Sabotaged (24 page)

They'd only had to wait three hours for Jake and Kayden to arrive. When they did, their grim expressions said they had horrible news.

Kirra rushed toward them. “What happened?”

“Let's talk on the way,” Jake said.

“I'm so thankful you were able to pick us up,” Kirra said. Otherwise reaching the Unalakleet checkpoint could have been tricky, especially with another storm threatening to hit—soon.

“We were already in Grayling as part of the search for Brad Abbott and after Jake's discovery . . .” Kayden swallowed.

“Discovery?” Reef asked, just as she was about to.

“Brad Abbott was mauled by a bear,” Kayden said.

Kirra's chest rose with a sharp intake of breath. “How awful.”

“I think he was fortunate, in a weird way . . .” Jake looked embarrassed to have said that but then continued, “Mauling would be a horrible way to die”—he settled into the copilot seat beside Kayden—“but I'm pretty sure he was dead before the bear reached him.”

“Why do you say that?”

“There wasn't nearly the amount of blood I would expect if he were mauled alive.”

Kirra blanched. “You don't think . . . ?” That the men responsible for kidnapping her cousin had killed Brad Abbott to create a diversion. Things were escalating, and fast.

“Yes, I do think. I think someone close to us is a plant,” he said. “My bet is on Xander, but it could be anyone. I think the men responsible for your cousin's kidnapping were concerned we were getting too close to the truth, and they wanted to divert us from the trail for a while.”

“Poor Brad.” Her heart went out to the man and his family.

Reef clasped her hand, steadying her. “What about the other pump stations?” he asked. “Any word?”

“Yes.” Jake sighed. “Andrew just called, and the pump station between Iditarod and Shageluk is also rigged to overheat and blow.”

Kirra swayed into Reef as the full impact of what that meant hit her.

Reef ushered Kirra into the Unalakleet checkpoint and waited for Kayden and Jake to enter before closing the door on the howling storm behind them. They moved farther into the front room and joined Gage and Darcy as they sat in a grouping of chairs in front of the fire. Reef was thankful to be back with the race—and hopefully closer to finding Frank and Meg.

The winds had picked up to nearly forty miles per hour. It was a wonder Kayden had been able to safely land the plane. Snow had been falling since Anchorage, the deluge growing
in intensity as they touched down. Well, skidded down was more like it. His sister was a gifted pilot, but he couldn't help feeling God had been watching out for them—that He had been ever since the start of the race.

Reef had felt Him spurring him on as he declared his love for Kirra, felt Him guiding them to Joseph and Jason Keller—whose name Darcy had been able to recently confirm—and he prayed He would guide them to Meg.

Kirra shivered beside him, and he put his arm around her. “Your jacket is wet. You should take it off and sit by the fire.”

She moved to sit by the stone hearth. The Unalakleet checkpoint was one of the cozier along the circuit, and with the harsh and burgeoning winds outside, Reef was thankful to be in it.

Ethan stepped in the room with three mugs in hand. “Heard you were coming back.” He handed the first mug to Kirra. “Thought you guys could use something hot.” He handed the remaining two mugs to Reef and Kayden. “I'll go grab one for you, Jake.”

Reef cupped the mug. “Wait. How'd you know we were coming in?”

“I heard Gage talking with Kayden on the radio as she was bringing you down. Quite a bit of flying, little lady.”

Reef sat uneasily as Ethan exited the room, wondering just what else he may have heard. But Ethan had been part of the Iditarod for years, according to his siblings. Jake was right—if they had a spy in their midst, it was far more likely the relative newcomer Xander Cook.

Kirra leaned forward, desperation heavy on her pinched brow. “Please tell me one of you has heard from Hoffman or Landon with a solid lead on Meg's location.”

“We have more information on Jason Keller,” Darcy said as Gage kept his gaze fixed on the door, making sure no one was lingering in the hall.

“What can you tell us about him?” Reef asked, stretching out beside Kirra, kicking his boots off to let the fire warm his feet.

“He's an accountant, most recently living in Anchorage.”

“An accountant?” Kirra frowned. “And living in Anchorage. What on earth is his tie to Nome or any of this?”

“It's definitely taking some digging,” Darcy said, retrieving her laptop from her satchel. “But”—she turned on the Mac—“it looks like the Keller family is from Nome. And here's the interesting part. . . .”

Kirra leaned forward, and Reef rubbed her back, thankful to find her sweater dry and warm.

“Jason's father, Stanley Keller, died not long after NorthStar purchased a huge section of the land for their pipeline project.”

“Okay . . .” Reef said, his brows furrowing. “Was any of it owned by the Kellers?”

Darcy smiled. “A bunch of it.”

“So do you think this is about more than the environment?” Kirra asked. “Perhaps some revenge mixed in?”

“That's what I'm thinking,” Darcy said. “But I'm going to have to do a little more digging on the Keller family to be sure.”

“In the meantime,” Jake said, rezipping his coat and slipping his gloves back on, “I'm meeting Andrew back out at the Iditarod station. We've got to come up with a response plan in case we can't prevent Frank from remotely triggering the codes or, more than likely, handing the trigger over to Jason Keller.”

