Chapter 57
Kori saw the barn door open and held her breath.
Please, let this be good news. Please!
Wyatt emerged and paused. He scanned the yard before motioning behind him.
Then three people she didn’t recognize ran out behind him.
Then . . . Mackenzie.
Tears filled Kori’s eyes. She was okay!
Her sister was pale, and her hair was a wreck. But she was the best thing Kori had seen in days.
The group hurried across the yard to the trees.
Then Mackenzie was there. In front of her. Alive and breathing.
Kori pulled her into a long hug. “You’re okay.”
“You came for me,” Mackenzie whispered.
“I’ll always come for you.”
Mackenzie held on tighter, small cries coming from her.
“I hate to break this up, but we have to move.” Wyatt touched her shoulder.
Kori pulled back and looked at her sister’s face—just for a second—and then nodded.
They hurried through the woods the way they’d come. Wyatt led, and Thunder ranged just ahead of him.
Pete followed directly behind Wyatt as if afraid to get too far away.
Herb and Billie held on to each other, tough and resilient but clearly shaken.
Kori gripped Mackenzie’s hand, not wanting to ever let go again.
No one spoke. No one dared to for fear of being heard.
It was just a matter of time before these people discovered what had happened and came after them.
Flint, she remembered. She needed to tell Wyatt about Flint. But right now didn’t seem like the time. Right now, they needed to focus on survival.
She’d wait until they were in the truck, she decided. Flint’s involvement shouldn’t affect them now as they escaped. Right now, they survived. Later, they could debrief.
Finally, Wyatt’s truck appeared through the trees and thick snow. Some of the tension in Kori’s chest loosened.
Then she saw someone leaning against the hood and froze.
Flint. He was here.
He stood with a gun already trained on them.
He’d been waiting for them to get here, planning for this very moment.
An ache pulsed through her chest.
They couldn’t let things end this way.
As sheets of snow came down in front of them, Wyatt stared at Flint. He had a gun in his hand—and it was pointed right at them.
Flint was involved with this?
Pieces clicked in his mind. The slight defiance he saw in Flint’s eyes on occasion. The way he charmed people while never sharing anything personal. The way he’d been fired from his first job . . .
The man had positioned himself squarely in front of the truck, making it clear he’d block their exit.
“Sorry, but I can’t let you leave.” Flint’s voice sounded steely and serious. “I can’t let anyone get in our way.”
Wyatt stepped forward. “You have to let us leave.”
“I actually don’t have to do anything . . .” Flint smirked.
“Flint.” Kori’s voice came from behind him. “I can’t believe you’re a part of this. This isn’t who you are.”
“Isn’t it, though? I mean, I’m the kind of guy who cheats on his girlfriend. If I’d do that, I’m pretty much scum. You told me something of that sort when we broke up.”
Kori raised her chin. “I figured that indiscretion was simply a moment of weakness. I was angry. You should understand that.”
Flint nodded at Mackenzie. “For her, maybe it was an indiscretion. Me? I don’t like to be bound by rules and expectations.”
Kori bristled at his words.
This guy was scum. Kori was right in her declaration.
“Then why did you go to work for the Forest Service?” Wyatt asked before realization swept over him. “I suppose The Remnant needed an inside guy, and you were that person.”
Flint shrugged. “What can I say? I’ll do anything for something when I stand behind it.”
“He’s been a part of The Remnant for a while,” Mackenzie muttered. “I just didn’t realize it until it was too late.”
Flint didn’t deny her words.
“I saw him on the trail cameras in the woods,” Mackenzie continued. “I was monitoring them as part of a side job I took on. I knew he was up to something, so I began following him. He realized I was on to him and confronted me. I insisted he explain himself.”
“You should have backed off,” Flint growled.
“Then he told me the group was going to target you. Said the leader hated your guts because you put him behind bars. Their plan was to target your office in a domestic terrorist attack.”
“What?” Kori’s question came out as a whisper.
“When Flint informed them your sister lived in town, they took a special interest in me. I found out later they wanted to use me as leverage. Flint told me if I met him in the woods, we could talk about things. He just needed me to see the truth. But it was all a setup. They were banking on you coming into town if I went missing.”
“How did Kori coming into town help with their plan?” Wyatt said.
“They were going to grab her and force her to help them into the district attorney’s office. The snow was an answer to prayer, believe it or not. It slowed everything down, and they had to recalculate.”
“Mackenzie . . . you went out in the woods to meet Flint because of me?” Kori’s voice squeaked as she asked the question. “You put yourself in that kind of danger?”
More tears filled her eyes. “I’d already betrayed you. I figured the least I could do was try to protect you. I so desperately wanted to make things right . . . though I wasn’t sure I ever could.”
“Mackenzie . . . you shouldn’t have done that. You could have been killed!”
“I just want to make things right . . .” She shrugged, and moisture slid from her eyes down her cheeks.
“Enough with the reunion.” Flint cut into their conversation.
Wyatt saw his opening. He swung his leg and kicked Flint’s gun.
The Glock spun out of Flint’s grip, flew through the air, and disappeared into the snow.
Flint gaped as he realized what had happened and lunged toward the gun.
In an instant, Thunder was there. His body was low, and a growl rolled out of him. As the canine showed his teeth, Flint stopped in his tracks.
“Easy, boy,” Flint muttered, his eyes wide as he stared at Thunder. “Easy.”
Wyatt grabbed the gun from the ground and pointed it at Flint. He didn’t take his eyes off the scene as he ordered, “Everyone in the truck. Now.”
The group hurried toward the truck.
The ride with everyone would be tight. Too tight, really. But there was no other option.
Billie, Herb, and Pete piled into the back seat. Thunder jumped in with them.
Then Kori slid into the middle front seat and Mackenzie climbed in beside her.
The doors slammed shut.
As they did, Wyatt continued to watch Flint.
Wyatt had to figure out what to do with the man. Leaving him out here wasn’t an option . . . plus, he couldn’t stand the thought of the man getting away with this.
Then he made a decision, one he hoped he didn’t regret.