10. Feel It In Your Bones
CHAPTER 10
Feel It In Your Bones
G arrett couldn’t take his eyes off Kimi. Hell, he could barely blink. The passion pouring from her seared into his soul, and he felt some of the hard-edged shards shift and click back together.
Her truck didn’t have a console, so he undid his seatbelt, slid into the middle seat and wrapped his arms around her, trying to absorb her words, her belief in him.
Kimi’s arms wrapped around his waist, and she squeezed him tightly as her breathing settled. She’d got heated on his behalf, and it warmed places inside him that hadn’t been warm in a very long time.
The highway remained quiet as he battled his guilt and the memory of Shaggy as he’d last seen her. Her shattered body lived in his nightmares. Tears slid from his eyes and into Kimi’s hair as he thought about what she’d said.
Shaggy had been the best. Her smart brain and huge heart had always led them to the right decision. They’d saved so many people and found so many ways to help. When she’d died, he’d felt useless and alone despite having his buddies right there with him. The guilt had been eating at him ever since.
Could he let it go? Would that mean letting go of Shaggy as well ?
As if reading his thoughts, Kimi sniffed, then patted his heart. “She’ll always be with you, always be a part of you. And of every person she helped and saved. She’s living on in those people. She’s living on in you.”
He hugged her harder and kissed her hair. “Thank you.” But he didn’t let her go, couldn’t.
When he figured he had enough control back, he eased up on the hug but didn’t release her. She looked up, eyes shining and tear tracks covering her cheeks. And she thought he was the one filled with compassion.
“You’re a pretty amazing person, Kimi. Thank you.”
She studied his eyes seriously. He wondered if she saw that he was adjusting to her words, that he wanted to change his entire perspective so that he lived up to the way she saw him.
He kissed her forehead and rested his lips there for a long moment before he repeated. “Thank you.” Then he kissed her lips softly and slid back to his own seat. “Let’s go do some recon.” Shaggy would want him to help the dogs, and he was going to do it.
Kimi reached beneath her seat and grabbed a box of tissues. She wiped her face and blew her nose, then left the box between them so he could grab some as well.
After a few minutes of silence, she pulled onto the road. In a quiet voice, she shared what she’d learned so far.
Apparently, the dog compound sat deep in the forest on a quiet road between Keene and Dublin. Garrett didn’t know the area, but he pulled up a map to study it. There isn’t much except trees in all directions. The roads Kimi had used so far didn’t show up on the map. Probably roads that originally led to hunting camps or isolated homes.
She’d seen multiple buildings in the compound. Some older, some new builds. One big enough to be a warehouse. Probably offices and housing for the humans and the animals. Potentially an indoor arena for the fights as well as an outdoor area.
She’d seen wire cages, although she hadn’t seen dogs in them. Lights were always on. A tall barbed wired fence surrounded the area. Security cameras blinked at the top of the posts.
“I’ve heard the dogs a few times, but I’ve rarely caught glimpses. Mead appears to have surrounded the dogs and the fighting ring with manmade structures, so no one can see much without trespassing or tripping his security alerts.”
“What’s your plan for tonight?”
She blew out a soft breath. “I want to approach from the north because I haven’t been on that side yet. I’m hoping to see a way to rescue the dogs or at least find enough information to go to the authorities.”
At least she wasn’t planning to infiltrate the place on her own. “These people are dangerous. Some of the worst of the worst.”
She nodded. “That’s why we have to stop them.”
Garrett managed a smile at that. “You’re a hell of a woman, Kimi Twinishe.”
She choked out a laugh and shook her head. “I’m glad you’re wearing hiking boots. I don’t want to park too close to the compound.”
He accepted her change of topic, but he had plans for later to show her just how amazing she was. Few people would put so much effort into helping animals. The risks she took were huge, but he imagined she saw them as necessary.
He wished he had some of the gear they used in the military for nighttime missions. Night-vision goggles would be the most useful. He wondered if Troy could scrounge up a pair. Garrett hadn’t checked out Midnight Security yet, but he’d bet he could pick up some equipment through them, too.
