Against the Tide (28 page)

Derek grinned. “Instead Liv stuns his sorry ass, but he keeps his mouth shut since what he did could have fucked up the mission.”

Noah's amazing dimples popped out as he smiled at Liv. “Nice work, by the way.”

She felt a trickle of warmth at his approval. “Thanks.”

“Your theory makes sense,” Rafe said, nodding as he thought through the rest. “Even after Big Guy screws up, everything is still going along fairly smoothly until Heng and his roommate find the GPS on the Jeep. They call the house to warn their buddies, then pack up and get out of Dodge.”

Rafe glanced at Noah. “What I can't figure are the Petersens, the couple staying in the house. Anna, the wife, had some kind of an accent, but it didn't sound Middle Eastern.”

Derek shrugged. “Somebody's got to run the show. Since the digs up on the hill are a lot nicer than the rooms at the Seaside Motel, I'd say Petersen's our man.”

“I met him,” Rafe said. “I don't see him as a Muslim terrorist. If not, what's his motive?”

“Could be anything. Love. Money. Revenge. The usual stuff,” Derek said.

“After the fire, it's clear they're involved,” Noah said. “Nick may turn up something on the owner of the house. He'll be looking hard. He needs all the info he can get before he calls Charlie Farrell. I figure we'll hear from him in the morning.”

Derek grinned at Rafe. “Unless he shows up at your door.”

“God, I hope not,” Rafe said.

Noah sipped his coffee. “Nick's on a case. Missing kid. He couldn't bail on the family or he'd already be here.”

“He's got a pregnant wife and he's a long ways away,” Rafe said. “This could be over by the time it takes him to get here.”

“That's what we told him,” Derek said.

Rafe scrubbed a hand over his face, praying that for once, Nick would control his impulsive nature. On the other hand, he was extremely grateful for his brother's help.

“Okay, let's go with the theory we've got,” Rafe said. “With the Petersens, Big Guy, Heng, and his friend, we've got four men and a woman, all here to wreak havoc on something. What is it?”

“Nick says you think it could be the ferry,” Derek said. “Five hundred souls aboard.”

Rafe's jaw hardened. “I think it's the pipeline.”

The room fell silent. Olivia's chest clamped down.

“Fuck,” Noah said. “So do I.”

“I do, too.” Derek stood up and began to pace back and forth in front of the window. “We've got nothing. No way to prove it.”

“They have to be extremely organized,” Rafe said. “The place is a fortress.”

Derek turned toward them. “Since we can't find hide nor hair of them, I'd say they've got things pretty well worked out.”

“We've got to call the police.” Olivia's stomach began to churn.
The police.
She could almost see the prison doors closing around her. But the devastation an attack on the pipeline would cause, the massive oil spill, would destroy Valdez, destroy the animals and fish, the sea, the harbor, everything for miles around.

She turned to Rafe. “The police are in charge of the pipeline, aren't they?”

He nodded. “It's their jurisdiction, but there's only eleven guys on the force.”

“Yes, but there's lots of security out at the pipeline. And the police can call Homeland. The cops will be able to convince them to help.”

“The question is, how do we convince the police?” Rafe said.

Noah leaned back in his chair. “We need something more than speculation. Not to mention our intel was all illegally obtained.”

Her stomach rolled.

“The Jeep's a rental,” Rafe said. “The plate was in a Hertz Anchorage frame. Probably rented in Wong or Nevin's fake name. I don't think that'll help us.”

Derek paced away from the window. “We know what it looks like, right?”

Rafe nodded. “Dark blue, newer model Jeep Cherokee. First three letters on the plate are ETU.

“As soon as it's daylight, I'll go up, do a little aerial surveillance. I'll find the damned thing. Once we know where these guys are, we'll come up with a plan. If we have to, we'll go in and handle it ourselves.”

Olivia shot up from the sofa. “What! You can't be serious!”

Rafe caught her waist, drew her gently back down beside him. “Maybe we won't have to. Nick's talking to the FBI. Maybe they'll step in and make this end.”

