Sabotaged

  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.

  32

  SHAKTOOLIK PUMP STATION

  MARCH 16, 5:36 P.M.

  Kirra wrestled with the restraints, frustration fueling her agitated and useless attempts to break free. She wondered if her cousin was feeling anything similar, and her heart welled for Meg even more. If Ethan knew they were on to them, then surely the Kellers did too—Sam had no doubt seen to that.

  What did that mean for Frank and Meg?

  Had they ruined their chances of rescuing Meg and keeping Frank safe?

  Tears streamed down her face.

  “Breathe, honey,” Reef said, handcuffed beside her. “I’ll get us out of this.”

  She appreciated his conviction and compassion, but how on earth would they get out of this? They were handcuffed to an oil pump that was rigged to overheat and blow. And Ethan had gone to drag Gage in and cuff him up as well. Jake would come looking for them, eventually, but Ethan probably had a plan to get rid of him too. That left Darcy. How long would it take her to figure out something was wrong and rally the troops?

  Reef squirmed, pulling his legs toward his chest.

  She eyed him curiously. “Should I even ask?”

  He twisted to press his shin up to his cuffed hand. “I’ve got a knife strapped to my calf. If I can just reach it”—he maneuvered—“I can get us out of this.”

  Somehow he managed to finagle it out of its sheath, and set to work.

  “Do I want to know how you came to possess the skill of breaking out of handcuffs?” she asked.

  He smiled. “Probably not.”

  With a little effort, he managed to open his and then moved to work on hers.

  The door creaked open overhead, and they both stilled.

  “He’s back,” she whispered, sweat beading on her brow.

  Ethan had returned and was dragging Gage behind him.

  Reef lifted his index finger to his mouth. “Stay here.”

  “What?” Why wasn’t he releasing her? And where was he going?

  “Trust me.” He winked as he wove between the machinery.

  “And . . . the last of the bunch,” Ethan said, rounding the corner with an unconscious Gage—none too carefully. He stopped short at the sight of Reef’s empty handcuffs. “Where’d he—”

  Ethan’s cramped expression went blank, his hold on Gage slack as he fell face-first to the floor.

  Reef quickly cuffed Ethan to the pipe in his place and freed Kirra and Kayden—his sister waking as he picked her handcuffs open.

  She smiled drowsily. “I see that questionable talent of yours came in handy after all.”

  Reef smiled.

  Kirra wasn’t even going to ask.

  “I’ll alert Jake,” Kayden said, rubbing her wrists, “while you tend to Gage.”

  Reef nodded and knelt by his bro
ther.

  “If Frank’s already been through here, that only leaves two pump stations to go before Nome,” Kirra said, stooping beside Reef. “We’re running out of time, and they clearly know we’re on to them.”

  He bunched his jacket up like a pillow, rested it under Gage’s head, and turned to Kirra. “So what’s our next move?”

  “We should check in with Darcy,” Gage said, jolting Reef.

  “Sorry.” Gage opened his eyes with a smile. “Didn’t mean to startle you.”

  Reef shook his head. “All good. You were saying?”

  “We should check in with Darcy. She was on to something when I left. Maybe she’s found it.” He sat up, swaying slightly.

  Reef steadied him. “Easy. You took a good knock. How do you feel?”

  “Seeing stars.” He blinked. “But otherwise good to go.”

  Kayden returned from contacting Jake and insisted on performing a concussion test on Gage. Afterward, she sank back on her heels with a sigh. “You better have Doc Graham check you out when we get back to Yancey.”

  Gage moved to stand. “I’m fine.” He wobbled but made it to his feet. “I’ll go outside and put in a call to Darcy. See if she has some place for us to start looking in Nome.”

  “It’s a good plan,” Reef said. “But aren’t we overlooking the obvious?” He gestured to Ethan cuffed to the pipe. “When he wakes up, he may be full of information.”

  Kirra smiled. “So let’s help his awakening along.”

  A few slaps to the face that she took way too much pleasure in did the trick.

  Ethan’s eyes fluttered open. He took a minute to assess his situation, and then grimaced. “This doesn’t change anything.”

  Reef rested his boot on the pipe by Ethan’s head, holding a wrench in his hand. “I beg to differ.”

  “Do what you want with me. Keller still has your cousin,” he said to Kirra. “And the pumps are still rigged to blow.”

  “But we know what we need to do to stop them,” Kirra said.

  Ethan paled. “You’re bluffing.”

