Page 101 of Cold Light of Day

Mateo smirked in a weird, tough-guy way. “You come with the drive. Once we verify it contains the information we need, then you’re free to go.”

You’re not a very good liar.“Not happening.”

His only goal was to get the women to safety, and maybe he was playing the tough guy as well.

Mateo thrust the muzzle of his gun into the base of the woman’shead. Autumn’s mother. Jessie. “You come with the drive, or I take her or the police chief with me.”

Okay. He was going with them. He threw his hands out in surrender. “Whoa, whoa. Easy there. Let them go, and I’ll come with you.”

At least he could be relieved that the brothers were not demanding to take the chief or keep her mother now. Their tactics had shifted, for some unknown reason. He didn’t care what it was.

He nodded at both women and took a step forward, expecting them to do the same. Mateo shoved Jessie forward, and she slightly stumbled but righted herself. Mateo kept his weapon trained on her. Grier’s insides tensed. What was going on?

Sarah headbutted Mateo. Gunfire blasted around them.

“Get down!” Grier shouted.

He dropped to the ground, along with Sarah and Jessie and even Mateo. Grier jammed the drive into his pocket for now.

More gunfire ensued, but it echoed off the mountain. Their secret-weapon sniper.

“Get out of here, Sarah. Get Jessie to safety. I’ll take care of this guy.”

Grier got back up and started for Mateo, but he rolled out of the way and scrambled to his feet. He shoved Grier to the ground and pointed his pistol at him.

The guy stood over Grier, making himself a big, fat target.

Take the shot, Nolan!

Either Nolan would take Mateo out, or Grier was going to die.Come on, Nolan, what’s taking so long?

“Mateo!” someone shouted from behind them.

Grier focused on Mateo, whose eyes suddenly grew wide. He kept his gun pointed at Grier.

“If you don’t come with me now, your women”—Mateo gestured toward the old Ford truck where they were hiding—“will never be safe.”

Grier understood that reality. More than anything, he wanted to take these two men down today. The chief and her mother would never be safe, and he would have to continue to look over his shoulder too. Rifle fire echoed. Mateo instinctively ducked and scrambled toward the helicopter. Grier took in the situation. Rafael held his gut—a gunshot wound.

Nolan’s work?

Grier scratched his head. Mateo didn’t even take the USB drive. Grier glanced behind him, and his heart rate kicked into overdrive.

A two-hundred-foot-long wall of mud, boulders, sand, and trees crept down the hill toward the airstrip. It moved at a slower speed than some he’d heard about that had left a trail of bodies and missing persons. But it was almost to the truck. Nolan emerged from the woods and raced forward.

Grier could run to them, but he wasn’t going to make it. He glanced at the helicopter. He didn’t want to lose these criminals, though he was not law enforcement and had no arrest authority. He’d learned from Autumn that, in Alaska, you made do with what you had available.

Everyone piled into the truck, and Autumn sped away from the slide and shouted out the window.

“Grier! Come on, get in!”

“Don’t try to save me. You’ll be buried.” He had no idea if she’d heard him—probably not—but she could see he had different plans, and she wouldn’t risk the lives of the others.

Grier sprinted toward the helicopter, which was now lifting off the ground. Then he jumped and grabbed the skids, hanging on. Weirdly, Mateo thrust his hand out and assisted Grier onto the chopper. He had no idea what that would look like to the others—it could very well make it appear that he was guilty, after all. He climbed into a seat, and Mateo pointed his gun at him.

Rafael could only look on—sweating and bleeding as hewas. He would die if he didn’t get immediate medical attention. Mateo didn’t seem worried, and maybe Rafael’s death would work out better for Mateo, who had lived his life in his brother’s shadow.

Maybe Grier was crazy to go looking for trouble. To chase it. But he was done hiding. Done playing games. He was taking his life back now, or he would die trying.

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