“And Meg?” Kirra asked.

“We're searching for property still owned by Jason Keller,” Darcy said. “So far nothing but a family home in Nome is showing up. It's in the middle of town, so it wouldn't be the cabin Sam Matthews mentioned, but Landon is contacting the local police to have it checked out.”

“Have you searched under the father's name?” Reef suggested. Oftentimes titles took a while to get properly changed.

“Good idea.” Darcy smiled. “Searching now . . .” Her fingers glided over the keypad. “It's going to take me a bit to comb through the records.”

Kirra rubbed her arms. “Any sign of Frank?”

Reef hated the heartache he heard in her voice. If only he could fix this, somehow make everything better.

Please, Father, protect us. You are
in control. I beg your mercy and protection. Don't
let these men succeed
.

The Lord replied silently in Reef's heart.
“Some trust in chariots and some in horses
, but we trust in the name of the Lord our
God.”

Reef reaffirmed,
We are trusting in you, Lord.
He
would
carry them through.

“I'm sorry,” Kayden said, moving to sit on the hearth beside Kirra. “No sign of him recently.”

“Which station do you expect him to sabotage next?” Reef asked.

Jake looked at the race map, comparing it to the pump station locations they'd received from NorthStar. “I'd say this one—fifteen miles outside of Shaktoolik.”

“Kayden, can you get us out there?” Kirra asked. “If we can reach it before Frank and wait inside . . . maybe we can at least catch him and update him on what's going on. And,
maybe, just maybe, we can convince him to relinquish the trigger.”

Jake lifted his hood. He was probably cutting it close for his meeting with Andrew, but he kept on subject. “I imagine he'll only do it if he truly believes Meg's no longer in danger. And unfortunately, until we find her, that's not the case. But we won't give up.” He looked to Darcy. “Find me that cabin.”

“Sam said they probably already moved her.” Kirra bit her bottom lip to keep it from quivering.

Reef's heart broke. He loved her so deeply. Seeing her in pain was infinitely worse than experiencing it firsthand. If only . . .

Please,
Father. Give me the strength necessary to be the man
Kirra needs. I'm ready to take the plunge, to
be fully dependent on you.

“Sam may have been bluffing,” Jake said.

“And if he wasn't?”

“Then they would have left in a hurry, and that means they could have left a trail behind.”

Gage tugged at Kayden's arm, the scope fixed in her hand as they crouched in the waist-deep snow, a hundred and fifty yards outside the Shaktoolik pump station. “Let me see.”

“Stop being so impatient.” She swatted his hand away, then cocked her head. “Do you hear that?”

“Hear what?” He stilled, listening. “Snowmobile?” He frowned. “We better go take a look.”

Shockingly Kayden agreed, and without argument followed him across the frozen terrain.

Moving felt good, blood and warmth pumping through his cold legs as they neared the east side of the station, where he thought he'd heard the snowmobile stop.

Gage crouched in the bushes beside his sister, his chest tightening at the sight of the unmanned snowmobile. Whoever had arrived was most likely already inside. Was it the man who had been following Frank? Was he still on his trail? Had they missed Frank's arrival?

Kayden reached for her sat phone. “I'll call Jake.”

“Good.” He stood. “I'm gonna head in.”

“Wait!” She tugged his arm.

“What?”

“You don't know what's going on in there. We don't want to do anything that could possibly endanger Reef and Kirra more.”

“What do you suggest?”

“First, we disable the snowmobile, so even if whoever is inside makes it out, he'll have nowhere to go.”

“Nice plan,” a man said, right as something hard
thwack
ed into the back of Gage's head and everything went dark.

Kirra huddled next to Reef inside the concrete pump station outside of Shaktoolik, praying they'd chosen correctly. Kayden had flown them in, and if they weren't careful, the storm would quickly snow them in. Frank had better show—and soon.

Kayden and Gage were positioned outside with scope in hand, keeping an eye on the station, watching for Frank.

Darcy had remained at the checkpoint, digging through online files and trying to connect with the Records Department in Nome.

Jake was on his way to meet with Andrew Ross at the Iditarod pump station—close to a hundred and twenty-five miles away as the crow flies.

Kirra desperately prayed at least one of them would have good news, but the unsettling motion writhing in her belly suggested otherwise.

“He'll be here,” Reef said, rubbing her tightly coiled neck.

She nodded, thankful for his touch and comfort. “I pray you're right.” But even if her uncle showed, how would he react? Surely he had to realize the madness of rigging the stations. If they could just talk to him . . .

But what if it wasn't enough? What if he wouldn't give up the kidnappers' assignment?

She looked at Reef, wondering, if it were her being held hostage, would he do as the kidnappers demanded, or would he refuse and pray for God's intervention?

What would
she
do if she were in Frank's shoes? She'd like to think she'd do the right thing—go to the police, try and find Meg, but definitely not endanger all the lives Frank was by rigging the pumps.

The front door opened, a cold gust of wind blowing snow in above them—the flakes dropping through the metal catwalk overhead. Boots clanged along the walkway, heading for the stairs.