“Don't count on it,” Noah said darkly. “We haven't got jack shit. By the time we do, this is going to be coming down. We need to be prepared to get it done ourselves.”

Olivia's gaze flew to Rafe. The hard look on his face was like nothing she had ever seen before.

It said he completely agreed.

Chapter Thirty

Nick phoned at six a.m. Seattle time, five a.m. in Alaska. Rafe was just rolling out of bed. Beside him Olivia groaned and dragged a pillow over her head, making him smile. Scrubbing a hand over his face, he grabbed his cell off the bedside table and pressed it against his ear.

“I hope you're still in Seattle,” he growled, knowing his volatile brother would be itching to get into the action—assuming there was going to be any.

“I'm here. I'm still tied up with a case I just can't leave.”

“There is a God.”

“Dammit, this is serious and you know it.”

“You're right. Thanks for sending in the Marines.”

“You better not let them hear you say that.”

Rafe smiled. Devlin and Hunter were Army first, last, and always. Noah was Delta, the elite of the elite. Derek was a Night Stalker helicopter pilot. Flying didn't get any better.

“Tell me Charlie Farrell and the feds are jumping in the middle of this,” Rafe said. “Tell me we're out of it.”

“Unfortunately, Charlie isn't in Alaska at the moment. He's working a case in California. The guy I talked to wasn't impressed. He took a look at Heng, said the kid was so far down the watch list it wasn't worth worrying about. He said he'd make note of the phone call and Heng's visit to Valdez in case something else came up.”

“I was afraid of that. Anything on the rental property?”

“Man who owns the house lives in Anchorage. He rented the place to Trent and Anna Petersen over the Internet, got a very big cash deposit along with two weeks' rent. The address they gave him in Connecticut doesn't check out.”

“Since the place burned to the ground last night, I hope he got enough to cover his insurance deductible.”

Nick hissed into the phone.

“We think the target's the pipeline.”

“Sonofabitch. I was afraid of that. All those oil-covered fish and cute little ducks dying in front of the cameras. It's just the kind of shitstorm those a-holes like to rain down on people. I need to get up there.”

“I don't think you're gonna make this party, little brother. Lucky for me your stand-ins are first-rate.”

“Yeah, and then some.” Nick paused a moment. “What about your lady? She doing okay?”

“She hasn't made a run for it, if that's what you're asking.”

“That isn't what I was asking. Listen, you've always had great instincts. If you care about her that much, she's got to be something special.”

“She is,” Rafe said.

“Tell her to hang in there. We'll find a way out.”

Something tightened his chest. When things got rough, he could always count on his brothers. “Thanks, Nick.”

“I'll keep digging. Maybe something will turn up.”

Rafe ended the call and headed downstairs. He was in the kitchen, getting out the coffee to brew a pot, when he looked up to see Olivia walking toward him, yawning behind her hand.

“What's the plan?” she asked.

“The plan is for Derek and Noah to take the plane up and do a sweep, see if they can find the Jeep. Since we have no idea when—or if—this is actually going down, and I've got a half-day charter I can't get out of, you're coming aboard
Scorpion
with me.”

“I've got to go to work.”

“Not today, darlin'. After you went upstairs last night, we talked a little more. We think the guy who tried to rape you is part of this and not working for your enemies. But there's no way to know for sure. We have to be ready in case we've made the wrong call.”

She looked like she wanted to argue, but gave up a sigh instead. “All right, I'll phone Nell, tell her I'll be in later this afternoon.”

“Good enough.”

“I can do this for a while, Rafe, but I can't live this way forever.”

“If we're right, you won't have to. With the fire last night and Heng and his buddies on the run, the attack has got to be coming down soon. Till then, I want you where I can keep you safe.”

“Fine. In the meantime, why don't I make all of us some breakfast?”

“Not much in the pantry.”

“You're right. Wayne'll be in the café by now. He'll be getting the kitchen up and running for breakfast. If I call him, he could whip us all up something to eat and have it ready when we got there.”

