Chapter Nine #3
“Your part in this fight is done,” Olivia said. “Now, you have to focus on the one thing you can control. Saving Kevin. You have to give me something solid, or I can’t help your brother. Jail time in a supermax can be brutal. How long do you think he’d last?”
Tears leaked from Audrey’s eyes. “The only reason Kevin got involved with NDR is because of me. He shouldn’t pay for my mistakes.”
“No, he shouldn’t.” Olivia held her gaze. “Two minutes. Then the offer is no longer on the table.”
“If Shepherd finds out I told you, he’ll have me killed. He has loyal followers everywhere.”
This new leader of NDR had gotten into her head. Magnified his importance and reach. “You’ll be safe in police custody. But you need to think about your brother and his future. Sixty seconds left.”
“I—I—I overhead Shepherd on the phone. Planning his next target.”
Olivia slapped her palm down on the table, making Audrey flinch. “Stop wasting my time and jeopardizing Kevin’s last chance. Tell me everything. Right now. What’s the target?”
“A pollution pipeline. It’ll inject 150 million tons of carbon dioxide below Montana’s sagebrush steppe,” Audrey said.
“That’s enough to match the annual emissions of 1.
6 million cars. The DNRC and the big oil company behind the project, Horizon Energy, claim the pipeline is entirely safe.
But it isn’t true. They’re lying. Preying on a low-income county with a high poverty rate. ”
“DNRC?” Olivia wasn’t familiar with the acronym. “What’s that?”
“The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation. They approved the project. But the residents of the county are terrified of the sequestration technology. It’s going to impact wildlife, grazing resources, and local water supplies.
And a pipeline leak could poison the surrounding communities. Shepherd is going to shut it down.”
“What county?”
Audrey hesitated, and Olivia thought she might have to push her even harder, but the woman finally said, “Cedar Breaks.”
“When?” Olivia demanded.
“Tonight.”
Panic jolted through her. They’d spent hours questioning these fanatics, getting absolutely nowhere. She should’ve insisted on doing this her way sooner rather than worrying about appeasing Agent Trujillo. “What time?”
“I don’t know. I swear it.”
“Is the pipeline still under construction? Or is it operational? Is there a nightshift? Does Shepherd want as many people as possible to get hurt, like at the hotel?”
“No.” Audrey shook her head. “No one was supposed to get hurt at the hotel. The pipeline isn’t operational. Shepherd wouldn’t hurt any workers. He wants to save innocent lives. The black-footed ferrets. Residents of Cedar Breaks. Shepherd is going to make a difference.”
Olivia stared at the misguided woman in utter disbelief. “If he’s such a saint, why would he kill you just for talking to us?”
Audrey lowered her gaze. “Disloyalty must be punished.” She sounded brainwashed.
“Is there anything else you can think of?” Olivia asked since Audrey had already betrayed Shepherd, choosing her brother’s future over New Dawn Revolution’s radical goals. “Any other detail that might be helpful?”
“That’s it, everything I know about the next target,” Audrey said, and Olivia believed her.
They had no idea exactly when Shepherd was going to strike. Or how. Cedar Breaks County was a three-to-four-hour drive, depending on precisely where they needed to go. The fastest way to get there would be by helicopter.
Olivia got up and strode to the door. With her hand on the knob, she looked back at Audrey. There was another question she couldn’t let go. “Why did Shepherd tell you to kill me? Why did he want an Aegis agent dead?”
“He didn’t. I was instructed to contain you. That’s it.”
“Then why did you send your brother to the hospital to finish the job?”
“You’ve got it wrong. I didn’t send him after you.
We didn’t know your medical status, whether you were going to survive.
” Audrey chewed on her bottom lip. “Kevin hung around outside the hotel. Watching the fire and the first responders. Eventually, your friend showed up. Kevin overhead him, your Pioneer, Eli Easton, talking to the firefighters. My brother followed him back to the hospital, called me along the way, and asked me what to do. I told him to kill Easton.”
Something twisted in Olivia’s chest. “Why?”
“You were very convincing when you warned me that he was more dangerous than you. That he would track me down, make it his only mission in life to see I paid dearly. I figured he couldn’t come after me if we got to him first.”
Olivia endangered Eli by making that threat, even though it was true. “We’re going to take comfort in knowing you’re going to rot in jail. And we’re going to find Shepherd. Put an end to his terror campaign.”
“You’ll fail.” A hateful look crossed Audrey’s face. “You’ve no idea who you’re messing with, but you’ll learn. Shepherd is a great man. A visionary. He’ll show you there’s no stopping him. He will win.”
Determination and anger fueled Olivia to prove the woman wrong. “We’ll see about that.”