Chapter 8
FINN
Cara's decision to stay settles between us, heavy and final.
The way determination overrides fear in her expression makes my throat tight.
Three days ago she was just another person needing transport through the backcountry.
Now she's the woman I'm choosing to stand with against the feds and corrupt officials with enough power to destroy lives.
I kill the engine and we sit in silence. Wind buffets the truck, snow swirling past the windows in patterns that catch the afternoon light.
"Jake's timeline gives us days at most before the feds narrow down your location," I say. "We need a plan that doesn't involve you running blind or me pretending I don't know what's coming."
"I know." She stares at her phone, at Jake's warnings still displayed on the screen. "Every instinct I have says disappear. New identity, new city, start the whole process over. But you're right that running hasn't gotten me closer to justice."
"So we bring in help. People who've been fighting this same battle from different angles." I turn to face her fully. "Zeke and Sadie need to know what's happening. They've got connections to the task force, resources we can use, and they've dealt with the Marshal's network before."
She's quiet, working through scenarios in her head. The resistance is visible in how still she holds herself, years of operating alone making it hard to trust that bringing others in won't get them killed.
"If I surface, if I stop running and actually coordinate with people, the Marshal's going to know," she says.
"Right now I'm just a fugitive he's tracking through financial flags and DOJ channels.
But if I make myself visible in Glacier Hollow, if I start working with the task force openly, that changes the equation. "
"Yeah, it does. Changes it in your favor." I reach across the console, fingers threading through hers. "You've been invisible and it's kept you alive but not free. Maybe it's time to stop hiding and start forcing their hand."
"That's a hell of a gamble."
"Everything about this situation is a gamble. Question is whether you're betting on yourself or on the Marshal's people being too powerful to beat."
She turns my words over, testing them against years of survival instincts. Outside, snow continues to fall, blanketing the landscape in white that looks peaceful until you remember how quickly weather can turn lethal in Alaska.
"Okay," she says. "We bring in Zeke. But I want to control how much information spreads and how fast. The more people who know I'm here, the harder it is to maintain operational security."
"Agreed. We start with Zeke and Sadie, see what they recommend, then expand the circle only as needed." I release her hand and reach for the door. "Let me call him, see if we can meet somewhere private."
Inside the cabin, I build a fire while Cara secures the evidence cases. She stacks them away from windows, uses furniture to create visual barriers. When she's satisfied with the defensive positioning, she joins me by the fire.
"Have you always lived here?" she asks, extending her palms toward the flames.
“No. Like a lot of people I came to Talon Mountain and Glacier Hollow when I needed it.
"Does it ever stop feeling like winter might kill you if you're not careful?"
"No. But you get used to the edge of it." I add another log, sparks spiraling up the chimney. "Keeps you sharp. Reminds you that comfort is temporary and vigilance matters."
"Sounds like the last few years of my life."
"Sounds like combat." I straighten up and pull out my phone. "Let me call Zeke."
He answers on the second ring. "Finn. Everything okay?"
"Need to talk. Somewhere private. Can you meet me at the Hollow Hearth after Sadie closes?"
Silence stretches long enough that I know he's processing the request, understanding what I'm not saying.
"Give Sadie some time to close up," he says. "I'll make sure we're alone."
"Appreciated."
"This about your passenger?"
"Yeah."
"Figured. See you at eight."
He disconnects and Cara's expression holds equal parts gratitude and fear.
"Two hours," I tell her. "That gives us time to figure out exactly what you're comfortable sharing and what needs to stay close hold."
"Everything." She moves away from the fire, starts pacing the length of the cabin. "If we're doing this, we do it right. No half measures. They need to know what they're getting into."
Pacing helps her think. The need for movement probably kept her sane during years as a fugitive when stillness felt like vulnerability.
"Zeke’s going to ask hard questions," I say. "About your evidence, about the timeline, about whether bringing you in puts Glacier Hollow at risk. You need to be ready for that."
"I've been answering hard questions since Tom died.
From Jake, from the sources I've cultivated, from myself every time I decide whether to keep investigating or just disappear.
