Denver barely kept from grimacing. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll get out of the rest of this getup. Then we need to talk about the hearing tomorrow.” He nodded at Malloy. “We’ll need full protection not only en route but there.” His gut told him Dr. Madison was about done with biding her time. She’d make a move on him soon and wouldn’t care who got caught in the crosshairs. The fact that she’d been waiting at all made him want to throw up. That couldn’t be good.
Malloy nodded. “Oh, you’ll get it.”
Denver grabbed his bag, brushed a hand across Noni’s hair, and then loped into one of the two bedrooms, shutting the door. He quickly divested himself of the rest of the outfit, showered in record time, and drew on ripped jeans and an old T-shirt before booting up his laptop. After going through security measures, his screen lit up, and Ryker’s face came into view.
“We clear?” Denver asked.
Concern glowed hot and bright in Ryker’s eyes. “We have a problem.”
Of course they had a problem. They always had a problem. Movement could be seen behind Ryker, and as Denver focused, he could see Heath rapidly packing in the background. “What’s up?” Denver asked, looking for his gun in the pack.
Ryker typed in some keys. “Couple of things. First, we traced Sheriff Cobb’s movements the other week when he drove to see Malloy. He came through Idaho.”
Denver’s breath heated, and the urge to hunt flowed through his veins. “Do we have a starting point?”
“Not yet, but I have searches running.” Ryker glanced behind him. “Second, sensors and alarms are going off on the South Dakota property.”
Denver stilled. The world silenced. “Where Anya and Zara are?” Oh God. His brothers came to help him, leaving their hearts behind. “How bad?”
Ryker held up a hand. “Not sure. I’ve checked everything, and I can’t find proof of human tampering or anybody in the vicinity. Anya and Zara are fine . . . and armed to the gills. Plus, there’s a hell of a storm going through. But . . .”
Denver paused. But nothing was ever quite what it seemed. “You have to get home, Ry. Now.”
Ryker nodded, his gaze torn. “I know. Heath is going now, and I’m going to cover you at the hearing and then we’ll jump on a helicopter.”
Denver shook his head. “No. You need to go now. Heath might be heading right into a trap. He’ll need backup before I will. I have Malloy, and he’s solid. His people are solid.”
Ryker opened his mouth to argue. “I’m not leaving you, brother.”
“I’m safe. Malloy is good backup.” Denver cut him off. “The baby has an ear infection and can’t fly, so we’ll drive and meet you in Montana. You have to get out of South Dakota right now in case Madison has found you.” The woman still had excellent resources, and they were fooling themselves if they thought they were safe while she was alive. “What about calling in reinforcements from Montana?”
Ryker sighed. “I don’t know. If we’ve been compromised, which seems likely, then I can’t lead Madison to Montana and the Gray brothers. I just can’t.” He bit his lip. “If this is a trap, Heath and I can handle it. If not, then we’ll call them in.”
This sucked. Denver scrubbed both hands down his face.
Ryker leaned in. “Listen. After the op last night, there’s no way Madison and Cobb don’t know where you are. They know. They’re waiting to make a move.”
Yeah, but they could also be making a move in South Dakota at the safe house. “I know,” Denver said. “But we have to go to this hearing to clear Noni with the baby.” They could manipulate and circumvent the law left and right, but at some point they needed real documents. A true history. And a situation in which the FBI wasn’t hunting down their asses.
Cobb had made it difficult with the law enforcement community, but his BOLO was only from North Carolina. So far, no other agencies had really taken up the hunt. It had to stay that way. If the FBI got involved, Denver and his brothers were screwed. “Go home, Ry. I promise I’ve got things covered here.” He started calculating a good plan in his head. It’d piss off more people than he wanted to, but he really had no choice.
Female voices sounded from the other room, and he moved farther away from the door.
Ryker’s sigh was full of frustration. “I can’t leave you.”
“Zara needs you more than I do. I’m trained. She’s not,” Denver said simply. “Trust me.”
Ryker’s eyes darkened. “I do.” He lifted his head as the sounds in the other room got stronger. “What’s all that?”
“Aunts Franny and Verna are here,” Denver whispered, trying not to blanch.
Ryker snorted. “Don’t they hate you?”
“Yeah. Thanks for the reminder,” Denver said dryly, his heart rate speeding up. He set the laptop on a rickety dresser with no knickknacks on it. Not even a television. “Call when you get home, Ry.”
Ryker’s bluish green eyes sizzled. “Keep yourself safe, brother. We’re too close to the end of this thing to get hurt now.”
The closer they got, the more danger came for them. Denver took a moment. “Thank you,” he said simply. For making them a family. For being his brother. For everything.
