Fraser watched him emerge from the shadows, a hint of uncertainty furrowing his brow. “Well, I’ll be damned. Captain Barrett. Rumor has it, you’re on a special task force.”
“And I heard you were dead, Fraser.”
Fraser shrugged. “Not yet. Where’s Neve? I know it was her behind the scope.”
Anger colored Coulter’s vision for a moment before he pushed it aside. “She died at Bralorne.”
Fraser laughed. “I thought so, too, but it turns out she and her friends aren’t quite as dead as we’d hoped. Guess they found another way out of that cave.”
“That’s news to me.”
“Nice try, but if she was going to confide in anyone, it’s you. It’s always been you.” He shrugged. “Fine, we’ll do it the hard way…”
“Pineapple.”
Neve’s voice cut through the night a second before she and Scout opened fire, dropping Fraser’s men and sending the asshole diving for cover as rounds scythed off the metal stacks behind him, leaving a trail of sparks in their wake. Coulter tossed the flash bang across the yard, covering his head as it erupted into a violent wall of light and sound as smoke poured out of the canister, quickly covering the scrubby lawn in thick white vapor.
Neve appeared at his side, stumbling with him over to the ditch, Scout tripping along behind them. Coulter waved them in first, guarding their six as Shepherd pulled in across the road, Zadie and Wynn jumping out. Sparks lit up the smoke on the other side of the fence, a low grating screech drowning out the ringing in Coulter’s ears as Zadie dragged a set of metal bars off to one side, allowed Scout and Neve to pop up a moment later.
Neve looked down the hole at him, blood still dripping down her cheek. “Coulter, move, now.”
He crawled into the pipe, the sides scraping his shoulders, several inches of muddy water soaking through his clothes. The stench of sulphur and cordite burned a line down his throat as Neve extended her hand, pulled him out the narrow opening.
He pushed to his feet and raced for the vehicle, sliding in the back beside Neve and Scout as the others jumped in the front before Shepherd peeled off, tires chirping, the backend fishtailing on the wet pavement. Fraser ran into the center of the street, stared at their truck as they swerved around the corner, then turned right onto the main road.
A siren shrieked nearby, red and blue lights flashing in the dark as police raced along the road parallel to them. Shepherd slowed as they passed a warehouse, using the building to block any visual of the vehicle until the cops disappeared. He hit the gas, picking up speed before turning onto the main road heading east.
Coulter turned to Neve, held up more fingers. “How many now?”
She glanced at Wynn, then back to him. “Three.”
“Better than four but still not right.” He sighed as he brushed his fingers along her neck. “You okay?”
“Nothing some sleep won’t fix.”
“You mean after Wynn checks you out.”
“I’m fine. Nothing I haven’t experienced before.”
Wynn twisted in the seat. “I’ll be the judge of that, especially after how much bruising you had from fighting that asshole inside the mine.”
The words bounced around in Coulter’s head, and he leaned into Neve. “Is that what happened the last time you fought one of those bastards? He tried to choke you?”
Neve’s eyes widened a bit before she blew out a loud breath. “Maybe I did hit my head too hard because I know better than to blab. But since it’s already out there, yeah, it seems to be a go-to move of theirs. Though, thanks to you, I didn’t get tossed across the yard, this time.”
A low rumble clawed at his throat, and he had to clench his jaw to keep the sound locked in. “Good thing the fucker’s dead, or we’d be turning around.”
Neve squeezed his hand. “Thank you. Though, leaving Fraser breathing still doesn’t feel right.”
Wynn and Zadie inhaled, both looking back at them across their shoulders.
Wynn arched a brow. “Fraser was there?”
Neve sighed. “I’ll tell you all about it once we’re back at the bunker.”
Zadie tapped on her laptop, staring at the screen as she hacked her way into the GPS drive. “Actually, I’m not sure that’s our best course of action.”
Coulter shuffled closer. “You found something already?”
