Chapter 22
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Tiny jogged through the trees and didn’t dare let go of Ryleigh’s hand. Wolf was ahead of them, acting as if he hadn’t just been stabbed in the thigh. But he supposed adrenaline and fear for his wife was a powerful motivator. If they lived through this, if Wolf’s teammate was able to disarm the bombs, he’d make sure Wolf got medical treatment as soon as possible.
But at the moment, time was of the essence. One wrong move and a little scratch on Wolf’s thigh would be the least of anyone’s worries.
Tiny had been surprised when Wolf ran out of the lodge, but he didn’t for one second think the man was actually leaving them behind. He knew what the former SEAL was capable of. His and Caroline’s story was legendary. Not to mention all the other missions Wolf and his team had been on. They might not be public knowledge, but SEALs talked. Sometimes the gossip network from SEAL to SEAL was embarrassing. But it was thorough .
Wolf wasn’t the kind of man to run from a confrontation. But he was smart enough to know when stealth was more practical.
Ryleigh’s father hadn’t gone down easily, even with both him and Wolf trying to subdue him. That knife was also damn sharp, and after Lodge attempted to swipe at Wolf’s throat while they’d been grappling, Tiny had wrestled it away from him—and was hit with sudden clarity.
Ryleigh was right. Harold Lodge would never stop trying to hurt his daughter and everyone she loved. He couldn’t be contained in a regular prison. All it would take was one illegal cell phone, and the man would be out once more. He’d proven that. So Tiny did what he had to do. He didn’t enjoy killing, but in this case, it felt damn good.
Never again would Harold bother his daughter. Never again would he make Ryleigh feel as if she had to disappear to protect him or anyone else. She could live her life free and clear from the monster who’d raised her.
Tiny hated that she was with him now though, headed toward the rigged bunkers. But if her father had been telling the truth—and he had no idea if he was—she was probably no safer in the lodge or anywhere else on The Refuge than she was with him. And…he couldn’t deny he felt more steady with her at his side.
She’d been amazing. He’d always known she was good at what she did. He’d seen her in action. But watching her single-handedly save an unsuspecting Albuquerque from a major blackout was crazy impressive. Tex had been right all those months ago when he’d admitted that Ryleigh was a better hacker than he was. She was one of a kind.
They approached bunker 103, the one that was in the three o’clock position from the main lodge. “Where is it? It can’t be near the opening, it would’ve been spotted,” Tiny mused.
“Right, the guys would’ve known something was off and wouldn’t have gone inside the bunkers if they thought there was any kind of danger. I know I didn’t see anything when I was helping Raid get the dogs inside this one,” Wolf said.
Tiny’s gaze ran over the ground where the bunker was buried, then he pointed to a disturbed plot of earth near where the back side of the bunker would be. “There.”
The three of them crept forward, and Wolf awkwardly went to his knees about a foot away from the disturbed ground. He held up his phone to Tiny. “Hold this? Put it on speaker so I can hear Dude.”
Nodding, Tiny took the phone. He felt Ryleigh’s fingers curl into the waistband of his pants. Knowing she was there made him practically vibrate with nerves. If this bomb went off, they’d all be dead. Immediately. He clicked on the speaker button of the phone.
“Dude?” Wolf asked.
“Tell me what you see,” the man on the other end of the line ordered. He was no-nonsense, which Tiny appreciated.
“Can we use FaceTime?” Tiny asked. “It would make this easier, I think.”
“The cell signal isn’t strong enough out here,” Ryleigh said softly from behind him.
Tiny swore. He’d forgotten. The first thing he was going to do when they got out of this was see about getting more cell towers in this area of their forest. Even if The Refuge had to pay for every cent of getting it done, even if they had to bribe someone at the phone company, he’d make that happen.
“Don’t worry, Dude can walk me through it. He doesn’t need to see the bomb to know what to do,” Wolf said, sounding completely calm.
“Wolf, talk to me,” Dude said, his tone irritated now.
“Dirt. The bomb was buried. I’m afraid to clear it because I don’t want to set it off.”
“From what you told me, I don’t think that’ll happen. If the scumbag had a detonator, it won’t blow from dirt being removed around it. Just go gentle.”
“Ten-four on that.”
Tiny watched, hating the helpless feeling that was almost overwhelming as Wolf slowly uncovered the bomb.
“What’s it look like?” Dude asked.
Wolf described what he was seeing, what color the wires were, how they were hooked up.
“Seems like a pretty crude apparatus to me,” Dude said.
“My father said they were all connected. That if one went off, they’d all go,” Ryleigh interjected.
“I don’t think that’s true,” Dude said. “I mean, what Wolf described seems to be amateurish. And if your father found soldiers who’d been dishonorably discharged, that wouldn’t surprise me. They probably didn’t get through bomb-making one-oh-one, much less the more advanced techniques.”
Tiny felt Ryleigh lean against him as she whispered into his ear, “Was that a joke?”
