Page 5 of Under Fire in Big Sky

“I know. Go down and spread the word, we’re initiating protocol Gloriosa.”

“Are you sure?” Kevin sounded surprised. “I mean, we’re ready to rock and roll, but Gloriosa today?”

“Once the agent from Aegis got here, those were the orders. Do it. We go dark in thirty seconds. No turning back. For a new dawn.”

“A new dawn.” At the end of the hall, Kevin pushed through the door to the stairs and disappeared into the stairwell.

Taking the SIG Sauer P226 from his shoulder holster, Eli hurried away from the door to his duffel bag. He pulled back the slide around the muzzle, ensuring the first round was loaded in the chamber. Moving like lightning, he stuffed the pistol back in the holster, grabbed extra loaded magazines, a lock-picking kit with EOD multi-tool inside, and his tactical blade. He shoved the mags, kit, and knife in various pockets. Hustled out the door. Bolted down the hall after Kevin.

Eli pressed the push bar and opened the door as slowly and quietly as possible.

No sound of footsteps in the stairwell.

Running down the steps, taking them three at a time, he whipped out his cell phone and dialed Liv to give her a

heads-up.

The line didn’t ring.

He glanced at the screen. No bars. Maybe it was because of the stairwell.

Reaching the main floor, he cracked the door open and listened. Nothing. He stepped into the hall. Looking around for Kevin, he tried Liv again.

But the line wasn’t working. Still no bars. He searched for a security camera. Spotted one. No red light.

We go dark in thirty seconds.

Eli swore as panic clawed free from his chest and tried to pull him down.

The New Dawn Revolution must have been using cell and Wi-Fi jammers to prevent cellular calls, disable the surveillance cameras, and restrict security’s ability to communicate. Multiple jammers would be needed to cover the resort. The group was way more organized than expected. More sophisticated, too. And based on the gun Kevin had, this time the New Dawn Revolution didn’t appear to have a problem using violence.

They also knew Olivia was an Aegis agent and wanted her contained.

Whatever that meant, Eli needed to reach Liv first.

Chapter Two

Despite Olivia’s best efforts, her thoughts drifted from the professional task at hand to the personal mess of her life.

She’d dragged Eli into this mission, which she had a bad feeling about since the briefing. Then she made the mistake of telling him they needed to talk. He was the kind of man who appreciated advanced warning. Needed time to brace himself rather than be blindsided. But it backfired. Olivia only made it worse, sending him to investigate separately to give herself breathing room.

Once he started giving two-syllable responses—will do, yes ma’am, on it—she’d realized the error, but by then it was too late. The damage was done.

Maybe she’d overstressed the whole talk thing out of fear. Fear their conversation would be a turning point. They’d been stuck in this quasi-romantic on-and-off relationship far too long. The odds were high, very high, it was finally coming to an end.

“How long will this process take?” Donald Dempsey asked, bringing her thoughts back to the present conversation.

They walked down a corridor on the east side of the building.

Olivia put her hand on her purse to keep it from swinging with the weight of her gun inside. “Forty-eight hours.”

Chip Whitney, the billionaire tycoon on the other side of her, scowled. “That’s cutting it close.” The older man wore a bespoke suit of light fabric, perfect for the June weather, and Lucchese cowboy boots, all of which screamed money. “Can’t you speed this up?”

Considering Dempsey had received the threat from the ecoterrorists on Friday, Whitney hired Aegis on Sunday, Olivia had been pulled into a last-minute briefing regarding the situation on Monday, and today was Wednesday, she didn’t see how it would be feasible. “Possibly thirty-six hours, but my original estimate is more likely.”

Whitney groaned.

Dempsey stopped in front of a room labeled Grand Ballroom. “Hang on, Audrey,” he said to his assistant.