Endless Flames (Surviving Ashes, Book Four) (21 page)

“I
t’s great to
see you, man,” Owen greeted Berke upon walking into the office. He drew the man close, slapping him on the back in perfect agreement. It was more than good to be here with his team and he wished like hell Van would hurry up and get his ass here, but it appeared that’s what this meeting was regarding and it had them all on edge. “You had us worried when your trek took longer than any of us expected.”

“With damn good reason though,” Berke explained, having made all the introductions for Maxie with only this one remaining. “Owen, meet Maxie Denikin.”

“I heard you’re an excellent marksman. That’s good. Maybe you can give Mason a run for his money,” Owen praised, while seeming to throw a jab Kellen’s direction all the while shaking Maxie’s hand before stepping back and wrapping an arm around Prue’s waist. “Prue can give you an outside tour of the place once you’re settled in and ready to start in on a security rotation. We need all the boots we can put on the ground.”

Berke bit his tongue to prevent saying something he shouldn’t. He didn’t want Maxie outside the proverbial wire by herself, especially given the circumstances with trained tangos conducting probing actions against the lodge’s defense. She had Jacob to think about. He doubted she’d buy that excuse, but it was the best he could come up with for not wanting her in an exposed position where she could easily lose her life over one rookie mistake. Hell, that was just about anywhere nowadays, but the odds weren’t in her favor out there in the woods.

Maxie quietly spoke to Owen as everyone managed to fit inside Henley’s office. There wasn’t a lot of space, but it was easier to meet here than in the bunker. They could still keep an eye on the security feeds, considering those on security rotations had easier access to the prepared defensive positions from the lodge. They should have used the conference room off of the four-season room, but the lack of a phone or any other communications drop left them exposed and out of touch. Well, except by hand-held radio. Tank and Mav were talking over something by the desk, with Henley and Brenna close by discussing the horses. Mason was leaning up against the windowsill and quietly observing everyone as usual. He never was much for small talk.

Truman, Sealey, and Moreau had taken a position next to the open door while they waited for their fourth team member—the real Ace Fairfax. Berke had met the man over lunch and he didn’t seem as intense as these three. What was their deal?

“There are a lot of factors at play here,” Owen muttered as he leaned in to speak with Berke. His tone most likely was not quite low enough as Truman’s dark gaze landed directly on them at their last statement. Berke couldn’t pinpoint it, but the man seemed familiar in some way. It was as if he’d run into him before. But where? “So we need to take care of this threat as soon as possible and do so permanently.”

“Agreed.”

Berke indicated that Maxie should have a seat in one of the guest chairs, but she shook her head and continued to rub the leather band on her watch. She’d been doing so for the last five minutes, ever since Rosa had offered to take Jacob and put him in something called a Pack ’n Play that was kept on hand for guests who had children with them during their stay.

“Rosa is really good with children. She runs the daycare suite most days,” Prue said, taking the other guest chair and pulling on Owen’s hands until they were kneading her shoulders. “Fuck, that feels real good.”

Berke cracked a smile at the use of Prue’s profanity. Leave it to Owen to pick a woman who cussed more than any sailor he ever knew. She certainly made life interesting.

“Sorry I’m late,” Fairfax apologized, closing the door behind him. Berke noticed right off the bat that there were very few similarities between this man and Joseph Webb. “Dylan and Jeremy are manning the checkpoint. Kirk just headed up to the hot springs to check on things there, but I made sure he was well armed.”

“What about Missy?” Mav asked, referring to a young girl who apparently was just as good a shot as Maxie. She was also the town B&B owner’s daughter, whom everyone adored. Berke didn’t like to think she was out on rotation by herself, but Tank had assured him that everyone had the proper training to hold their own while they talked. “Did she take the north side of the property?”

“Yes,” Fairfax replied, darting his gaze over to Ann. “I assured her that we wouldn’t be gone long.”