His lips twitched, but it was more from nerves than humor. “I think so,” he said with a nod .
“Wolf? You said there’s yellow, purple, and red wires, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Figures the assholes couldn’t even use the correct color wires. And there’s an electronic box strapped to the top of it? The light is blinking, yeah?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Right. So all you need to do is pull the purple wire out from the bottom of the blinking box.”
Tiny tensed. That seemed way too easy.
But Wolf didn’t hesitate for even a second. As soon as Dude finished speaking, he pulled the purple wire. It came out of the electronic device with a simple tug.
Tiny held his breath, bracing himself for an explosion.
“Wolf? Did you do it?”
“Yup, and the light’s not blinking anymore.”
“Right. Then it’s done.”
“That’s it? Really ?” Ryleigh asked.
“Yes. C4 is actually a very stable explosive. It’s why it’s so popular in the military. We can stuff it in our ruck sacks and not worry about it going off simply by being jostled around.”
Wolf painfully got to his feet and headed for the hidden door to the bunker.
“What about the other bombs? Can they be disarmed just as easily?” Tiny asked. On the one hand, he was very relieved the bombs weren’t all linked, after all. And it didn’t seem as if the bomb could be triggered from someone opening or closing the bunker doors, otherwise they all would’ve gone off when their friends and family entered them. But on the other hand, there could very well still be six active bombs ready to explode .
“I don’t know. They’d need to be described to me before I could tell you that for sure.”
Tiny looked at Wolf, who now had his wife clasped in a bear hug. “Wolf, can I take your phone? I want to check those other explosives.”
Wolf waved him on.
“Stay here,” Tiny told Ryleigh.
To his amusement and irritation, she rolled her eyes. “Not happening. Come on, we need to get moving.”
The next thing Tiny knew, he was running toward bunker 102 with Ryleigh at his side. When they arrived, they cautiously looked around and found another slightly disturbed area of dirt. Tiny carefully unearthed the bomb and, to his relief, it looked exactly the same as the first. Just to be safe, he described it to Dude, and once again his recommendation was to simply pull the purple wire out of the electronic box strapped to the top of the C4.
Ryleigh opened the door to the bunker. Tiny briefly explained to Stone everything that had happened, then told him to head back to the lodge and find something to cover Harold’s body, to make sure none of the women or kids saw it. He also asked him to keep everyone out of the lodge to preserve the scene. The cops needed to be called. But first, they had more bombs to defuse.
He and Ryleigh jogged through the trees once more, toward bunker 101. In total, they repeated the process of disarming the bombs Harold’s accomplices had planted five more times.
When they opened the last bunker, 109, with Alaska and Brick inside, Tiny was exhausted. He felt like he did after a particularly grueling two-week mission to Iran when he was a SEAL. They’d had to sneak into the country over the mountains, then leave the same way after killing their HVT. He felt as strung out and shaky as he had back then.
“Thank you,” he told Dude. “You have no idea how much your assistance means to me and my friends.”
“I’d advise that you check out every other building on your property. See if you can bring in a bomb-sniffing dog. Wait, I think I have a contact, I’ll see if he can get out there ASAP. You don’t want to risk thinking all is well, only to have some hidden bomb go off.”
“Yeah, I agree. Although, the asshole lied about these being connected, he probably lied about the rest of the bombs too. But I’m not willing to take that chance.”
“Tell Wolf to call me later when he has a moment. Want to make sure he and Caroline are good. My Cheyenne will want to talk to Ice, as well.”
“Will do. Anytime you and your family want a vacation, The Refuge is open to you. At no charge…no pun intended.”
“Thank you. Have any cabins away from the others? I’m thinking my wife and I will need some privacy.”
Tiny chuckled. “Yes. We’ll make that happen.” He watched Ryleigh embrace Alaska as she reassured her that everything was all right. Luna was crying as she joined the others in a three-way hug.
“Tiny?”
“Yeah?” He barely remembered he was still on the phone with Dude.
“She did good. Your woman. Stayed right by your side. Not sure you could ask for anything more from a partner.”
“Except for her to stay where it was safe,” he murmured .
“She’s safe with you . She knows it, and was smart enough to stay where she needed to be in order to feel protected.”
Dude wasn’t wrong. But the funny thing was, Tiny felt just as protected by her. It wasn’t about him being a man, a SEAL, it was about knowing if the shit hit the fan, she was smart enough to help him figure out what their next steps should be. They were a team, and it felt amazing. “Yeah.”
“Right, gonna let you go. Don’t forget to tell Wolf to call me later.”
“I won’t. Thanks again, Dude. Seriously, I don’t know what we would’ve done without you.”
“Your woman would’ve looked up how to disarm bombs and figured it out,” he said with a chuckle. “Later.”
Tiny clicked off Wolf’s phone and stuck it in his pocket. Dude wasn’t exactly wrong. Ryleigh totally would’ve researched how to disarm a bomb, or she would’ve found someone on the dark web who’d know how to do it. Anything The Refuge needed, any kind of expert they needed, he had no doubt Ryleigh could find.