Which led to the question. “Have you talked to Marcus about this? Or any of the people involved with Midnight Security?”
Her eyes widened. “No. And you can’t either. If I get into trouble, it’s just me. Although now it’s you too.” She bit her bottom lip and shot him a worried glance.
Garrett had always worked as a team member in the military. He’d been going it alone since then and hadn’t felt fulfilled. Now, he was part of the community, part of a team with Kimi, part of a business venture with his friends. Part of an odd little town. He liked it all and wasn’t about to give it up. It terrified him to think about Kimi going on all these covert missions alone. “We’re surrounded by amazing people. Creative thinkers who have exceptional skill sets. ”
Kimi followed the GPS instructions to turn off the main road and onto a secondary road that wasn’t well maintained. She reduced her speed and kept her eyes on the road. “I called the FBI when I first heard rumors about a dog-fighting ring. They have open files on Mead and the crime organization he works with. The problem is they can’t get onto his property without just cause. They need something concrete to act on, and they don’t have it. I want to get that for them. That’s what I need, some kind of proof.”
She sighed as the GPS showed her another turn. Kimi turned the truck and backed onto the road, which was more path than street. After she turned off the vehicle, she turned to him. “Marcus doesn’t have jurisdiction in New Hampshire, but the FBI knows I’m digging. Someone there sends me occasional anonymous tips. That’s how I found this location. They sent me the coordinates.”
“Who is it?”
She shrugged. “No idea. But everything they’ve sent me has panned out. You ready?”
No. He had so many questions. So many more things to consider. But this wasn’t the best time or place. He’d ask them once they were safely back on their own properties.
Instead of saying any of that, Garrett sighed and nodded. Once they slipped out of the truck, they coordinated the closing of the doors, keeping the noise as low as possible.
Kimi dimmed the brightness on her phone and showed him the map and the path she proposed to follow.
Then she pocketed the phone and strode into the bush, leaving him to follow.
P art of Kimi’s brain was sad and frustrated that Garrett had jumped into her truck earlier that night. The dog-fighting ring would be incredibly difficult for him to face. She didn’t think he’d ever resolved his feelings over Shaggy’s death, and being confronted with this operation had to carve deep into his heart.
She was also worried. Two people were more difficult to hide. Two people meant twice the chance of being spotted. And it would be her fault if anything happened to Garrett.
The guilt almost had her turning around, but she needed to do this. Needed to help those poor dogs. And she had to admit that while a portion of her brain wished she walked through these woods alone, most of her was thrilled to have Garrett with her.
It was selfish, but she was happy she wasn’t alone in caring about the dogs. Glad she wasn’t alone on this mission. Having Garrett with her might mean double the chance of being spotted, but with his training and experience, maybe it was the opposite. He certainly wouldn’t be the one to alert Mead’s men that they were surveilling them.
Kimi was far more likely to be the one to screw up. And if she made a mistake that hurt Garrett, she wasn’t sure she could forgive herself.
Her thoughts dragged her feet to a halt. Garrett was at her side immediately. His lips grazed her ear, and he spoke directly into it. Not in a whisper because those carried, but with his voice so low, she barely heard it. “What’s wrong?”
She grabbed his hand and squeezed it. When he leaned down, she copied the way he’d spoken to her. “I think we should turn around.”
“Why?”
“I have a bad feeling. What if you get hurt because of me?”
Garrett wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly to him. His hands coasted up and down her back, pulling her into his warmth. “If you were alone, would you quit?”
She sighed in answer, and he kissed her hair. “Let’s give it ten minutes. If we have nothing, we’ll turn around. Deal?”
With a deep breath, she nodded.
Garrett lifted her hand to his lips, then tucked her fingers into his belt loop at the back. With a quick kiss, he led the way into the woods. The man moved like a panther, not making a noise as he moved between the trees. She felt like an elephant following him, and she knew her skill level was high.
Lights appeared in the distance, making her both excited and afraid. Garrett’s pace slowed, and she kept right on his heels.
