end, I see Janice and the twins getting out of a dark brown sedan accompanied by two plainclothes agents. My heart skips a beat, relief washing over me to see that they’re safe.

“Thank God,” I mumble.

Kirby pulls over next to the brown sedan. “You gotta have a little more faith in us, Elise. We’re all seasoned officers.”

“It’s not that I don’t have faith in you,” I reply. “It’s that I know how the Konstantinovs work.”

“We made it this far, didn’t we?”

“Yes, we did,” I shoot back with a smile.

We get out of the truck and I rush over to the girls. I give Janice a quick peck on the cheek, then hug Tricia and Ainsley tightly. “I’m so glad to see you’re all okay,” I tell them.

“Why did we skip school today, Ellie?” Tricia asks me with a frown.

“We were gonna do artsy cookies,” Ainsley moans.

Janice chuckles. “The kindergarten teacher was bringing in a pastry chef today to show the kids how to decorate cookies and cupcakes. The girls were excited about it.”

“I’ll bet,” I tell her, then give the twins another smile. “Tell you what. We’re going to go on a little trip but when we get back, we’ll stop by the supermarket and get all the supplies we need so we can decorate cookies and cupcakes at home. How does that sound?”

Tricia looks suspicious. “You can do that?”

“Sure can,” I reply with newfound confidence.

“Where to now?” I ask Kirby.

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