chin.
Olivia and Seth both stopped to help him back up. “You want me to pull the mule cart for a while?” Seth asked, nodding at the travois with a friendly grin.
“Let him do it,” Olivia told Landry in a dry tone, already heading back onto the trail. “Serves him right for letting Quinn turn him into his personal bloodhound.”
Landry handed over the travois poles and caught up with Olivia on the trail. “Are you sure heading into town is the best idea? Quinn clearly doesn’t trust me or he wouldn’t have sent your huckster buddy back there to make sure you were okay in my company.”
Hammond’s voice piped up behind them. “Reformed—”
“Shut up!” Landry and Olivia snapped in unison.
Olivia slanted a quick look at Landry, her lips curving in a half smile. “I don’t know if it’s the best idea,” she admitted, her smile starting to fade. “But it’s the best one I have. You have any better ideas?”
“No,” he had to admit.
“At the rate we’re going, we should hit town in about two hours. Then the pace should pick up because the streets are relatively flat, and you won’t be tripping over hidden stones every few yards.”
“What’s between here and town?”
“Enemy territory,” Hammond said, his voice closer. He’d caught up with them despite his heavier load.
“There’s a small enclave of people who claim allegiance to the BRI,” Olivia explained. “Their cabins are a little ways off the trail, so if we’re lucky, we shouldn’t have any trouble with them.”
Landry caught her arm and stopped her in her tracks. “If we’re lucky?”
“It snowed nearly a foot up here in the mountains. Power up this way is spotty on a good week, so they’re probably hunkered down, trying to stay warm. It’ll be all right.”
“You hope.”
“I expect,” she said firmly. But he saw her grip her Mossberg shotgun more tightly as she started hiking forward again.
They walked awhile in silence before Olivia broke it with a soft question. “Where is your evidence?”
So much had happened between the time he’d shown up at her cabin and this laborious hike down the mountain, it took Landry a moment to understand what she was asking.
“Evidence?” Hammond prodded when Landry didn’t answer immediately. “Evidence of what?”
“Of the BRI putting a hit out on me,” Olivia answered in a flat tone that belied the feral alertness behind her blue eyes.
“It’s not a hit exactly,” Landry corrected her.
“So they interrogate me roughly for a few days before they put me out of my misery. Close enough to a hit for me,” she said.
“Wait—what?” Hammond wriggled out from under the travois and trudged forward to join them. “Someone’s trying to take you prisoner, and you’re out here hiking into town by yourself?”
“She’s not by herself,” Landry protested.
Hammond shot him a hard look. “Close enough. Why didn’t you tell Quinn? He could have put a half dozen agents on your place to stand guard.”
“So then I’m Quinn’s prisoner instead.”
“At least Quinn’s not looking to put a bullet in your brain,” Hammond snapped, all of the folksy humor gone from his demeanor. “Damn it, Sharp, why do you always play it this way? Why don’t you let anybody help you?”
Landry looked from Hammond to Olivia, taking in the bristle of anger in her expression and the frustration in Hammond’s voice. Apparently, this wasn’t the first time Olivia had clashed with her fellow agents at The Gates about her lone-wolf attitude.
He guessed a few things about Olivia hadn’t changed in the past few years after all.
“Let’s just get to your office and get warm.” Landry nodded at the travois Hammond had dropped. “You can call Quinn and tattle on her when we get there.”
The sharp-eyed look Hammond threw Landry’s way would have intimidated a different man. But after all that Landry had gone through over the past few months, it would take a hell of a lot
Olivia and Seth both stopped to help him back up. “You want me to pull the mule cart for a while?” Seth asked, nodding at the travois with a friendly grin.
“Let him do it,” Olivia told Landry in a dry tone, already heading back onto the trail. “Serves him right for letting Quinn turn him into his personal bloodhound.”
Landry handed over the travois poles and caught up with Olivia on the trail. “Are you sure heading into town is the best idea? Quinn clearly doesn’t trust me or he wouldn’t have sent your huckster buddy back there to make sure you were okay in my company.”
Hammond’s voice piped up behind them. “Reformed—”
“Shut up!” Landry and Olivia snapped in unison.
Olivia slanted a quick look at Landry, her lips curving in a half smile. “I don’t know if it’s the best idea,” she admitted, her smile starting to fade. “But it’s the best one I have. You have any better ideas?”
“No,” he had to admit.
“At the rate we’re going, we should hit town in about two hours. Then the pace should pick up because the streets are relatively flat, and you won’t be tripping over hidden stones every few yards.”
“What’s between here and town?”
“Enemy territory,” Hammond said, his voice closer. He’d caught up with them despite his heavier load.
“There’s a small enclave of people who claim allegiance to the BRI,” Olivia explained. “Their cabins are a little ways off the trail, so if we’re lucky, we shouldn’t have any trouble with them.”
Landry caught her arm and stopped her in her tracks. “If we’re lucky?”
“It snowed nearly a foot up here in the mountains. Power up this way is spotty on a good week, so they’re probably hunkered down, trying to stay warm. It’ll be all right.”
“You hope.”
“I expect,” she said firmly. But he saw her grip her Mossberg shotgun more tightly as she started hiking forward again.
They walked awhile in silence before Olivia broke it with a soft question. “Where is your evidence?”
So much had happened between the time he’d shown up at her cabin and this laborious hike down the mountain, it took Landry a moment to understand what she was asking.
“Evidence?” Hammond prodded when Landry didn’t answer immediately. “Evidence of what?”
“Of the BRI putting a hit out on me,” Olivia answered in a flat tone that belied the feral alertness behind her blue eyes.
“It’s not a hit exactly,” Landry corrected her.
“So they interrogate me roughly for a few days before they put me out of my misery. Close enough to a hit for me,” she said.
“Wait—what?” Hammond wriggled out from under the travois and trudged forward to join them. “Someone’s trying to take you prisoner, and you’re out here hiking into town by yourself?”
“She’s not by herself,” Landry protested.
Hammond shot him a hard look. “Close enough. Why didn’t you tell Quinn? He could have put a half dozen agents on your place to stand guard.”
“So then I’m Quinn’s prisoner instead.”
“At least Quinn’s not looking to put a bullet in your brain,” Hammond snapped, all of the folksy humor gone from his demeanor. “Damn it, Sharp, why do you always play it this way? Why don’t you let anybody help you?”
Landry looked from Hammond to Olivia, taking in the bristle of anger in her expression and the frustration in Hammond’s voice. Apparently, this wasn’t the first time Olivia had clashed with her fellow agents at The Gates about her lone-wolf attitude.
He guessed a few things about Olivia hadn’t changed in the past few years after all.
“Let’s just get to your office and get warm.” Landry nodded at the travois Hammond had dropped. “You can call Quinn and tattle on her when we get there.”
The sharp-eyed look Hammond threw Landry’s way would have intimidated a different man. But after all that Landry had gone through over the past few months, it would take a hell of a lot
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