Once upon a time, the power she had would’ve scared him. But now? After going through what they had? He embraced it. His Ryleigh was amazing. A treasure. He could no more be afraid of what she could do than he was the skills of his fellow special forces friends. They were all scary in their own right. And yet, their women didn’t cower from them. Didn’t expect them to suddenly start using the skills they’d learned in the military to harm others. Why would he think Ryleigh would do any different?
A hand clasped his shoulder, and Tiny turned to find Brick standing there. Before he knew it, he was hugging his friend. Hard.
“Thank you,” Brick said huskily.
Tiny pulled back and nodded at him. Today had been a roller-coaster of emotions. Both men were well aware they could’ve lost everything. The Refuge, the loves of their lives, their friends and family. Today had been way too close of a call, but Harold Lodge was no longer a threat. Hopefully now everyone could relax and live happily ever after.
Tiny grinned a little at the thought. Who was he kidding? He had no doubt there would be a ton more ups and downs as they all raised families and continued serving the PTSD community. But together, they could conquer anything. They’d proven it time and time again.
“Come on, we need to get back. Check to make sure the lodge is safe, then deal with the authorities,” Brick said.
Tiny pressed his lips together and nodded. There would be questions about what happened, how a dead man came to be on the floor with a knife in his neck.
He felt Ryleigh’s arm go around his waist and his anxiety quieted. “The cameras were running. It’s all on video. As much as I would like for the things my father said never to be repeated again, I’ll face whatever consequences I have to face to make sure you and Wolf don’t get in trouble for killing him.”
Tiny leaned down and kissed the top of her head. “There will be no consequences.”
“But—”
“No. Consequences,” Tiny enunciated. “We have connections, sweetheart. And you’re too good to leave a trail. You’re fine. Besides, who will believe the rantings of a demented man? A man who was wanted by the FBI and broke out of prison?”
“And who planted nine bombs—that we know of—and blew up two buildings?” Brick added.
“You’re one of us,” Alaska said as she sidled up to her brand-new husband. “And we protect what’s ours.”
“Damn straight,” Brick agreed.
Ryleigh smiled and snuggled against Tiny. He was still exhausted, and wasn’t looking forward to dealing with the authorities back at the lodge, but nothing felt as good as his woman at his side.
Mutt barked once, as if to tell them to stop talking and start walking. Brick chuckled and patted his dog on the head. “Sorry, we’re going,” he told him. Then he took Alaska’s hand on one side, and his mom’s on the other, and started heading for the lodge.
Luna and Robert were behind them, and before Ryleigh could follow, Tiny held her in place.
She turned so she was against his front and looked up at him. “Tiny?”
“I love you,” he said.
She smiled. “I love you too.”
“I’m also proud of you. And in awe. What you can do…it’s extraordinary. You’re way too smart for the likes of me. To be out here in the middle of nowhere. But I’m not giving you up. You can do whatever you want, work for whoever you want, I know for a fact our government would love to have you on their payroll, or you could work as a security consultant teaching companies how to avoid being hacked. I don’t know. But I’m not letting you go. I’m yours, sweetheart. For now and always. ”
She smiled up at him. “How about The Refuge? Can I work here?”
“As I said, you can work wherever the hell you want, as long as you let me stay by your side. Because I’ll tell you one thing, the safest place I’ve ever felt is right here. All you need is a cell phone and you can do anything. Take down terrorists, save the oceans and planet, make the world a better place.”
“Tiny,” she whispered, clearly overwhelmed.
“No, don’t cry. I’m just stating facts. We need to go make sure the lodge is safe, give statements to detectives, you need to download security footage to give them so they can see that your father was a threat and we were defending ourselves.” He kissed her then. And not a brief kiss either. He put all the love he had for her into the embrace. Showing her without words his love, his trust, and his pride in all she could do.
When they parted, they were both breathing hard.
“Is it bedtime yet?” Ryleigh asked. “The only thing I dislike more than bugs and being in the great outdoors is exercise. And we had to have jogged for miles and miles.”
Tiny chuckled. He looked at his wrist. “Actually, it’s not even dinnertime.”
She blinked. “Seriously? It feels as if hours and hours have passed.”
“I know. But it actually hasn’t been that long. If we hurry and get through the rest of the crap stuff, maybe we can even finish out the reception.”
Ryleigh smiled. “I’d love that. And I know Alaska would too. It would be just what we need to put this shitty day behind us.”
“Amen to that,” Tiny said. Then he took her hand in his and they started after the others, through the trees. There was a lot of work to be done. Cabins to be rebuilt, holes in their security to be patched, the C4 had to be removed…but first, they needed to see their friends. See for themselves that everyone was safe and unharmed.
Then their future lie ahead of them. The possibilities were endless, and Tiny couldn’t wait to experience every moment with this woman at his side.