Chapter 17
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Mercury
We kick the ATVs into gear, the machines spitting gravel as we peel out of the barn. The forest swallows us whole within minutes.
These mountains are unforgiving, with sheer drops and thick, knotted pine that hides everything from view.
We ride in a loose formation, eyes darting over every shadow, searching for anything that looks out of place.
“Stay alert,” Gemini shouts over the steady rumble of his quad. “If they’re using these woods, they aren’t going to make it easy for us to find them.”
Orion falls in beside me, his gaze fixed on a cluster of heavy brush to our left. “You really think they’d be stupid enough to park a blind right on the ridge?”
“These sickos think they’re untouchable,” I reply, my grip tightening on the handlebars. “Arrogance is their biggest weakness.”
We snake through a narrow ravine, the air getting cooler as the sun dips behind the jagged peaks. Adrenaline and unadulterated rage surge within me, making my heart hammer violently against my ribs.
Every snapping twig sends a jolt of electricity through my veins.
“Hold up,” Pisces signals, killing his engine.
The sudden silence is deafening. I cut my ATV off, and the only sound left is the distant chattering of birds. Pisces points to a tangle of branches about fifty yards up the slope. It looks like a pile of debris, but something about the way the logs are stacked seems deliberate, almost like a wall.
I dismount, my boots silent on the carpet of pine needles.
I creep toward the stack, heart thudding in my ears.
As I get closer, I realize it’s a camouflage screen, expertly woven into the surrounding foliage.
I peel back a layer of brush, and my blood runs cold. A dark, gaping hole stares back at me.
A hidden cellar door, buried right in the side of the mountain. Thankfully, this side of the mountain isn’t Blackfeet tribal land. Otherwise, we could lose any hope we have of joining forces with them.
“Gemini, get up here,” I whisper, my voice thick with dread. “I think we found their first nest.”
Gemini steps off his quad, boots crunching on the hard ground. He moves with a predatory grace that makes the hair on my arms stand up. He kneels beside me and inspects the seal. It is heavy steel, painted to match the surrounding rock. It is not something a weekend camper throws together.
“This is not a simple supply cache,” Gemini says, his jaw tight. “Look at the padlock.”
He points to a massive chain wrapped around the handle. It is rusted, but fresh scratches mar the surface. Someone has been here recently.
“You think they are inside?” Orion asks, his voice low. He is standing behind us, his hand resting on the knife at his hip.
“Only one way to find out,” I say, though my gut tells me to keep it sealed. “But if they’re inside, that means someone else is out there because they sure as fuck can’t lock themselves in.”
Gemini shakes his head and stands up, signaling for us to fan out.
“No. We don't touch it yet. If they’re in there, they’ll hear us coming a mile away.
By the time we find who else is out there, they’ll be long gone since we have to be careful in this terrain with the drop offs.
We need to scout the perimeter. If there is one hole in this mountain, there is likely another. ”
Pisces nods, his eyes scanning the ridgeline. “I’ll take the high ground. See if I can spot any trails leading in or out.”
We creep through the pines, keeping our distance from the metal door. The forest feels like a graveyard now. Every shadow looks like a sentry. Every rustle of leaves sounds like a warning.
“This place is a maze,” I mutter, wiping sweat from my forehead.
“That’s the point,” Gemini replies, stopping near a massive oak. He points toward a depression in the earth a few hundred yards down the slope. “Tell me you don’t see that.”
I squint through the gloom. There’s an erosive tear in the hillside, half hidden by thick brush. A second entrance. They haven’t just built a hideout. They’ve built a hive.
“Another one,” Pisces breathes, shifting his grip on his rifle. “How many more do you think are out there?”
“We’ll find them,” Mercury growls, his voice steady. “We’re going to map every single one before we make a move. I don’t want any surprises when we go in.”
We circle the perimeter, our boots barely making a sound on the damp earth. The silence is heavy, pressing against my eardrums. It’s the kind of quiet that makes you feel watched. I can feel my pulse thrumming in my neck, a reminder that we’re walking right into the belly of the beast.
“Check the wind,” Orion whispers. “They might have scent traps or sensors.”
I nod and test the air. It smells like damp pine, loamy dirt, and rot. No chemicals. No fuel. I think we’re safe—for now anyway.
“Let’s keep moving,” Gemini orders. “And stay sharp. We’re not finished yet.”
“Stay low,” Aries urges as he crawls closer to the second opening. We follow his lead and move on our bellies through the muck and rotting needles. The ragged tear in the mountain looks even more sinister up close.