Kirra held her breath.
Here goes nothing.

The man turned, moving down the steps with precision . . . dragging . . . a body . . . behind him?

Horror engulfed Kirra as she stepped from the shadows. “Uncle Frank?”
What have you done?

The man released the body and stood there, a gun in his hand, hood hiding his face. “Afraid not, sweetheart.”

Jason Keller drove the thirty miles to the ghost town of Solomon, passing the last train to nowhere with his cargo in the rear of his vehicle.

Solomon
. It seemed a fitting place for Frank and his daughter to die.

His family had once thrived in this shadow of a town, had once owned the surrounding land before NorthStar scooped it up, but he'd be getting it back—at least the vital part of it. And nothing—or no one—would derail his plans again.

The man pushed his hood back, exposing his face.

“Ethan?” Kirra stumbled back into Reef's arms.

Reef stepped in front of her, shielding her with his body, his gaze fixed on Kayden's still form.

“What'd you do to her?”

“Just a little bump on the head.”

“And Gage?”

“Him too, though his bump was a lot harder.”

Reef looked past him.

“Don't worry, he's on ice for now, but you all need to be disposed of, eventually. You've gotten too close.”

“To who?” Kirra moved around Reef.

Was she crazy? Was she
seriously
pressing an armed man?

“Jason Keller?” she said, taking another step.

Reef grabbed her arm.

“His cousin Joseph?” she yelled. “How can you be involved in this, Ethan?” She shook her head. “You've been working the Iditarod by my side for years.”

“Yeah, and I've also been working to prevent companies like NorthStar from raping our land.”

“Wait a minute.” Her eyes narrowed. “How'd you know we were headed here?”

“Oh, come on. You really think it takes that long to make another cup of cocoa? I was listening the entire time.”

“But Gage was watching the door.”

“What, do you think we're amateurs or something?”

“Ah. Yeah,” Reef said. This was Ethan Young, after all.

“I told you.” His gun arm stiffened. “I've been at this for a while.”

“Kidnapping people?” she asked.

“Fighting companies like NorthStar.”

“And Meg?”

“Your cousin was just a piece of the puzzle.”

“Did the Kellers recruit you?” Reef asked, curious how Ethan had gotten involved with the cousins.

“One of them.”

“Which one?” Kirra asked.

“Does it really matter?”

“It does to me,” Kirra said.

“Well, that's too bad. You're just going to have live . . . or I guess, in this case,
die
without knowing. Now over there.” He waved his gun, backing them into a corner by the pump. He pulled out handcuffs and tossed them to Reef. “Her first, then Kayden, then you.”

“I won't cuff her.”

Ethan aimed the gun at Kirra. “Then I'll shoot her now.”

Reef looked at her, knowing he needed to buy time. “Fine.” He cuffed her to the metal pipe running into the pump as instructed and then did the same with Kayden, who was still unconscious.

Ethan tossed him a third pair of cuffs. This guy really came prepared. “Now you.”

“I don't understand,” Kirra said, shaking her head.

“What's to understand? You guys thought you were so smart, planning to beat Frank here. I heard everything, have been hearing everything. I've got bugs planted at all of the checkpoints. I set up the communication center, remember? Every time you thought I was listening to my iPod, I was listening to you all. Face it, you're too late.”

Her face paled. “What do you mean
too late
?”

Reef's chest constricted. Was Meg already dead?

“Frank's already been here. This pump is rigged to blow. And, lucky for you, you'll all get to witness firsthand the devastation companies like NorthStar cause.”

Reef struggled against the restraints, metal clanging against metal as he scanned the space for a means of escape. He had to act fast.

Ethan aimed the gun at him. “Settle down.” He shifted the barrel back to Kirra. “Or I shoot your girlfriend.”

Reef stilled.
Please, Lord. Help
us.

“NorthStar didn't cause this,” Kirra said, rattling her cuffs. “You and your crew did.”

Ethan shook his head. “Nah, we only upped the timetable. Something like this was bound to happen. It always does. Need I remind you of the Valdez oil spill?”

“But that was an accidental spill.”

“Which would've eventually happened here, but maybe after three or four years of NorthStar getting rich off our land. Nah, this way is much better.”

“You're mad.” She jangled her cuffs, her cheeks reddening with fury. “How can you justify kidnapping an innocent woman?”

“Innocent?” Ethan laughed as he backed toward the stairs. “You forget I know Meg. Hooked up a time or two with her when she was here at the Iditarod, cheering her dad on. She's far from innocent. As for you two, if you'd just kept your noses out of our business, everything would have been fine.”

“Minus numerous explosions and oil spills meant to look like a machine malfunction, right?” Reef bit out.

“You won't get away with this,” Kirra yelled.

“Yes we will.”

“The police know about the Kellers.”

“Yeah? So too bad for them, but other than you guys, nobody knows I'm involved.”

“It's only a matter of time before Sam Matthews or one of the Kellers talk.”

“I'll deal with that then. But it's all a moot point anyway. We'll have already won.”

He finished climbing the stairs and ducked out the door.