“Good idea.”

“
Great
idea,” Noah said as he walked into the kitchen, dressed once more in his camos.

Derek walked in behind him, scratching his naked, very impressive chest. “Man, I could eat a bowl of skunk stew. I haven't eaten since yesterday afternoon.”

Rafe chuckled. “You better tell Wayne to double the order.”

Liv smiled. “No problem.”

 

 

The breakfast crew was already hard at work, Wayne Littlefish in the kitchen, Katie making coffee and setting the tables. Nell wouldn't be in for another hour, since she was working a split shift today.

Liv brought the men in through the rear of the restaurant, stopping long enough to check on Khan. The dog was back in his own yard and happy to be home, she thought. Though he'd seemed content in Rafe's big backyard, he'd probably missed Tuxedo.

“Great-looking dog,” Derek said as Liv knelt to hug him and give him a back rub. She scratched until he was content, then returned to her feet.

“Sit,” she commanded, and Khan obediently dropped to his haunches. Rafe handed her a dog biscuit from the bag next to the door and Liv held it out to Khan. “Okay. Here you go. What a good boy.”

“I see you have a guard dog,” Noah said, studying the big German shepherd. “Looks like a good one. Extremely well trained.” He eyed her sharply. “I guess I know why he's here.”

“Jesus, Rafe,” Derek said. “You got more problems than your brother.” They knew all of it now, the murder Olivia was accused of, who'd done it, and the attempts that had been made on her life.

“Nick got his troubles straightened out,” Rafe said. “I plan to do the same.”

Liv looked up at him and felt a pang in her heart. He wasn't giving up on her. How could she give up on him?

“Go on inside,” Rafe said to the men. Since they were starving, they didn't hesitate. Rafe waited for Liv to finish feeding Khan and then followed her into the café. He joined the men in the big booth in the corner, while Liv went to check on their meals.

Katie swung up beside her. “Oh, my heart be still. Would you look at that? Those three guys have the market cornered on hot.”

Liv smiled. “We need to get them fed.”

“I'm on it. Wayne's got their orders almost ready. Don't even think of trying to take them over.”

Olivia laughed. It felt really good. “I'll help. We're kind of on a tight schedule.”

“Good idea. That way you can introduce me.”

“You like the sexy one or the big sexy one?”

“Both.”

Olivia grinned as they grabbed platters heaped with eggs, bacon, fried potatoes, and toast from under the heat lamp and carried them over to the booth.

Liv introduced Katie. Noah was polite. Derek flicked her a hungry glance but must have realized she was barely old enough to buy a beer. He winked at her, then dug into his eggs.

Katie just sighed and headed off to another customer. Liv's smile faded away. The hours were sliding past. It was going to be a very long day.

 

 

Trent Doyle awakened in the comfortable king-size bed at the Marriot hotel near the Anchorage International Airport. Rolling over, he checked the bedside clock.

“Time to get going,” he said, gently shaking Tatiana's pale white shoulder. She sat up, shifting her thick, black hair back from her face.

She smiled when she saw the rise of his arousal beneath the sheets. “So . . . you are in a good mood this morning.” Leaning over, she began to press kisses on his naked chest, his belly, slid lower, took care of him the way she often did in the mornings.

He was glad he had brought her along.

He groaned as she finished. Sliding out of bed, he headed for the shower, feeling relaxed and ready to face the trip ahead. Since airline connections out of Valdez were abominable, he'd arranged a charter to Anchorage, which was only a short hop away. Though they'd been forced to fly out last night instead of as planned this morning, with the money Trent was paying the pilot, the man hadn't complained.

Thank God they were leaving this god-awful wilderness. He was sick of Alaska, sick of the isolation, and his work here was done. He hadn't been happy when Heng had picked up a signal, then found the GPS on his rental car, but it wasn't a police model, nothing the FBI would be using, nothing as sophisticated as what Homeland might use, at least according to Heng.

