scarier man than Hammond to make him flinch.
Hammond released a harsh breath and stalked back to the travois.
“You want me to spell you for a bit?” Landry asked as the other man jerked the lashed poles over his shoulders.
“I’m good,” Hammond growled.
“You have such a way with people,” Landry murmured to Olivia as he caught up with her.
“I don’t want people at the agency thinking I need to be wrapped in cotton and put away somewhere safe.”
“Do they do that as a rule?”
She cut her eyes at him. “I haven’t tested the theory yet.”
“If you’re so worried that’s what’s going to happen, why are we going to The Gates in the first place?”
Her voice rose. “Because I have nowhere else safe to go, okay?”
They walked on in silence for another half hour, battling a rising wind that whipped up the mountain, blowing snow around them and limiting visibility to a few dozen yards. The watery sunlight that had offered a brief reprieve against the icy chill had faded behind a sheet of low-lying clouds that threatened more snow.
“What was the forecast the last time you checked?” Landry asked. He’d lost his cell phone months ago and had never bothered to replace it. Whom did he have to call? But he’d seen Olivia checking her phone that morning before they hit the trail.
“It might snow a little more,” she answered. “They weren’t sure.”
“How much more?”
Coming to a sudden stop, she didn’t answer. Landry followed her gaze into the blowing snow and saw what she’d seen. Movement, straight ahead.
There was someone out there in the woods ahead.
“How close are we to the BRI enclave?” Landry asked softly.
“Too close,” she answered.
Behind them, Seth Hammond uttered a soft expletive.
“Well, now,” came a low drawl, “look who just wandered into our territory, boys.”
Landry froze, a flash of images flooding his memory so hard and fast he felt as if he’d been gut-punched.
He knew that voice. He’d heard that voice every day for a month, the deceptively gentle tones that had been a sound track for the brutality of his henchmen.
He’d never seen the face—they’d made sure of it. But he’d know that voice anywhere, even in his nightmares.
Landry turned slowly, bracing himself for his first look at the monster who haunted his dreams.
But before he could move, a crack of rifle fire split the icy air, and he threw himself at Olivia, shoving her to the ground beneath him.
Chapter Nine
The idiot was trying to protect her!
But in the process, he’d damn near knocked the Mossberg out of her hand. She shoved him off her and rolled onto her stomach, leveling the barrel toward the last place she’d seen their gun-toting intruders.
But they were gone, running through the snowy woods like wraiths, fading into the whitewashed scenery.
As Olivia turned her head to check the rear, Landry pushed her down again, his weapon hand whipping toward a spot behind her. “Don’t move.”
“Landry—” Hammond began.
“Shut it,” Landry barked. “Put the guns down.”
“You’re outnumbered.” The familiar voice sent a shudder of relief ratcheting through her body. She shoved Landry off again, ignoring his growling order to be still, and looked up to confirm what she’d heard.
Six men in arctic camouflage stood in a semicircle around them, eyes alert and rifles raised. One man was clearly in charge, a dark-haired man with dark hazel eyes and lean, chiseled features. He wore the camo like a second skin, which made sense, she supposed, given his decade in the US Army.
“They’re friendlies,” she said sharply to Landry, putting her hand over the hand that held his gun.
“Says who?” he growled, shoving her hand away.
“I say,” she said firmly, circling to stand between his pistol and her colleagues. The second she got a look at his wild-eyed expression, a quiver of pure terror ripped through her gut. In that moment, she realized, he could just as
Hammond released a harsh breath and stalked back to the travois.
“You want me to spell you for a bit?” Landry asked as the other man jerked the lashed poles over his shoulders.
“I’m good,” Hammond growled.
“You have such a way with people,” Landry murmured to Olivia as he caught up with her.
“I don’t want people at the agency thinking I need to be wrapped in cotton and put away somewhere safe.”
“Do they do that as a rule?”
She cut her eyes at him. “I haven’t tested the theory yet.”
“If you’re so worried that’s what’s going to happen, why are we going to The Gates in the first place?”
Her voice rose. “Because I have nowhere else safe to go, okay?”
They walked on in silence for another half hour, battling a rising wind that whipped up the mountain, blowing snow around them and limiting visibility to a few dozen yards. The watery sunlight that had offered a brief reprieve against the icy chill had faded behind a sheet of low-lying clouds that threatened more snow.
“What was the forecast the last time you checked?” Landry asked. He’d lost his cell phone months ago and had never bothered to replace it. Whom did he have to call? But he’d seen Olivia checking her phone that morning before they hit the trail.
“It might snow a little more,” she answered. “They weren’t sure.”
“How much more?”
Coming to a sudden stop, she didn’t answer. Landry followed her gaze into the blowing snow and saw what she’d seen. Movement, straight ahead.
There was someone out there in the woods ahead.
“How close are we to the BRI enclave?” Landry asked softly.
“Too close,” she answered.
Behind them, Seth Hammond uttered a soft expletive.
“Well, now,” came a low drawl, “look who just wandered into our territory, boys.”
Landry froze, a flash of images flooding his memory so hard and fast he felt as if he’d been gut-punched.
He knew that voice. He’d heard that voice every day for a month, the deceptively gentle tones that had been a sound track for the brutality of his henchmen.
He’d never seen the face—they’d made sure of it. But he’d know that voice anywhere, even in his nightmares.
Landry turned slowly, bracing himself for his first look at the monster who haunted his dreams.
But before he could move, a crack of rifle fire split the icy air, and he threw himself at Olivia, shoving her to the ground beneath him.
Chapter Nine
The idiot was trying to protect her!
But in the process, he’d damn near knocked the Mossberg out of her hand. She shoved him off her and rolled onto her stomach, leveling the barrel toward the last place she’d seen their gun-toting intruders.
But they were gone, running through the snowy woods like wraiths, fading into the whitewashed scenery.
As Olivia turned her head to check the rear, Landry pushed her down again, his weapon hand whipping toward a spot behind her. “Don’t move.”
“Landry—” Hammond began.
“Shut it,” Landry barked. “Put the guns down.”
“You’re outnumbered.” The familiar voice sent a shudder of relief ratcheting through her body. She shoved Landry off again, ignoring his growling order to be still, and looked up to confirm what she’d heard.
Six men in arctic camouflage stood in a semicircle around them, eyes alert and rifles raised. One man was clearly in charge, a dark-haired man with dark hazel eyes and lean, chiseled features. He wore the camo like a second skin, which made sense, she supposed, given his decade in the US Army.
“They’re friendlies,” she said sharply to Landry, putting her hand over the hand that held his gun.
“Says who?” he growled, shoving her hand away.
“I say,” she said firmly, circling to stand between his pistol and her colleagues. The second she got a look at his wild-eyed expression, a quiver of pure terror ripped through her gut. In that moment, she realized, he could just as
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