Chapter Seventeen
Anxiety and guilt tangled, spreading through Olivia like choking vine.
In the state park, she had asked Eli to trust her judgment and left to meet Sean. A decision that almost cost Eli his life.
At the hospital, the doctor said he had bruised ribs but no broken bones.
They tended to his lacerations and checked her oxygen levels, which had dipped slightly, but were restored quickly.
She would be fine. By tomorrow, Eli would be covered in bruises, his face and body a tapestry of black and blue.
In the barn, Sean had his finger on the trigger, ready to shoot him, and if not for that beam falling, he might have killed Eli. Despite her pleas.
A hot flash of fear cut through her, thinking about it.
She’d messed up and jeopardized the entire team trusting Sean. Her old partner was truly lost to her. Even after everything, she cared for him, as foolish as it made her, but if it came down to Sean or Eli, it was no competition.
There was only one choice. The man she loved, the father of her child.
At the rented house, the entire team sat in the living room, and Olivia told them everything she remembered about the farm and her hours-long discussions with Sean.
Once she was done, the sun had set below the horizon, and a chill ran through her from rehashing it. But they still had to figure out Sean’s next target.
“I’d kill for a whiteboard,” Chance said.
“I picked one up.” Bo stood. “Got it after my trip to the summer camp. Figured we’d need it. I’ll grab it from my truck.” He headed for the door.
Sitting beside Eli, Olivia turned to him. “Summer camp?”
“We need to fill you in on a few things as well.” Eli gave her a brief update.
Bo returned, set up the whiteboard, and handed Chance a pack of dry-erase markers.
Eli took the ice pack he’d been holding against his ribs from beneath his shirt. Sitting forward with a groan, he placed it on the coffee table.
Olivia ran a hand through his hair. “Do you want me to get you a fresh one?”
“If I need one, I’ll get it.”
“It’s almost time for you take another ibuprofen.”
“No need to fuss over me,” Eli said, his voice low and sharp.
He’d been distant since they got back to the house. Sean had been vicious in the barn, with the physical attack as well as his words. How could she have been so blind to Sean’s ability to wound and humiliate? Perhaps she always chose to hope the good in him outweighed the rest.
Not after today.
Chance wrote down what they knew about Sean and the two previous targets, both Aegis clients.
Next, he listed known associates, from Audrey Carter to the kid Tristan.
Then possible associates. Chance put down law enforcement with a question mark since someone had gotten to Audrey in the county jail.
“We’ll need to contact Trujillo to see if he made any progress questioning the employees of the carbon capture facility,” Olivia said.
“At least one of them was an insider helping Sean. I think it might’ve been Caleb.
The guy who remained inside, shutting things down.
” She looked at Bo. “What did you learn at Backcountry Adventure?”
“There are three cofounders, who also work as instructors. One of them is Tristan’s godfather. They were already guarded, but as soon as I mentioned Shepherd, I was forced to leave,” Bo said.
Chance added the names of the instructors, circling Tristan’s godfather. Mike Kennedy.
The name was so familiar. Then it came to her, but she needed to be sure. “Are there pictures of them on the website?”
“Yeah.” Bo pulled it up on his phone and showed it to her.
A photograph of three men and a woman, arms draped over each other’s shoulders. “I don’t believe it. That’s Mike Kennedy and his wife, Siobhan Gannon. Sean’s sister. I met them at his fake funeral.”
“I guess you’re not the only one who knows he’s alive,” Eli said.
“Guess not. Sean met Mike when they were both stationed at SOCOM,” she said, referring to the Special Operations Command. “He played matchmaker for his sister.”
“There’s no telling how many additional connections we’ll find to Sean,” Autumn said. “We should focus on his next probable targets.”
Olivia grabbed her secure laptop and logged in to her Aegis account. She brought up the latest file, showing possible future targets, any projects in the state that had drawn controversy, especially from environmental groups. She showed it to the group.
“These are all hard targets.” Autumn glanced at Olivia. “Didn’t you say Sean intended to kill a person?”
“His exact words were, ‘Not a what but a who. Someone whose death will make a statement.’”
“Any idea when he plans to strike?” Takoda asked.
Olivia shrugged. “I can’t exactly say when, but definitely before Tuesday. He promised to let me go by then.”
