Page 140 of Montana Manhunt

Both officers rested their hands on their weapons. “How do you know that?” the older officer asked.

Maddox and Noah held out their identification. “I’m Brent Maddox, CEO of Fortress Security. One of my EOD men is disarming a bomb strapped to a child across the street. The perp admitted to planting a second bomb in this hotel. Unfortunately, he didn’t tell my operatives where he planted it. We need to view the security footage now. We have little time.”

The older officer nodded toward the security guard. “Do everything he says.”

“You know this man, sir?” the security guard asked.

“By reputation.”

“Does your department have a bomb squad?” Maddox asked.

“No, sir. We have to call Billings for help in these cases.”

Maddox shook his head. “We don’t have time to wait.”

“Go,” snapped the officer, motioning for the security guard to get moving.

Noah and his boss followed on the guard’s heels as he ran into the hotel. A minute later, he unlocked the security room.

“How far back do you need to go?”

“Let’s start with an hour.”

Maddox’s grim expression caused the knot in Noah’s stomach to tighten even more. They didn’t have time to go back much farther. The clock was ticking away the seconds until the detonation of that bomb. “Noah, you’ll recognize Hanson faster than I will. Watch the video feed.”

Noah shifted to stand behind the security guard as he started the playback of the video feed. “Speed it up.” After the guard did as requested, Noah scanned the feed at the front entrance of the hotel. A minute into the feed, Jeff Hanson walked into the hotel with a backpack on one shoulder. “There. That’s Hanson. Follow that man.”

The guard did as instructed. They watched Jeff Hanson walk into the hotel gym. He slid the backpack from his shoulder as the door closed. He walked out again five minutes later with the backpack on his shoulder. The lawyer strode down the hall and through the lobby and exited the hotel.

“Let’s go,” Maddox said.

The three men raced through the lobby and down the hallway to the hotel gym.

“Spread out.” Maddox scanned the gym. “If you find the bomb, sing out, but don’t touch it.”

Conscious of time slipping away, Noah walked to the treadmills and searched the first one, then the second and third. Nothing.

Since Maddox and the guard were checking the weight machine and weight racks, Noah turned his attention to the rowing machines. The first one was clear. The second one, however, wasn’t. He found the bomb secured to the back of the screen. “Maddox.”

His boss hurried to Noah’s side and examined the bomb attached to the machine. “The timer is at fifteen minutes. Help me move the rowing machine away from the wall. I need room to work.”

Between them, they eased the machine to the workout mat. “Noah, check on Grant. If he doesn’t need an extra hand, go after Violet. I’ll back you up as soon as I can, but the local cops will probably keep me here.”

“I’ve got this, sir.”

“Contact Zane and have him send the cops to your location. If Grant has defused the other bomb, take him with you. You don’t know what you’re walking into.”

“Does it matter? Hanson has the woman I love. I’ll do what has to be done to free her.”

“Understood. Watch your back.”

“Yes, sir.” Noah sprinted from the gym and through the lobby. Once outside the hotel, he raced across the street to the tree line, where Grant still knelt beside the little girl and her mother. He crouched beside his teammate. “How’s it going?”

“Almost finished. Did you find the other bomb?”

“It’s in the gym.”

“Can the boss handle it?”

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