Ann Moreau nodded her understanding, glancing at her watch as if she were going to time this meeting. She was a stunning woman, though it was apparent she was just as lethal as the men in her group. She was of mixed African American heritage with maybe a bit of Caucasian or Hispanic. The combination produced a stunning, beautiful woman with green eyes that reminded Berke of a jaguar who was hunting for her prey. What kind of secrets was she keeping?

“Berke, the people in this room and those currently outside are the ones running security rotations,” Mav explained, taking a seat in Henley’s chair as he scribbled something on a piece of paper. He ran the pencil down a list of names. “We also have Milton Owain in the infirmary, who’s pulling double duty right now by guarding our guest.”

Milton used to be an EMT back in the day, if Berke wasn’t mistaken. He was their only medical resource and his experience would have to do for now. They could only pray that no one needed some type of surgery that required more training.

“Sherman Roane appreciated the additional grow lamps, considering he’s in charge of the indoor grow operation and currently overseeing the first plots of vegetables we’ve established. He studied botany in college, so we’ll have to trust he has enough knowledge to pull it off. Terrell Vaughn and a couple of his friends are making runs to find any additional provisions they can find, including different kinds of seeds for planting. Gage Dorian is taking care of the heavy equipment shop, as well as the generators. And we pretty much have an established rotation here at the lodge, as well. We’re going by skills and experience, placing people where their strengths can be the most beneficial to the group.”

“We’re sorry to throw all of this at you, but you know how this goes. We need you caught up as quickly as possible.” Tank rubbed his thumb and finger down his mustache in the manner Berke was familiar with that usually led to something that would land all of their asses in hot water. “Any questions?”

“Only one,” Berke replied, wanting to get to the new developments Mav had mentioned earlier. “Have we heard from Van yet?”

Tank and Mav exchanged glances before both of them shook their heads in the negative as a response. It was now the middle of the afternoon and it didn’t appear Van was going to make an appearance anytime soon. He would have contacted them if he could, which meant something had gone wrong or his approach was compromised.

“That’s the reason for the meeting. There’s been no contact over the radio and Webb hasn’t given up any more information than he already has. I believe he’s telling the truth. At this point, we don’t want Webb’s group up near the border to think we have one of our team members MIA. We can’t give them anything they can use against us,” Mav explained, leaning back in his chair and rubbing his bloodshot eyes. He glanced up with appreciation when Henley handed him the cup of coffee she’d poured before entering the office. “They most likely know by now that something has gone wrong with their own recon mission and their attempt to infiltrate an agent into our camp. I figure they have a large portion of their group somewhere close by and nowhere near their own camp. They most likely have scouts watching from different vantage points surrounding the valley, so I don’t want this meeting to take too long. We need everyone out there on alert until we decide what our next move is going to be.”

“I can make a run around the outer perimeter to see if I can uncover any signs that Van may have left for us to find,” Owen offered, taking hold of Prue’s hand when she reached up to take hold of his. “Berke can take my rotation on the roving patrol until I return. He knows the area as well as any of us.”

“I think that’s a good idea,” Berke expressed in agreement, knowing full well that Owen was their best bet at finding any tracks that Van may have left behind. His tracking skills far surpassed anyone else’s on the team. “Fresh eyes might identify a gap that the rest of us missed. But we stick with our mandate. No one goes alone.”

“I’ll go with Owen.”

The four words were said with quiet determination. All eyes turned toward Moreau, who now appeared to be expecting for someone to argue with her. Berke waited for someone else to speak, not knowing this woman or her team well enough to make an argument one way or the other. He wasn’t so sure he’d want to be out there with anyone from her unit, but Owen had been here for a while and most likely had established some type of relationship with each of them.

“This Allman undoubtedly has been informed that the initial raiding party and a few members of his recon unit have been eliminated,” Truman pointed out when no one contended against Moreau accompanying Owen on his exploration. “He’ll be close at hand and not up at the site that Webb finally gave up. He will have nearly all of his trained personnel on hand, as well as a small support contingency. I think it’s smart to take an offensive approach and start scouting outside our perimeter for additional areas he or his team might have set up to monitor our comings and goings.”

