Chapter 35 #2
He pulled her up from the snow and into his arms, holding her tight enough that he was probably crushing her. But she was alive. She was here. She was safe. He let her go long enough to rip off his jacket and wrap it around her. "I've got you," he said against her hair. "You're safe now."
The other woman sat up in the snow, watching them. "Are you here to help?"
Cole looked at her, taking in the Northern Summit jacket and recognizing the woman from Penson’s home. "Who are you?" he growled, now with his weapon trained on her.
"Cheryl Whitten. I work… worked… for Northern Summit. I've been documenting what they're doing here for months." She swallowed hard. "I helped Janice escape."
His gaze stayed on Cheryl, but he asked Janice, “Is that right?”
“Yes, yes, she did. She got me out of the locked building.”
Cole barely nodded before his radio buzzed from Sadie. “Truck arrived. Three more men with weapons heading into the mining camp.”
He looked down at Cheryl and shook his head. “I still can’t trust you, but I won’t leave you here. I need to get you to safety.”
“He sent more men here, didn’t he?” Cheryl asked. “The miners are armed in case of a wild animal coming too close, but they’re not fighters. But Charles has armed guards. A few here that you may have taken care of. If more came, they came from the other mining site. The official one.”
“Good to know, but you’re still staying in front of us.”
Cheryl got to her feet as she nodded, and began trekking back the way they came. He helped Janice to her feet, keeping one arm around her. "Can you run?"
"Yes." Her voice was stronger now. "I can run."
"Good." He looked at Cheryl. "You too. Stay close and do exactly what I say."
Both women nodded.
Cole switched his phone back to the call with Logan. "I have Janice plus one other woman. Cheryl Whitten. Penson employee who says she’s on our side. Not taking a chance. Moving back toward the vehicles, but we've got company coming."
"Federal agents are almost there," Logan said. "Timothy and Frazier are pulling back from the camp. The miners are scattered, but some are still armed."
Cole could work with that. He just had to keep everyone alive that long.
"This way," he said, starting back through the forest. "We're going to find better cover and wait for the cavalry."
They moved as quickly as the snow allowed, Janice and Cheryl struggling with the deep drifts. Cole stayed between them and the camp, his rifle ready, expecting gunfire at any moment.
His radio crackled again. Sadie called out, “Agent arriving at camp. But a new threat is coming from the northwest. Three more.”
“More are coming, probably tracking us to use us as hostages for the arriving feds,” Cole said aloud. "Need to find defensible ground."
He spotted a rocky outcropping about fifty yards ahead, partially screened by trees. It would give them elevation and cover, forcing anyone attacking to come uphill through difficult terrain.
"There," he pointed. "Move."
They started toward it, but Janice stumbled in the deep snow, nearly going down. Cole caught her, steadying her.
"I'm okay," she said breathlessly. "Just these stupid too-big boots."
"Almost there," he encouraged. "Just a little farther." He watched as Cheryl struggled, lagging to the side instead of staying in front.
"Here!" Cole thrust his Glock into Janice's hands, trusting instinct over logic. “You know what to do with this?”
Janice's fingers closed around the grip with surprising familiarity. Her father had taught her to shoot when she was a teenager. It was a necessary skill for a wildlife vet who sometimes had to put down dangerous or suffering animals in the field. She'd hated it then, but she knew what to do.
She nodded. “Yeah.”
They were thirty yards from the rocks when the first of their pursuers appeared through the trees. Two men, armed, moving with more caution now after seeing their companions shot.
Cole turned, putting himself between them and the women. "Federal agents are on their way. You need to drop your weapons and back off."
One of the men scoffed, bitter and angry. "Penson's paying us too much to walk away now."
"Then you're making a bad choice," Cole said evenly.
The man raised his rifle. Cole had a fraction of a second to react… drop and fire, or try to reach cover. But moving meant exposing Janice and Cheryl.
The decision was made for him when a rifle cracked from somewhere to his left. The man jerked backward, grabbing his leg, and went down hard.
Timothy emerged from the trees, his own rifle still raised. "Figured you could use some help."
Frazier appeared on the right, creating a loose triangle of protection around the women.