“You still believe him?” Eli stared at her. “After all his manipulation and lies? You think that was true?”
“I do.” She took a calming breath. “Why pick Tuesday? Why not Friday? He was worried about our interference and wanted to keep the IPS pieces, as he referred to you, spinning on the board, just long enough for him to complete his objective here in Montana.” The one thing Sean forgot was that even a pawn could take down a king.
“Whatever his plan, I think he intends to execute it late tonight or sometime Monday.” She only wished Sean hadn’t burned down the cabin.
There were clues inside his office that would’ve led them to the target. She was certain of it.
“Maybe it’s someone who’s connected to one of the new projects on the list,” Chance said. “Let’s divvy it up and dig deeper.”
They divided the projects and began researching the individuals tied to them, working well into the night.
“It feels like we’re looking for a needle in a haystack,” Eli confessed to Liv while the others were in the other room, using the kitchen table as a desk.
“I’m going to call Lauren. I can’t see any way around it. We need a list of Aegis clients located in Montana. One she’ll be reluctant to give.”
“Are you going to tell her about Sean?”
Her eyes flared wide with alarm. “Absolutely not. Sean wasn’t lying about what would happen if it’s discovered he’s alive and is arrested. He’ll talk. Loudly. The CIA will take action. I’ll be considered a loose end.”
Without thinking, he put a hand on her arm.
Touching her was more than a habit. It was a reflex.
One he didn’t know if he could change. “You should get ahead of it. I don’t trust Lauren to look out for your best interest, but if you go to her with the information rather than her discovering it, that’ll say something about your loyalty.
No matter what the institution, good or bad,” he said, thinking of how she told the group Sean thought Aegis was evil, “loyalty is rewarded. Demand protection in exchange for your silence.”
“It would be a gamble.”
“One you have to take. Unless the intention is for us to kill Sean once we find him.” And they would find him. Eventually. That was now his personal mission, and he was determined to complete it.
He already knew what choice she’d make. The right one.
“We’re not vigilantes. Sean has to answer for what he’s done through the justice system,” she said.
He would have smiled, proud of her for not turning to the dark side with Sean, but it would’ve hurt his face. “Go call Lauren.”
She stood and started to leave, then turned back to him.
“I never thought you treated me like a toy. From the beginning, you were honest about what you were prepared to give. You never strung me along. It’s not your fault that somewhere along the way I wanted more.
” She left the room before he could think of a response.
He didn’t deserve someone as wonderful as Liv. Patient. Understanding. Kind. Who accepted him, flaws and all.
Getting up, Eli held his side to ease the pain from movement.
His ribs were so sore it hurt to breathe.
He peeked through the curtains and scanned the area.
They had the exterior lights on, illuminating their surroundings.
The sun would be up in an hour. Chance had taken extra precautions when booking the house.
It couldn’t be traced back to any of them or IPS.
With the homeowner’s permission, Bo had set up motion-activated cameras that would trigger a silent alarm.
Eli hoped it would be enough to keep them safe.
Olivia came back into the room. “Lauren is considering my request for the list of Aegis clients here in Montana.”
“She does understand the severity of the situation, doesn’t she?”
“Once I explained Sean’s role in everything, it became crystal clear. She’s grateful for the heads-up and has assured me I’ll be protected. I just don’t know how much stock to put into her word.”
“It’s a gamble for a reason, but you’re not taking it alone. I’ll be with you. Until the end. That’s the deal.”
“I don’t think the ramifications of previous events are covered in the deal you made in the hospital. You could even contend you made it under emotional duress since I was inside the scary-looking HBOT.”
He shrugged. “I stand by the deal and I’m throwing in an addendum that covers any threat Sean presents. If the CIA or Aegis comes for you, I’ll be there with you.”
“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised coming from a man like you.
A protector. Defender. Guardian. You’re either in the fight, or you’re thinking about it.
” Pressing a palm to his cheek, she smiled, and his heart turned over in his chest. “But it’s okay to let those who care about you protect you, too. ”
Chance and Autumn came into the room, and Olivia dropped her hand.
“Takoda and Bo are going to take a break and get some shut-eye,” Chance said.
“Nothing on the news about anything catastrophic happening last night.” Autumn wrangled her black curls into a ponytail. “Please tell me you two are having better luck than us on who the target is because time is running out.”