“Let me.” Caveman entered the hiding place and motioned for Sierra to move out so that he could get in and take Strohm’s other side. They eased him out into the open.
Forming a two-man fireman’s carry, T-Rex and Caveman transported the copilot to the trail.
After they settled the lieutenant on the ground, T-Rex straightened. “If he hasn’t gotten away, we caught one of the guys who was with those who shot us down.” He started toward the stand of rocks to the north end of the trail.
Sierra joined him. “He’s not where he was before.”
“No?” T-Rex frowned.
She shook her head. “But he’s not far.”
T-Rex’s frown deepened. “And you know this because?”
She shrugged and gave him a twisted grin. “I have a mean arm when it comes to rocks.”
“I’ve seen that arm in action.” He chuckled. “It was pretty impressive.”
They found the man where Sierra had left him bound and gagged.
“Are you sure you weren’t a secret agent in a past life?” Garner asked.
She shook her head. “No, but I watch enough movies and television to know how to incapacitate the bad guy.”
They pulled the gag from the man’s mouth and dragged him out to the trail.
Now that she had time to study him, Sierra thought she recognized him. “Cody Rausch?”
The young man glared at her but refused to speak.
She shook her head and planted her hands on her hips. “What will your father say when he finds out you’ve been shooting down government helicopters?”
He still didn’t say anything, just continued to glare at Sierra.
“Fine. But you know the sheriff will be talking with you as soon as we get back to town.”
Dusk had settled over the mountains, casting the group into a shadowy darkness.
A few minutes later, a rescue helicopter flew overhead, shining a bright spotlight down on them. The aircraft landed on the hillside above them, and the trained rescue team hurried down with a basket. They radioed back to the chopper to bring another.
Once they had the copilot and the bad guy in baskets, the rescue workers and the Safe Haven team carried the men back up the hill and loaded them into the helicopter. Major Bailey boarded the helicopter with his lieutenant.
Garner stood beside the helicopter to address his team. “I’m going with them to the hospital. I hope to be there when the sheriff interrogates Rausch. This might be the breakthrough we’ve been looking for. I trust you can get back to Grizzly Pass on your own?”
“We’ve got this,” Ghost said.
Sierra wasn’t as confident. Night had settled in. Thankfully, each of the ATVs had headlights, but the trails were treacherous in the daylight. They’d be downright deadly at night.
They waited while the helicopter took off, headed for the closest hospital, then the four men mounted the four-wheelers.
T-Rex tilted his head toward Sierra. “You can ride with me.”
“I wasn’t planning on riding with anyone else,” she said, her words soft enough only T-Rex would hear. She slid on behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. “I hope you know where you’re going, because I don’t.”
He nodded. “I’ve been on this trail before. Though it was in the light of day at the time.”
“We’ll take it slow,” Caveman said.
They left the boulder field. Caveman took the lead, T-Rex and Sierra behind him. Hawkeye and Ghost brought up the rear.
The night had turned cold, the temperature dropping close to freezing, even though it wasn’t yet fall.
Sierra leaned close to T-Rex, absorbing as much warmth from his body as she could. By the time they reached the Stone Oak ranch house, she was shivering uncontrollably, her toes numb and her entire body exhausted.
Olivia Dawson met them at the gate and ushered them through, closing it behind them. “Come inside. I just happened to make a huge pot of beef stew. You look hungry and cold.”
“Sounds like heaven,” Sierra said, her teeth chattering. “Hi, Liv. Glad you’re back in Grizzly Pass. I missed you.” She hugged the rancher, glad to see the woman and the house ahead with the glow of lights welcoming them.
Sierra stumbled, her cold feet barely able to carry her. She refused to give up now. Not when she was so close to a warm fire and food.
T-Rex came up behind her, scooped her into his arms and marched toward the house.
“I can walk,” Sierra protested, though she didn’t struggle. Being in T-Rex’s arms meant she got to rest her body against his warmer one. She leaned her cheek against his chest and tucked her hands between them. “I don’t think I’ve ever been quite that cold.”
