Page 69 of Burning Secrets

“Found a back way in a few months ago, before they moved.” He had to slow on the rutted road, and then he turned onto aneven tighter fire road. Crew braced his foot on the floorboard, held to the door handle as the truck jerked and bumped.

They pulled up to a fire tower. Tristan got out. “Climb up. You’ll get a view of the compound.”

Crew had already done the math. He climbed the ladder, coming out on the viewing platform.

Smoke plumed from the camp.

Tristan climbed up behind him. “Is the camp on fire?”

The question hit Crew like a punch. No—no?—

Tristan held up a pair of field glasses. “No. It looks like just one cabin, although it’s pretty hot.” He handed over the glasses to Crew.

He scanned the compound, spotted the fire. The smoke rose, a mix of gray and black, some white. “They’re killing the fire.” He scanned the other building.

Stopped.

Steadied on the figure hunkered down on the roof of a nearby cabin. “I see her. She’s on the roof of the old storage cabin.” He handed the glasses over to Tristan. “We need to get in there before they find her.”

Tristan nodded but kept staring at the compound.

“What do you see?” Crew asked.

“No sign of Rio and the sheriff.”

“It doesn’t matter. I have a plan.” Crew headed for the ladder.

Tristan came down beside him, hit the ground, glanced at him. “I’m not going to like this, am I?”

Crew opened the door. “You get JoJo. I’ll make sure you don’t get caught.”

Tristan’s mouth tightened around the edges, but he nodded, maybe thinking of his own sister, captured by the SOR.

He’d sacrificed his cover to get her out alive.

Sacrifices had to be made.

“Okay, I’ll drop you off just outside the compound. There’s a gate near the armory. I’ll go in there and take her out the back. What are you going to do—walk in and challenge Viper to a duel?”

He looked at Tristan, and for some reason the idea just took hold.

One way to get the compound to pay attention—give the pack a fight for alpha control.

“He’ll kill you.”

“Maybe not, if I kill him first.”

Tristan glanced at him. Then again, Tristan was the guy who’d killed the former SOR leader, helping his sister escape, not to mention he’d been captured and shot by a guy in league with the SOR. So yeah, he got it.

“Better if he stays alive so we can get some answers out of him.” Tristan braked, the compound a hundred yards away through the forest. “But I’d prefer if you win.”

Crew reached for the door, glanced back. “Thanks for springing me.”

“I had a favor to repay. Stay alive.”

“Get my girl.”

Tristan raised an eyebrow, but Crew shut the door. Then he turned and took off through the forest on the trail that led to the front gate.

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