“From what I know, fifteen or twenty are at Oliver’s compound full time. More coming for the Gathering. Could be fifty, sixty by the time Oliver makes his play.”
“All military?”
“Some. Others are just angry assholes with guns and grudges. Oliver collects them, gives them purpose, makes them feel like soldiers in his revolution.”
“And they just follow him?”
“They all but worship him.” I slowed as Diesel turned onto an even narrower road, barely more than a trail. “He tells them they’re patriots. Heroes. That what they’re doing will save America.”
“And you pretend to be that too? Someone who wants a revolution?”
I nodded. “Angry. Bitter. Paranoid.”
It wasn’t always that far from the truth.
The radio crackled again. Snake’s voice. “Five minutes out. Look alive.”
I grabbed the handset. “Copy.”
The trees were thinning now, giving way to cleared land. Defensive positions. Kill zones. Oliver had chosen his spot well—remote enough to avoid attention, accessible enough to move weapons, defensible enough to hold off anything short of a full military assault.
“There’s something else,” I said, needing her to understand. “What I said back there, about why I left?—”
“It doesn’t matter now.”
“It does. Because I need you to know that everything I do in there, everything I have to pretend to be—it’s not who I am. Not really.” Although it was getting harder every day to remember that.
She turned to look at me fully, and for a moment, I saw something flicker in her eyes. Not forgiveness, not yet. But maybe understanding.
“Just keep us alive,” she cut me off before I could say more. “That’s all I need from you.”
Oliver’s compound came into view through the last stand of trees, and my chest tightened. Maybe fifteen men visible, but there’d be more. Not at gates—Oliver was too smart for that obvious display. But watching from windows, from the tree line. Oliver was known never to show his full hand.
Mia’s breathing changed, quickening as the reality of where we were headed sank in. All our history, all the complications between us, suddenly seemed insignificant compared to what waited inside those buildings.
We were entering Oliver’s domain now. No backup. No quick extraction.
No way out except through.
Chapter 8
Coop
The compound materialized through the morning mist like something out of a tactical nightmare—every approach covered, every blind spot eliminated, every defensive position maximized. My mind cataloged it all automatically while I helped Mia down from the truck, my hand on her elbow both possessive display and silent reassurance.
Two-story main lodge that looked like it had been airlifted from Aspen—floor-to-ceiling windows, timber and stone facade, architectural angles that screamedlook how important I am! Like someone had dragged civilization into the wilderness and perverted it.
Then six smaller, more location-appropriate, cabins sat around the house, along with three storage buildings that looked more like bunkers, concrete blocks reinforced with rebar. The training ground to the east where paper targets shaped like federal agents swayed in the mountain breeze.
I counted fourteen men visible, but there’d be more. I’d never met the man face-to-face, but I knew Oliver never showed his whole hand. I caught motion in the tree line—sentries with long guns. The glint of glass from the lodge’s upper windows—more overwatch. No quick exits here. No blind rush to freedom. This place was built to withstand a siege.
“Welcome to paradise.” Snake’s voice carried that special brand of satisfaction reserved for showing off to newcomers. “Oliver’s got forty acres of pure American freedom here. Plus a bunch of luxuries.”
Diesel hawked and spat, the tobacco juice landing dangerously close to my boot. “Better than that shithole cabin we’ve been at, right, Coop?”
“Depends on the amenities.” I kept my voice casual while memorizing the gate mechanism—electronic lock, manual override hidden behind a false panel. “Running water would be nice.”
“Oh, it’s got all the modern conveniences.” Tommy practically vibrated with excitement, like a kid showing off his tree house. “Generators, satellite internet, enough firepower to take on a battalion.”