“They have to be close. Their next attack will be decisive and determined,” Berke reasoned, agreeing with Truman’s tactics. He shared a look with Maxie that conveyed her agreement. “Let’s face it. Even though the ash is somewhat lighter here than other areas, the falling debris still makes it hard to see more than thirty to fifty yards in front of you during the day. Granted, they could be using heat sensors or antipersonnel sensors, but any individual using that type of equipment would have to be fairly close.”

“We would have caught sight of someone ourselves if they were actually on the property,” Mav pointed out, taking a drink of what was probably cold coffee by now. He set the cup on the desk before leaning forward and lacing his fingers together. “That’s not to say they haven’t placed sensors on the property, but they would have to be close by to monitor them. We’ve accounted for every heat signature, as well as verifying the movement of the animals.”

“Which is to our advantage,” Henley offered up, pointing toward the large map sprawled across her desk. “The property lines are very clear, especially due to the video surveillance. If they’ve done their homework, as I’m sure this group has, then wherever they’re monitoring our security rotations is most likely within twenty to thirty yards outside of our property line.”

“I’m technically off the clock, so I’ll head back out there and start a perimeter check,” Truman advised, lifting his arm and checking the time on his watch. “I won’t check in over the radio unless I run into trouble. There’s no need to announce our every move.”

“I’ll go with you.”

Mason was most likely the last person Truman wanted to accompany him outside the safety net other people provided, especially since it was a well-known fact that these two didn’t get off to a harmonious start. Mason had offered though, and that’s the way it would stand.

“I can take one of the horses out along the eastern edge of Snowy Peak down along the river road and stretch his legs,” Brenna offered, walking over to where Mason was leaning against the windowsill and settling herself beside him. He wrapped an arm around her waist as he clenched his jaw in irritation. Berke understood his friend’s need to protect his woman, but there was no room for that right now. “Maybe it will draw whoever is out there closer to see what we’re doing, since we usually only utilize the horses for long treks.”

“She’s right.” Maxie had been quiet during this meeting and observing the dynamics of the group, which was what most veteran law enforcement officers tended to do around fellow professionals who they didn’t know personally. It was a way to feel the situation out and form conclusions on individuals they would work better with as a team. “Prue and I can follow on foot to see if Brenna’s presence draws interest from anyone.”

Berke was now in Mason’s shoes, because he sure as hell didn’t want Maxie outside with what little intel they had on this small faction who wanted their base camp. Did she expect him to stay back here with Jacob on his hip? She had a hard enough time allowing someone else to put her son down for a nap. As much as Berke adored the boy, he personally wasn’t the stay-at-home-dad type. He could just imagine how much flack he’d get from Maxie for even thinking such a thing, but it wasn’t that he had an issue with his man-card. It had everything to do with the fact that both of them possessed skills that could benefit these people. Unfortunately, that put him as a protective alpha male in a bind that wasn’t easily broken.

Berke respected Maxie, just as he did any other law enforcement officer, but she’d come to mean more to him than just a companion. It was something they would have to address sooner rather than later. Honestly, he didn’t relish having such a conversation because it opened up a dialogue he didn’t want to have just yet.

“That’s all the security personnel we can afford to take off from this afternoon’s sentry details,” Mav said begrudgingly, shaking his head at the issues this situation had presented. “We can’t afford to be lax in the other areas or else it could bite us in the ass. I think—”

“Zulu One, come in,” a voice stated clearly over the two-way radio currently on the desk beside the large map. Mav didn’t hesitate to reach for it, especially considering they’d all been given special instructions to stay off of the frequencies unless it was an emergency. “Zulu Three.”

“Go ahead, Zulu Three,” Mav instructed to Jeremy, releasing the button to hear what the young man had to say. At least, that’s who Berke thought it was and he got confirmation when the information received could have only come from the checkpoint Jeremy and Dylan were manning. “Zulu One.”

“They have Van. I repeat—they have Van.”