Storm (Linear Tactical #10) - Janie Crouch Page 0,51

were trying to draw him out. Hopefully, his brother wouldn’t fall for it.

Stobbart kept on talking. “We work on the kids now and get them to Jared. It won’t take much to get Marilyn to fall in line once they’re gone.”

“But what about the adults?” Wyn said. “Jared doesn’t want the kids hurt, but I’ve got the taste for a little hunting.”

Shit. Noah wanted to take these two out where they stood shooting off their mouths. He could do it easily. But he was willing to bet there was someone waiting silently on the outer rim of this conversation, waiting for Tanner to take the bait.

“The man is a cop,” Stobbart hissed. “It was one thing when we were just going to take out some woman, but it’s another thing to bring Colorado’s entire police force down on us.”

Wyn snickered. “You worry too much. Always have. It’s the wilderness. Accidents happen in the wilderness all the time. Even to cops.”

Noah circled around further.

There. Noah spotted the third man hiding, waiting to see if Tanner would try to take out Wyn and Stobbart. It was Marius Nixon, another one of Ellis’s pals that Zac had seen in the townhouse. Noah silently backed away without being seen.

Was Tanner around here? He had to find his brother before he did anything that got himself killed. Listening to their talk and making their threats… Tanner would want to eliminate that threat if he could while the two of them were together. They had guns. The only weapon Tanner would feel he had was the element of surprise.

Or so he would think.

Noah moved from tree to tree. Relief pooled in his gut as he spotted Tanner. But he was right, his brother was about to make a move. Noah ran quickly, but silently toward his brother.

“Right now, we stick to the plan,” Stobbart said. “We can’t get Marilyn, but we can get the kids.”

“Fine,” Wyn said. “But if the cop or the woman poses a threat, I won’t hesitate to do what needs to be done.”

Fuck. Tanner was standing, about to charge into Wyn and Stobbart. He’d be an easy target for the third guy. Noah leapt into the air, tackling Tanner like their high school football days, and threw them both into a tree.

“What was that?” Wyn said.

Noah pressed his fingers up against Tanner’s windpipe, completely cutting off his ability to make any sound. “Quiet, Hot Lips, it’s me.”

Tanner stopped all struggle, and Noah immediately released his hold on his brother’s throat.

“We need to take them,” Tanner whispered. “They’re planning—”

Noah gave a sharp shake of his head. “Set-up,” he said in the lowest of voices.

Now they waited. Noah could tell Tanner didn’t like it, but he kept quiet and didn’t move as they lay huddled behind the tree.

Finally, the third voice, Marius Nixon, broke his hiding and spoke.

“It didn’t work,” Nixon said. “They must really not be anywhere around here. Otherwise the cop would’ve made a play. Trying to take you guys out would’ve been the smartest thing to do.”

Noah could feel Tanner tense at the sound of the third man.

“It was worth a try. Let’s split back up and make another round,” Stobbart said. “I still hold that they wouldn’t have kept going with the kids. Too hard.”

They all faded back into the darkness, but Noah kept motionless with Tanner. Even long after it was quiet and the forest had resumed its natural noises, Noah didn’t move.

There was still someone out there. A fourth man. Someone more patient and with more wilderness experience than Wyn or Stobbart or even Marius Nixon, who’d been lying in wait. Tanner started to move, but Noah stopped him with a shake of the head.

They waited. Noah could thank his time in the Army for teaching him this life-saving patience and for giving him these instincts. Only after he was certain no one else was anywhere near them did he finally motion for Tanner that it was safe to move.

“Being extra cautious?” Tanner whispered.

“There’s a fourth, who was hanging behind just in case. I don’t know where he was, but he was out there.”

Tanner muttered something about Noah being fucking spooky. He could call it whatever he wanted, but Noah had learned to trust his instincts about things like this.

“I’m pretty sure you just saved my life, so thanks.”

Noah squeezed his shoulder. “Let’s move. I’ve got to pick something up before we go to wherever you stashed Bree and the kids.”

“Pick something up?” Tanner whispered. “Like a pizza?”

“Infinitely