"The miners at the camp are backing off. Most of them were only armed in case they came across a bear out here. But they’re not into shooting a person.
But Penson's got a team for security, still looking for a fight. "
"How many?" Cole asked.
"Maybe four or five still armed and mobile."
Logan’s voice came over the radio. "Federal agents are at the camp. They can hear the situation over your open line. They're coming in with full authority to make arrests. Can you hold position?"
Cole looked at the rocky outcropping, then at Janice, exhausted and frightened but still on her feet. Cheryl stood off to the side where he could keep an eye on her. "We can hold."
"Good. Keep everyone safe, Cole. You're almost done."
They reached the outcropping, scrambling up the rocks to create a defensive position. It wasn't Fort Knox, but it was better than standing in an open forest.
Cole settled Janice and Cheryl behind the largest rocks. "Stay down. Don't move unless I tell you to." He eyed Cheryl suspiciously, but she lifted her hands.
“I promise… I won’t do anything.”
He was good at reading people, but had no idea if they could trust her. “You do one thing to harm Janice, and I’ll deal with you myself.”
Cheryl’s eyes widened as she jerked her head up and down.
Timothy took position on the left, Frazier on the right. Cole covered the most likely approach from the camp.
"How's ammunition?" Cole asked quietly.
"Okay. Got a spare magazine," Timothy admitted.
"Same," Frazier said. "But I don't think we'll need much more. These guys aren't exactly special forces."
As if to prove his point, two miners appeared through the trees, moving with none of the caution trained fighters would show. They were just men with rifles, probably thinking the money Penson paid them was worth the risk.
They were wrong. "Last warning," Cole called out. "Drop the weapons and walk away. Federal agents are already here."
The men hesitated, looking at each other uncertainly. The sound of a helicopter approached, its blades cutting through the air with the distinctive whoop.
A shot rang out, and Cole dropped, turning around. A miner behind them jerked, his rifle falling as he grabbed his shoulder and went down hard, cursing loudly.
Janice's hands shook as she lowered the gun, her chest heaving as she breathed hard, staring at what she'd just done. She lifted her gaze, and Cole nodded as he walked over.
Cole took the Glock back gently. "Perfect shot. Right where it needed to be." His eyes held respect and something deeper. "You just saved my life."
"My dad made me learn," she said, her voice unsteady. "Said any vet working in rural areas needed to know their way around firearms. I never thought I'd actually..."
"You did good, Janice." Cole squeezed her shoulder. "Real good. Now let's get you out of here."
"Federal agents!" a voice boomed from above. "Everyone drop your weapons and get on the ground! This site is under federal authority!"
The two miners, held at bay with Timothy’s and Frazier’s weapons pointed at them, dropped their rifles so fast they nearly fell over themselves. Their hands went up, and they sank to their knees in the snow.
Within minutes, the forest filled with federal agents from the FBI and EPA, their jackets clearly marked, moving with professional efficiency but not with the aggressive tactics of a military raid.
They spread out through the trees, issuing commands for everyone to stay down and keep their hands visible.
Cole lowered his rifle carefully, making sure his movements were slow and deliberate. The last thing they needed was a federal agent mistaking them for hostiles.
"Federal agents!" he called out clearly. "We're Lighthouse Security Investigations from Montana. We're the ones who called this in. There are four of us plus two civilians we extracted."
An agent approached cautiously, weapon ready but not aimed. His jacket read Morrison. "Identification?"
Cole slowly reached for the ID hanging around his neck. "Cole Iverson. My team members are Timothy Clemons and Frazier Dolby. They're positioned at ten and two o'clock. The civilians are Dr. Janice Lynch and Cheryl Whitten. Dalton Dolby is at the camp.”
The agent examined the credentials, then spoke into his radio. "Command, verify Lighthouse Security Investigations, Montana branch. Four operatives, names Iverson, Clemons, Dolby, and Dolby."
After a moment and a crackle of response, Morrison nodded. "You're clear. You can lower your weapons."
Timothy and Frazier emerged from their positions, hands visible, moving slowly. Morrison's team verified their identities as well, the tension easing once everyone was properly identified.
Cole's radio buzzed. “Status?
“Mission complete. Everyone's safe.”