Page 68 of Mountain Refuge

Taya grinned. “It’ll take some getting used to, sweetheart. Of course, I’m happy to let you take over paying for everything.” She started putting their purchases on the conveyor belt.

“Newlyweds.” Ryan smiled at the woman who nodded.

The ride back up the mountain was silent. Ryan stopped the JJeep, then asked Tracy to take Betty into the house. When she did, he cut the engine and turned to Taya. “The men looking for you belong to a trafficking ring, don’t they? How does this concern you and Tracy?”

She scratched the brow above her right eye and sighed. “I was part of a team that rescued Tracy and a group of other girls from a ring in Oklahoma.”

“Special forces team?”

“Unofficially. Private team.” She pressed her lips together. “I joined them after getting out of the service when Tracy was abducted. I’m sure you know part of that. You did research me, right?”

“Absolutely.” He crossed his arms. “How long was Tracy with them?”

“Six months.” She held up a hand as he started to speak again. “She wasn’t touched. Not in that way, but she saw things. Her best friend, Amber, died in there. The two were abducted from outside a local coffee shop.”

“Which is why you don’t let her out of your sight.”

“That’s right. I did that once. I…” she cleared her throat. “I didn’t have custody of her yet the month before she disappeared. My job took me away too much. After my sister died, I wanted to finish my time in the service, but God had other plans, I guess. I quit the day after Tracy went missing and called an old comrade of mine who had started working for a private contractor. Once we had enough information, we went in. My friend didn’t make it out.”

“That isn’t your fault.”

She shrugged. “Maybe, but I feel as if it is. If I hadn’t been there for Tracy, none of this would have happened.”

“You don’t know that.” He pulled the keys from the ignition and slipped them into his pocket. Remembering they weren’t his keys, he pulled them back out and handed them to Taya.

“Still glad we’re here?” She narrowed her eyes.

“Now that I know exactly what we’re dealing with, I can help. It makes sense to keep Tracy out of the public eye. Can she identify the man who took her?”

“Yes, and The Boss.”

Ryan’s mouth dried to cotton. “You think he’ll come for her?”

“Yes. And you and I are expendable.” She shoved her door open. “Now, you know.”

He sure did, and the knowing seized his heart in a grip of ice. He might have written a book where the bad guy ran a trafficking ring, but research and living it were two very opposite things.

Now that he knew exactly what he was dealing with, he’d make sure to keep his gun loaded and handy. He’d make sure the dogs were always close to the house. No more roaming the mountainside. They had no better security system than the three dogs.

Taya slammed the passenger side door to the Jeep and stared at him through the window with eyes the color of an emerald and just as hard and cold. He considered telling her to run, then rejected the idea.

Sheriff Westbrook thought it best she stay and help draw out The Boss. Taya wasn’t a woman unaccustomed to danger. She knew what she had gotten herself into and planned to see it to its end.

Which meant, so did Ryan. Would he have made the same offer of a place to stay if he’d known the whole story? Probably. When someone needed his help, most of the time he offered his help without gaining all the facts.

He could only hope he hadn’t made an offer that would cost him his life.

Chapter Eight

The Boss listenedto what seemed like a repeat report of the day before and the day before that. “She couldn’t just disappear with a kid! That town isn’t that big. They’re on the mountain somewhere.” Did he always have to do things himself? “There’s a campground up there. Book all the sites. If someone is staying on one, run them off, bribe them—whatever it takes. Tell the attendant it’s a family reunion. Be quick about it. I’m on my way.” He cursed and hung up, wishing he had an old-fashioned receiver to slam down.

The Boss called someone else and barked orders for enough campers to house the ring, then marched to his room to pack. It wasn’t the first time he’d had to live on assignment. He doubted it would be his last. He tossed some things into a duffel bag, then checked his guns and ammo. He’d need to be careful that Trapp didn’t spot him. If she did, the gig was up. She’d sound the alarm and ruin everything. He cursed again.

Camping was not his favorite thing to do, even in a camper. He needed to start taking girls again. Maybe a few boys. Where was he supposed to stash them and train them at a campground? He shook his head and made another call for something that would suffice as a place of operations. “I don’t care what you find, just make it work.”

Duffel bag in one hand, weapon bag in the other, he headed to the garage and stashed both items in the back. The Boss didn’t have to check whether his orders would be followed. Not following them would result in unpleasant consequences for the one who failed. He climbed into the driver’s seat of his black HUV and drove to the undisclosed meeting place. The others knew without having to be told to gather here.

By nightfall, the dirt lot was filled with campers and fifth wheels. The Boss strolled among them until finding the one he liked. “This one.” Inside, a person would barely know it was a camper. Up-to-date appliances, separate bedroom, and full bath and shower. He would be comfortable. “Let’s head out. Form a convoy.” He gestured forward, then climbed back into his vehicle and led the way.

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