" She stops pacing and faces me. "The difference is this time I'm asking people to actively help instead of just staying out of my way. "
"Big difference."
"Yeah." She returns to the fire, and exhaustion shows around her eyes. The adrenaline from Jake's messages is wearing off, leaving her to face the reality of what she's committed to. "What if he says no? What if Zeke decides the risk is too high?"
"Then we figure out another option. But Cara? Zeke's solid. He's not going to turn you away just because helping is dangerous." I move to stand beside her. "The people in this community have been fighting the Marshal's network for years. They understand what's at stake."
Later that evening, we pull up behind the Hollow Hearth. Main street is quiet, most businesses closed for the evening. Light spills from the café’s windows, but when I try the back door, it opens into darkness. Zeke's cleared the building.
Inside, the café smells like fresh-baked bread and coffee. Zeke's behind the counter, Sadie beside him. They both look up when we enter, taking in Cara's posture, how she scans the room before moving further inside, the careful distance she maintains from the windows.
"Finn." Zeke nods to me, then shifts his attention to Cara. "And you must be the reason for the secure meeting."
"Cara Brennan." She moves into the room with practiced confidence. "Former FBI. Currently a fugitive from a frame-up related to Operation Stormwatch. I'm the agent the task force thinks orchestrated the failure that got three people killed."
Direct. No easing into it. Zeke and Sadie process the information, making connections.
"Operation Stormwatch," Zeke says carefully. "Harlow's been running the task force investigating connections to that operation for months. She and Rhys have been tracking the network."
"I know. My source has been feeding me updates on their progress.
" Cara stops a few feet from the bar, palms open at her sides.
"The corrupt official I've been hunting is likely the same person they're chasing.
Someone high enough in federal law enforcement to frame agents, bury evidence, and run trafficking networks without getting caught. "
"The Marshal," Sadie says.
"Yes. The same person you're chasing." Cara pulls the flash drive from her jacket. "I've got evidence linking offshore accounts to trafficking operations, communications between corrupt officials, and documentation of how they used Stormwatch to eliminate agents who got too close to the truth."
Zeke takes the flash drive, turns it over. "What are you asking for?"
"Coordination with the task force. Information sharing.
Maybe sanctuary while we figure out if federal marshals are going to descend on Glacier Hollow looking for me.
" She glances at me, then back to Zeke. "My source sent warnings this morning.
DOJ pulled my colleague's files officially, flagged my alias credit cards, issued a recall order.
They know I'm in Alaska. Days at most before they identify my exact location. "
Silence settles over the bar. Zeke and Sadie communicate wordlessly, the kind of shorthand that comes from years of partnership. They're weighing risk against potential gain, calculating whether Cara's value as an asset outweighs the danger of harboring a federal fugitive.
"Your colleague," Zeke says. "Tom Rearden?"
Cara goes still. "You know about Tom?"
"Harlow mentioned him. Said he was murdered months before Stormwatch, that his death might have been connected to the investigation." Zeke sets the flash drive on the bar. "Your evidence ties back to his work?"
"Tom was family. He taught me how to investigate corruption, how to build cases that couldn't be buried by political pressure.
When he was killed, at first, I thought it was just an accident.
Then, when Stormwatch went sideways and they framed me for it, I questioned that and knew exactly who was responsible.
" Her voice stays level. "I've spent years gathering proof because nobody else was going to.
Now I'm out of time and out of options. So yes, I'm asking for help from people I just met.
Because Finn convinced me that survival isn't enough.
That justice matters more than staying invisible. "
The raw honesty in how she lays it out, no deflection, no softening the edges, is a calculated risk. But half measures won't work with people who've been fighting these battles for years.
Zeke exchanges another look with Sadie, and something passes between them. Decision made.
"Alright." He picks up the flash drive again.
"Let me contact Rhys. If your evidence connects to what the task force has, we can consolidate resources.
But Cara, you need to understand what you're asking.
Glacier Hollow has been targeted before by the people you're hunting.
Bringing you here puts everyone at risk. "