I notice a faint glimmer near the base of a stunted cedar tree and hold up my hand to stop the others. I lean in and see a thin strand of high-tensile fishing line stretched just inches above the ground.
“Watch your step, boys. They've got the place rigged with tripwires,” I whisper.
“Damn,” Orion mutters as he peers at the wire.
“That isn't just for security. That's a hunter setting a trap for prey. They want to know exactly where we are the second we trip it.” He points to a small device tucked into the hollow of a nearby stump that connects to the line.
It isn't an alarm but a silent transmitter. My stomach turns as I realize these bastards aren't just hiding. They're inviting a confrontation on their own terms where they have the advantage of the terrain. We may be at home in the woods we grew up in, but we don’t know this area well enough to have anything other than a disadvantage and that’s something we can’t afford to have against these pricks.
“They aren't playing by any rules we know,” Pisces counters while he checks the line of sight from the ridge above us.
“This whole area is a kill zone. If someone hit that wire, the guys inside would have multiple angles to take them out before they even knew what happened.
It's calculated and cold.” He shifts his weight and avoids a loose rock that might give away our position.
The level of preparation here is terrifying because it shows they've spent months, maybe years, turning this forest into a private slaughterhouse.
The thought of countless unnamed people whose bones are buried here has my heart keening in anguish. I’ve tracked some sick assholes before who’ve jumped bond, men who deserved to be shot rather than given their day in court, but I’ve never seen this level of depravity in my life.
“It means we can't just kick the door in,” Gemini declares as he backs away from the wire with extreme caution. “Every inch of this perimeter is likely monitored. They aren't just hunters anymore. They're an insurgency using the wilderness as a shield.”
I look back at the dark entrance and feel a chill that has nothing to do with the mountain air.
These people don't just want to kill. They want to dominate and decimate every soul that wanders into their territory.
We aren't just looking for a hideout. We're scouting a fortress built on blood and arrogance.
“We can't just stand here,” Aries whispers, his eyes scanning the dense tree line for movement. “If they have sensors, they might already know we're here. We don't want to be sitting ducks.”
Orion shifts, his boots crunching softly on the pine needles. “You think they have a feed in the cabin? They could be watching us on a monitor right now.”
“I wouldn't put it past them,” Gemini insists.
He pulls a small signal jammer from his vest pocket.
“I'm going to activate this. It should kill any wireless signal in a fifty-yard radius. If they are watching, their screens just went black.” I raise my brow at him; he’s a smart man, but what would have him thinking to get one of those?
He intercepts my stare and smirks before he says, “Orbit sent it. He’s definitely earning his monthly cut with what he’s finding out.
Apparently, there was chatter on some dark website or something about signals and transmitters.
He knew we were going to hit the woods and thought it would be a good piece of equipment to have. It came in earlier.”
“Smart move,” Pisces grunts. “What's the next step? We can't just leave the trap active. Someone else might wander into it.”
“We disarm it, but we take our time,” I growl, eyeing the thin line. “I don't like the idea of leaving a breadcrumb trail that leads right to our front door.”
“Agreed,” Pisces concedes. “We mark the map, we clear the immediate area of their tech, and then we head back to the group. We need to formulate a real assault plan. This isn't a search and rescue anymore. This is a siege.”
“Siege sounds right,” I conclude, my grip tightening on my hardware. “These bastards have no idea what's coming for them.”
Or who. Because we’re Kings brothers now, and nobody fucks with us.
Gemini flips the switch on the small device.
A low whine fills the air for a second, then cuts out.
We keep our heads down, moving with the rhythmic caution of men who know how to survive.
I send up a silent thanks to my dad and uncles for their training.
I know our moms thought they were crazy for teaching us military ways when none of us had intentions of serving, but it’s kept our asses out of the fire more times than I can count at this point.
“They don't even know we're here,” Gemini murmurs, holstering his gear. “Their eyes are blind until they physically check those sensors.”
“Good,” I reply. “Let's keep it that way.”
We retreat through the brush, taking a wide loop back toward the hidden trail where we stashed the quads. My thoughts race, calculating the gear we need and the heavy weaponry locked in our armory. This isn't just about clearing a shack anymore. It's about dismantling a network.
“When we get back, we call the others,” Orion suggests as we reach the tree line. “We need to give everyone a full briefing. No more half measures.”
“Agreed,” I tell him. “Load the ATVs. We ride back, we plan, and tonight, we return to hunt the hunters.” We kick the engines to life, the roar tearing through the quiet forest. It's time to show these people that they picked the wrong group to target.
We aren't victims, and by the time we're done, they'll regret every second they spent planning their sick games.