Page 55 of Under Fire in Big Sky

“We’re exhausted,” Eli said.

Trujillo studied them one at a time, wariness in his eyes. “I’ve got to finish up here. I’ll check the security cameras, but I’m not hopeful. There’s no coverage of the lot where you said the perp was parked.” He pointed to the area. “And you parked your truck under a lamppost, which was good, but once again, no coverage by the cameras. You two should find a new hotel, get some rest, and be sure to give me a heads-up on where you’re staying. In fact, since you don’t have a ride, I can get one of the uniforms to drop you somewhere.” He gestured to the deputies.

“No, thanks,” Eli said, stopping him. “We’ll get a rideshare.” Shepherd was capable of many things, but Eli doubted being in several different places at once was one of them. That meant Audrey had been right about another thing—Shepherd had loyal followers everywhere. Who knew how many or where, possibly some entrenched in law enforcement. He certainly couldn’t have gotten to Audrey without help, if he was even the one to kill her. Or Maben. What if Shepherd had help from someone on the inside with the bombs at the pipeline, too? “Hey, I was thinking about something Mr. Johnson, the plant manager, told us. How no one could’ve meddled with the economizer without someone inside the plant seeing it. What if one of the workers there placed the device in the economizer during a check or maintenance?”

“Their MO is to use insiders,” Olivia said.

“I planned to have everyone there questioned tomorrow. Starting with the three guys who were there last,” Trujillo said. “Do either of you have any leads on where Shepherd might strike next?”

Olivia shook her head. “Aegis is researching next possible targets.”

“Oh, one more thing,” Trujillo said. “My other agents, Finch and Chen, checked out the address Audrey gave us for the dairy farm. It was burned to the ground along with any evidence that might’ve been inside.”

“Shepherd is good at covering his tracks,” Olivia said. “We need to take your advice and get some rest.”

Nodding, Trujillo strode off toward the wreckage that was surrounded by firefighters.

Eli turned to Olivia once the agent was out of earshot. “Let’s not share where we’re staying with anyone beyond IPS this time.”

“Why?”

“If Shepherd has the tech, sure he could’ve found us by following the digital trail I left. But Trujillo also knew we were staying here. You told him, remember?”

“Think we can’t trust him?”

He shrugged. The only ones he was willing to trust with their lives were Ironside. “What did you find in the room?”

She unzipped the main part of her handbag and showed him equipment in a resealable bag. “Two cameras hidden in the vents. Probably had audio as well.”

Shepherd had watched and listened to their reaction to the note he’d left them. Eli shuddered to think about what else the terrorist might have witnessed, a private moment between him and Olivia. At least they hadn’t gotten to the point where they’d taken off their clothes.

His phone chimed. He took it out and looked at the text.

“Is that IPS getting back to you?” Olivia asked.

“Yes.” He finished reading the text. “They’ll be here no later than 0500. Autumn, Takoda, and Bo. Chance, who has decided to come too, doesn’t want us to stay in another hotel. He rented a place in the area large enough for the team.” A five-bedroom farmhouse. “I’ve got the address. Someone will be waiting outside to let us in, show us around, and hand over the keys. I also passed Takoda the coordinates from the note card so they could research the meeting site, but I still have no idea where it’s located.”

“A state park, about a thirty-minute drive from here. I googled it,” she said. “That’s where Shepherd wants to meet me.”

Eli doubted it was to have a simple discussion. He’d given Takoda a brief rundown on what they were dealing with. The IPS team would arrive in a few hours, and they’d get ready for any possibility.

Early morning light broke through the clouds as they approached the Breaks Edge State Park.

The entire Ironside Protection Services team arrived a couple of hours ago. Chance, Bo, Autumn, and Takoda had dropped everything else to back them up. They brought all kinds of equipment, even checked their belongings to ensure Shepherd hadn’t left a tracker in their stuff.

They mapped out the state park. Identified the trails leading in and out. Everyone would be positioned at different points around the periphery, each covering a section of the park, except for Eli, who was staying with her. The team would operate four drones, equipped with thermal imaging, that would fly beneath the dense canopy of forest, offering a bird’s-eye view and increasing their coverage. Also, they’d given her a necklace with a GPS tracker with a built-in listening device to wear as an extra precaution.

The plan was methodically designed. Everyone knew their zone and the objective: don’t let Shepherd get away while keeping an eye on her.

Olivia glanced at Eli.

He drove Chance’s truck. His brow was riddled with worry lines. He was still concerned that somehow Shepherd would get the upper hand.

The reality was he might. Nothing was foolproof.

Where their planning might fail, they would have to rely on experience, training, and gut instincts. Play it by ear.

Olivia focused on the road in an attempt to steady her nerves. If she let on in the slightest about her own unease, it would only make things worse for Eli.