Delivering His Gifts (Mountain Men of Liberty #10)- K.C. Crowne Page 0,73

stayed with her until her breathing was even and calm. I checked on Skyler, who was also curled up in her bed, content and safe, before heading downstairs where my brothers were waiting.

“Sam’s going to stay here,” Graham said. “To keep an eye on Danielle and Skyler.”

I nodded. “I can do this alone, guys.”

“No, you can’t,” Eli said, putting a hand on my shoulder. “We’re going with you. This isn’t a one-person job by any stretch of the imagination.”

“I just hate dragging you guys into this mess,” I said.

“You were there when we had to save Emmy,” Graham reminded me.

“And when Penelope was working at the clinic, you always watched out for her,” Sam added.

“And I’m sure one day, you’ll help save someone I love too, at this rate,” Eli laughed, and the rest of us joined in. It relieved the tension greatly. “Even if you don’t, we’re brothers, and we’ll always have each other’s back. I’m sure Jack would join us too, if we gave him a call.”

“No, don’t do that. He cleaned up his life; we don’t need him getting caught trespassing.”

“But I know he appreciates all that you’ve done to help him too,” Graham said. “We all do. We’ve pulled you into our shit, so now it’s our turn to help you.”

I nodded apprehensively. “Thanks, guys.”

“Ready to head out?” Graham asked.

“Yeah, let’s do this.”

Eli and Graham went over the plan as I drove. We knew the place likely had security cameras everywhere, but Eli would handle it. He was our tech guru and thought he could hack into the camera’s system and turn them off, briefly, while we explored the property, looking for anything that might act as proof of Jim’s involvement. We’d already scoped out the land via property records and maps and discovered there was a shed not too far behind the house that belonged to Jim.

We parked several blocks away from Jim’s property, out on a busy street with a lot of vehicles parked along it. It was late, around one in the morning, but the moonlight bounced off snow around us and lit up the street and surrounding areas, making it easier to see where we were going.

The wind whipped against my face, cold and brutal, like a warning, telling me I should go back inside where it was safer. I pulled my coat tighter around me and stuffed my hands in my pockets. Nothing was going to stop me.

We trudged through the snow in silence until we found ourselves outside of the massive, gaudy McMansion.

“Alright, let me turn off these cameras and double check for alarms on the fence,” Eli said, pulling out a tablet and getting to work.

I waited in the cold. It felt like an eternity as Eli tapped the screen. Finally, he said, “Done. For a guy this rich, his security system is pretty shitty.”

I was already several feet away before my brothers joined me walking toward the back gate. We needed to find something, anything, that would prove Jim was responsible for the fire.

The fence was six feet tall, but rather than work at the locks, I climbed over the top. Being tall often came in handy for moments like this. My brothers easily scaled the fence as well.

I landed on my feet in the soft snow and was thankful for the bright moonlight. The shed was a few yards away, tucked behind some trees. The windows from Jim’s office peered out over the backyard and the trees, and even though it was late, I double checked that the lights were off.

We made it to the shed and found it unlocked. I stepped into the shed, eager to find anything. We didn’t find a light, so we used the flashlights on our phones to light the way. The shed was filled with random stuff sheds are usually filled with. Some rakes. Other gardening tools. Nothing of interest at first.

“Dammit,” I muttered to myself.

“What’s this?” Eli asked, opening a cabinet tucked away in the back. “Oh shit.”

“What’s what?” I asked.

“Looks like we have some accelerant,” Eli said.

“That’s not enough evidence,” Graham said, speaking my mind.

“I know, but it’s a start,” he argued.

“He could just say it’s for burning leaves, especially since it’s with his gardening tools. A lot of people burn their leaves.”

“But do they have this much of the stuff?”

Eli shined the light on the cabinet, which was full of accelerant, more than most people would need in a lifetime. Graham and I stared in silence for a