But she’d require the Lost boys—Ryker, Heath, and Denver—to bring them in. Then she’d need leverage. A lot of it. Maybe she could break Denver enough that he’d work with her. Want to be her son and help her to continue her work.
“Do you want me to infiltrate the property?” Matthias asked.
“Not yet. You’ll require backup,” she said. Probably more backup than she had available at the moment. She thought idly about calling in favors with the government, but that could get so sticky.
“There’s more,” Matthias said. “I saw a Blackhawk lift from the Montana property about three hours ago. Looked loaded for bear.”
She paused. “Could you see who was in it?”
“I used binoculars and can’t be sure. Best guess, I saw Nate Dean briefly, but I couldn’t guarantee it.” Matthias and every other solder in her employ had studied on a daily basis the pictures of the men she sought.
“Nathan,” she breathed. If Nate had truly left Audrey to go on a mission, then it was crucial. Isobel looked around her quiet lab and the flickering lights from the generator. “Stay put. I’ll be in touch.” Disconnecting the call, she quickly typed on her keyboard, bringing up the security feeds. Nothing. If the storm had knocked out the power, this might be a coincidence.
She knew better. Grabbing her phone, she dialed Elton. The phone went to voice mail. He’d said he wanted to blow off steam and had headed to the gym on the second floor around eleven.
Her heart started to race out of pure instinct, and she eyed the wall at the end of the room. The one that looked like a bookshelf. Making up her mind, she quickly dialed her top soldier in the compound.
“Gleason,” he answered.
“Where are you?” she asked, moving rapidly toward the bookshelf and pulling out the correct book. The wall slid open.
“Scouting to the north,” he replied.
She stepped inside and closed the door. “Team of two?”
“Affirmative.”
She kicked off her high heels and jumped into snow boots. “We’re on red alert.” If Denver and his brothers were there, it was too late to fight. “Execute Campaign Rabbit.” Clicking off, she grabbed a semiautomatic Glock from the locker after throwing on a jacket and slinging her laptop bag over her shoulder. Pride filled her at how quickly her boys had found her when she’d tried to leave no trace. She knew they were here. She couldfeelthem.
But now wasn’t the time to take them in. She didn’t have the resources to take on all three of them. All seven of them if the Blackhawk had arrived with the Gray brothers.
Hitching up her skirt, she climbed the stairs and pushed open the door at the top that couldn’t be seen from outside. Gleason roared up in a Humvee a second later, and she jumped into the front seat, slamming her door. Another armed soldier was in the back.
She nodded. “I think—”
The world blew up. Fire shot high and fierce into the sky, and a barrel blew right into a tree. “Unbelievable,” she muttered as her storage depot and the barracks went up in flames. Men started running from the barracks and from areas around the depot.
Gleason yanked the wheel and spun out, heading away from the demolished building.
Isobel turned around in time to see Heath barrel out of her hidden room. If she had to sacrifice him to teach his brothers a lesson, she’d do it. “Shoot him,” she said evenly. How quickly had he found the room?
The soldier in back started to lean out the window, his gun already outside.
Her gaze met Heath’s, and his hardened. Time seemed to slow. Did he know she’d made his eyes greenish brown on purpose? Did he know his ability to fight, his raw impressive intelligence, was all from her work? Did he want to know more about his genetics? He had to be at least a little grateful to her.
He lifted his arm and started firing at them.
Her soldier shot back.
She ducked down, panic heating her. “Go, go, go.”
The heavy vehicle fishtailed, but Gleason punched the gas, speeding away from the melee. Bullets hit the back but didn’t slow them. “What about Sheriff Cobb?” he asked.
Isobel sighed. “Either he’ll survive or he won’t.” The man could fight, and he had no conscience. He had a good chance of making it through if he got the hell out of there.
Gleason’s hands relaxed on the wheel as they put distance between them and the fight. “Destination?”
She pulled her laptop free and flipped it open, rapidly typing. “Just keep driving. I’ll have a destination in about thirty minutes if my guess is correct.” The two programs she’d need came up on a split screen, and her entire body settled.