Trent's jaw tightened. It was Brodie. Had to be. Brodie and the woman were looking for evidence in the murder of their friend. They had zeroed in on the two men in the motel room. Though it was Cain, not Heng or Nadir, who'd committed the crime, their interference had become a serious problem.

It was Brodie. Had to be. Trent had recognized a dangerous foe when he and Tatiana had been aboard the
Sea Scorpion
. Intelligent and capable, the kind of man who would make a worthy opponent.

The GPS tracker had made Brodie a big enough problem that Trent had ordered his men to abandon the motel and move to the secondary location he'd arranged off Richardson Highway. A big enough problem that Trent had packed up the car he'd rented under the Petersen alias, set a good-sized blaze in the rental house to destroy any evidence, and flown up to Anchorage.

As a final precaution, and perhaps as payback for the inconvenience, he had ordered Nadir to get rid of Brodie once and for all.

It was almost over. This morning, he and Tatiana would be boarding a commercial flight, first-class, of course, from Anchorage to New York City. The attack would begin a little after midnight tonight. The ship,
San Pascual
, a number of storage tanks, and a portion of the pipeline would all be destroyed.

Anticipation rolled through him. Once that happened, oil stocks would soar, and since he'd invested every dime he could beg, borrow, or steal in oil futures, overnight his financial problems would be solved and he'd be an obscenely wealthy man.

His anticipation grew. He didn't have to worry about getting caught. The escape boat leaving the rendezvous point would never arrive at the Tatitlek Airport. A crew of mercenaries had been paid handsomely to handle the job, men who had no connection to Trent or any idea who he was.

Heng, Nadir, Cain, and the fanatic who had illegally entered the States through Mexico and taken a job aboard the
San Pascual
would simply disappear, their bodies tossed into the icy waters of Prince William Sound.

They would be dead. All of them martyred.

Trent smiled.

Allah was good.

 

 

Derek and Noah took off for the airport right after breakfast. The first order of business was to locate the Jeep. If there was going to be a terrorist attack, the men in the motel room were the key.

Rafe left the café with Olivia shortly after, crossing the street in front of the restaurant, heading for the harbor to take
Scorpion
out for its scheduled half-day charter.

Liv stopped him just as they reached the dock. “Before we go, Rafe, there's something I need to say.”

He looked into her worried face. “What is it, baby?”

“I've been thinking about all of this. We have to stop those men. You and Noah and Derek, you guys are extremely competent, but the best way to end this is to bring in the police.”

“Nick called the FBI. There isn't enough evidence to convince them to get involved.”

“I'm not talking about the FBI. I'm talking about Chief Rosen and the police here in Valdez. They can speak to pipeline security, put them on notice that something might be in the works.”

“Same thing goes. We don't have enough information.”

“It's because of me, isn't it? You're afraid if we call the cops, it might trigger something that'll bring them down on me.”

Rafe took a calming breath and slowly released it. “That's part of it. I won't lie about it. We're going to need some time to figure out how to clear your name. We get the police involved in this, anything could happen. The man who attacked you is still out there. He knows who you are, knows your real name. If they arrest him—”

“Stopping this is more important. I couldn't live with myself if the pipeline was destroyed. If there was a massive oil spill because we didn't do everything in our power to stop an attack.”

Rafe cupped her face in his hands. “Have I told you how important you are to me? How much you mean to me?”

“Rafe . . .”

“I'll call Chief Rosen, if that's what you want. But until we locate Heng and his friend, we don't have anything to give him. What do I say? That Wong's real name is Heng and he and his friend are Muslim? The information has already been given to the FBI and they weren't interested. Do I say that the house that burned down last night was a place the two of them had visited? At this point, the police may not even be able to confirm it was arson. It isn't enough, Liv.”

She sighed. “I don't know . . . maybe you're right.”

“Rosen's going to want to hear how we know any of this, and if he calls the FBI, they're going to say they've already checked it out and there's nothing to worry about. Rosen will be pissed we made him look like a fool. What little credibility we have will go straight down the drain and that will be the end of it.”