A dog barking halted them. It didn’t sound like the animal was in pain. Dogs in these camps didn’t face beatings or that kind of physical abuse. They were well-fed and given water regularly.
The abuse came in the form of relentless, unnatural training techniques and in the fights themselves. The dogs were chained just out of reach of each other. A form of mental abuse aimed to keep them frustrated and angry with each other. The chains keeping them apart weighed upwards of fifty pounds, providing strength training every time they moved.
When Garrett dropped to a crouch, she forced her mind off the imagined abuse and onto her surroundings again. She dropped to one knee beside him and tried to figure out what had made him stop. They could see some of the fencing that appeared to surround the entire encampment. Atop each pole sat a camera. These guys didn’t struggle with money to buy equipment. That’s what happened when minimum bets started at a thousand dollars per fight.
Garrett squeezed her hand to get her attention. He pointed from himself to the tree next to him. Then he pointed for her to stay. When she shook her head, he took her shoulders gently in his. He kissed her and shook his head, then indicated he’d only be five minutes.
Finally, she nodded. The view from the tree would be invaluable, but she didn’t have the skills to get up there herself.
He positioned her mostly behind the tree and scrambled up. She barely managed to breathe as he disappeared into the foliage. Then she counted to sixty five times. Each time she started over, her heart beat more fiercely and her tension ratcheted right up with it.
She was halfway through her sixth time when the tree’s leaves moved. Relief had tears pricking her eyes as she squeezed her lips together to keep in the sob that had been building.
Garrett dropped into a crouch beside her and took her hand. He leaned into her ear. “We need to leave. Now. No time for questions.”
Fear rocked through her, and she squeezed her lips more tightly. Garrett stood and hooked her hand through his belt again.
She squashed her questions and the fear ,then put her entire being into following Garrett and not doing anything to put him in danger.
They moved far more quickly than on their way in. He didn’t hesitate in the directions he chose, confident in the moonlight and the forest.
An engine started somewhere, and Garrett picked up the pace. Her heart thumped so hard she struggled to suck in air.
When the moon glistened off her truck, she nearly whimpered in relief. Instead, she yanked out her keys and beeped it open.
She jumped into the driver’s seat as Garrett closed the passenger door. “Go, Kimi. Drive.”
He slid open the window in the back of the cab and pulled out a gun she hadn’t realized he’d had with him.
She didn’t waste energy or time asking. She slammed the truck into gear and headed down the path, bumping over the potholes and staying in the middle so the soft shoulders didn’t suck in her tires.
“Atta girl. Don’t slow down unless I say.”
A glimpse of light in her rearview mirror had her squeezing her lips again, but she kept her focus on driving. She took the turn onto the secondary road, mostly on two wheels, and didn’t let up on the accelerator.
This road was smoother but had lots of twists. The headlights behind her bounced in and out of her vision. She kept her eyes away from the rearview mirror to avoid her eyesight being dazzled.
For several long minutes, she drove in silence; the lights playing peekaboo while Garrett kept silent watch. Once they hit a larger roadway, he spoke. “If they get close, I’m going to get you to keep at a steady speed. I’m worried their vehicle is supercharged like everything else they own. If they’re going to overtake us, it’ll be on this road. They’ll be confident, and they’ll believe they can run us off the road with no witnesses. I need them close enough to take a shot.”
Holy shit .
Kimi managed to grunt out a sound that she hoped he took for agreement. Her quiet little life had morphed into a spy movie.
She’d been on the smooth road for less than a minute when the headlights popped up behind her. This entire stretch was flat and empty. No twists or turns to hide them. The lights grew closer and closer, and Kimi couldn’t stop the whimper. She was pushing the truck faster than she’d ever driven, but the lights behind them grew relentlessly closer.
Garrett’s voice was calm when he spoke. “Okay, settle on a speed and keep it steady. Stay close to the middle line and don’t jerk when I shoot in case I need to take a second or third shot.”
The headlights grew and sweat poured out of every pore on Kimi’s body.
Closer.
Closer again.
“Okay, Kimi. Five seconds.”
She reached zero in her head when the gunshot shattered the night.