“We didn’t go prepared for the possibilities.”
She snorted. “Who would have guessed our helicopter would be shot down? Things like that don’t happen in America.”
His lips thinned and his brows descended. “Yeah, well, sometimes they do.”
Caveman reached the door first and opened it for T-Rex and Sierra.
T-Rex entered and went straight for the living room, where he laid Sierra on a couch by a roaring fire and smothered her in throw blankets.
She laughed. “I think one will do.”
“You might have hypothermia,” he said. “You need to bring your body temperature back up.” T-Rex tucked the edges of the blankets around and beneath her until she couldn’t move her arms.
“Seriously. I feel like a mummy.” She wiggled until she could get her hands and arms out. “I’m okay. Really.” As if to belie her statement, she shivered violently. Her cheeks heated, and she shrugged. “At least I’m on my way to being okay.”
When T-Rex dived for the edges of the blankets again, Sierra touched his cheek. “I’m okay.” She smiled up into his eyes. “Thank you.”
He frowned and stood straight. “I shouldn’t have brought you with me today. I got you involved where you shouldn’t have been.”
“I’m glad you took me. I’ve never flown in a helicopter.”
“And I bet you’ve never crashed in one either.” He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. “I hope like hell you never crash-land in one again.”
“We have hot cocoa for anyone who wants some,” Liv called out. She entered the living room swinging a sack of puffy white marshmallows. Hawkeye followed carrying a large tray filled with mugs and a pot of steaming cocoa.
After they all had their mugs filled with brew and a marshmallow or two, the men settled in the leather seats scattered around the spacious living room.
T-Rex paced in front of the fireplace, having sipped only once on his cocoa before setting it on the mantel. “That was too close.”
“Now that we’re all in the same room, tell us about it,” Ghost urged.
T-Rex recounted what had taken place, from leaving in the helicopter to spotting the truck backed up to the cave. When he came to the part about being shot down from the sky, he was interrupted.
“They shot you down with a rocket?” Ghost exclaimed. “Holy hell, what kind of arsenal do they have?”
Caveman leaned forward, his hands clasped together. “We need to get back up in those hills first thing in the morning.”
“Hell, we need to have people on the roads, watching for any movement out of the hills.” Hawkeye rose from his seat and paced the opposite direction of T-Rex. “They might decide to pack it all up and move it to an alternate location tonight.”
“I’ll coordinate with Garner and the sheriff. Who’s up for a night shift?”
T-Rex raised a hand. “I’m out. I’m worried that now that Sierra’s involved, she’ll be targeted.”
Ghost nodded. “I think between us and the sheriff’s department, we can handle the night. But we need to be out looking tomorrow.” He nodded toward T-Rex. “Except you.”
Sierra directed a frown toward T-Rex. “I don’t need you to look out for me tomorrow. I’m headed to the park at Yellowstone. I won’t be anywhere around.”
His brows furrowed as he studied her. “Alone?”
She smiled. “No. I’m going with my coworker, Brenda, and several mothers. We’re taking some children to the park since they didn’t make it there the day they were kidnapped.”
T-Rex’s brows dipped deeper. “Are you sure it’s a good idea?”
“No one is going to kidnap half a dozen women in a couple of cars headed for the park. It’s not like there will be a bus of children with only three adults. We’ll be okay.” She shook her head. “We can’t stay home, afraid to get outside because of some band of troublemakers.”
“I’ll come with you,” T-Rex said.
As much as Sierra loved having him around, she couldn’t take him away from his duties. “You have a job. I’m not a part of that. We will be fine on our own, and the vehicles are already full.”
“She’s right,” Hawkeye said. “Besides, we’ll need all the help we can get if the hills are full of Free America homegrown terrorists.”
For a long moment, T-Rex stared at Sierra. He didn’t appear happy about her going off without him. But he didn’t have a say in the matter. He’d be out of Grizzly Pass soon, and she’d be back to living alone.