Rowan snapped her gaze to the doorway. Eric Dalton stood in the threshold, hands shoved in his pockets, shadows lining his eyes. He swept his gaze across each of them, settling on Bodie.
Bodie grinned. “I thought you’d moved into Wade’s hospital ward. Started paying rent.”
Dalton flipped the man off. “I just wanted to make sure he was conscious.” Dalton shook his head. “The ornery bastard woke up cussing a couple hours ago. Might be worse than Chase as a patient and that’s saying something. But the night deputy arrived, and I had this feeling you jackasses were heading into trouble, so…”
Bodie eyed him. “Is that your way of saying you want to tag along? Without even knowing what the mission is?”
“If it involves those sons of bitches who hurt my friends, then I’m in. Period. Don’t much care what or where.”
“Then, gear up. We could use an overwatch.” Bodie turned and focused on Buck. “Buck? You okay riding with us or do you need to drive my truck?”
Buck swallowed, paled a bit, then drew himself up. “It’s not that I don’t trust…”
Bodie waved it off, tossed Buck his keys. “No explanation needed. Might be good having options.”
Dalton clapped Buck on the shoulder. “I’ll ride with you. Leave the love birds to themselves.”
Bodie rolled his eyes. “You’re an ass.”
“But I’m not wrong.”
Buck stopped at the door after Dalton stepped out. “I’ll take point, if it’s okay. There’s a back road out there. Might be better to stay off the main routes, especially if they’re looking for your ride.”
Rowan waved at the exit. “Try not to lose me.”
“From what Bodie’s said, that’d be a pretty tall order.”
Buck walked out the door, joined Dalton in Bodie’s truck, waiting while she and Bodie slid into her Chevy. Buck checked his mirror, made a few hand signals, then drove off, bumping along the driveway and onto the main road.
Rowan followed, looking over at Bodie. “How’s the leg?”
Bodie chuckled. “Better than yesterday.”
“Considering how much pain you were obviously in, that isn’t reassuring. You could stay in the truck — join Dalton on overwatch while I recon with Buck.”
Bodie leveled his gaze at her. “Not likely. Don’t get me wrong. Buck’s solid. Would die to keep you breathing despite him needing to drive himself.” Bodie sighed. “It’s not really my story to tell, but he’d be okay with me filling in the broad strokes. He was in a car bombing overseas while on deployment. Lost a few years from the trauma. But ever since an incident a year ago, he’s worked his ass off to get past the residual effects. Reclaim his life. But being in a vehicle’s tough for him. Especially when he’s not in control.”
“I can only imagine.”
“Regardless, he’s good. And I’m coming.”
“Understood.” She turned left at some obscure gravel road, Buck’s taillights shining ahead. “What about this facility? You think it could be the same one?”
“Buck’s the best damn tracker I’ve ever met. If he saw this place while on a hunt, the intel’s good. Just don’t ask him about aliens or anything supernatural. That’s one rabbit hole you’ll never climb out of.”
She smiled, trailing Buck as the man took a series of two tracks and logging roads, finally stopping at the top of a hill. He killed the lights, parked off to one side, leaving her enough room to pull in beside him. They rounded the SUV, snagged her vest out of the hatchback, then met Buck and Dalton at the back of Bodie’s Tacoma.
Buck grabbed a few canisters out of a container in the back, clipped them to his vest — next to a camera he’d obviously strapped on during the ride. “Can’t be too prepared after our last encounter.”
Dalton pointed to a slight rise about a hundred meters south. “I’ll bed down on that rise. It should give me a clear sightline to the majority of the facility. Though, anything below ground’s outside my reach, so watch your damn six.”
Dalton took off, disappeared into the foggy shadows.
Rowan nudged Bodie. “Will he still be able to cover us in all this fog?”
Bodie merely nodded. “He’s got a thermal scope, along with some other surprises on his rifle. He’s good.”
“Then, let’s get this party started.” Rowan motioned to Buck’s camera. “Let’s try to do this by-the-books. Keep it strictly recon unless we’re provoked. Buck, I’d appreciate it if you’d photograph anything that looks out-of-place. Hell, capture everything. Otherwise, we keep to the shadows, and for god’s sake, don’t die.”