  “All we have to do is intercept Frank and make sure he doesn’t press the trigger.”

  “You really think Frank would risk the life of his only daughter and just hand over his only leverage?”

  Reef bent down, his eyes level with Ethan’s. “Kayden’s notified law enforcement to pick you up . . . but we’re in the middle of nowhere. That’s going to take some time.”

  Kayden picked up where he left off. “That’s right. Time for you to sit and stew.”

  “And time,” Kirra said, “for the pump beside you to blow if we don’t stop the Kellers from carrying out their plan.”

  Ethan looked at the machine, horror crossing his face. “You wouldn’t just leave me here.”

  “You mean . . . like you were about to leave us,” Kirra said, kneeling down beside him. “It depends on how helpful you choose to be.”

  Okay, she was bluffing, but he didn’t need to know that. “Where are they holding my cousin?”

  Ethan ground his teeth.

  “You can take the rap for all of this, if you like, but I’d suggest you play along,” Reef said, keeping his boot a breath from Ethan’s face.

  “I’m not a rat like Matthews is.”

  So they did know Matthews had talked.

  “Where is she?!” Kirra roared.

  “I don’t know. They had her at some cabin up by Nome, but by now they’ve moved her.”

  “Where?”

  “I don’t know.”

  The door swung open and Gage clomped down the steps. “Anything?”

  “Nothing useful.” Kirra sighed. “Please tell me you’ve had better luck.”

  “Let’s talk out of earshot.” He gestured to the stairs.

  Kirra and Reef followed Gage back up the steps and outside while Kayden maintained a watch over Ethan.

  “What’d Darcy find out?” Kirra wrapped her arms around her waist, pulling her jacket tighter against her. Man, the temperature was dropping.

  “The Keller family owned land stretching from the outskirts of Nome out a hundred miles west, including Solomon.”

  “The ghost town?” Kirra asked.

  “Yep. Apparently it belonged to their family as far back as records go. And it looks like they got quite wealthy during the mining craze and while the railroad ran through there.”

  “And then?”

  “Not so well off, but they managed to hold on to their ancestral land until—”

  “NorthStar stepped in?” Reef guessed.

  “They were about to be foreclosed on and had no choice but to take NorthStar’s lowball offer. Seems NorthStar does quite a bit of business with the lending bank.”

  “So they probably had a hand in forcing the foreclosure,” Reef said.

  “Or at least speeding it along.”

  “So this is payback?” Kirra asked.

  “Darcy thinks there’s more to it than that. Jason Keller’s father, the head of the family, didn’t just die. An article in the Nome Gazette suggests that selling the land broke Stanley’s heart and . . . ”

  “He took his own life,” Reef concluded.

  How sad. “Let me guess,” Kirra said, shifting her weight to keep warm. “Jason and Joseph weren’t on board with the sale?”

  Gage shook his head. “Not as far as Darcy can tell.”

  “So this is about revenge rather than the environment.”

  “That’s what it looks like.”

  “So why are Ethan and Sam involved?” Reef asked. “They seem to believe this really is about saving the environment, even if it means flooding it with oil. Explain that one to me.”

  “No way to answer that one, but I do get the feeling they truly believe this cause, as they like to call it, is about protecting the environment. They didn’t seem to know that Jason and Joseph are playing them. But . . .” Kirra smiled, glancing back at the station door. “Knowing the truth might change how Ethan feels about remaining silent.”

  Reef smiled. “Smart lady.”

  “Now.” She exhaled. “We just have to convince him we’re telling the truth.”

  33

  Agitation and anxiety whirled inside Kirra. She wanted to move, to keep searching, but Kayden had explained that Jake, who had much more experience and instinct when it came to matters of law enforcement and criminal apprehension, felt it best that he meet them at the pump station—and so that’s what they were doing. Three hours had passed, but Kayden assured her that Jake and Andrew would be arriving soon.

  And . . . she admitted to herself, they had already decided to wait until the closest police arrived to take Ethan into custody—they couldn’t risk the remote chance of him escaping and warning the Kellers—although they were only too happy to let Ethan think he would be left on his own once they finally did leave. A man who felt his life was threatened was much more likely to give up information—though he had provided nothing in the time they’d been waiting. He refused to believe what he called their heinous lies.

  Just as Kirra felt she was about to blow her top, Jake and Andrew finally arrived. Jake pulled off his gloves, kissed Kayden, and turned to the uncooperative Ethan. “Let me take a whack at him.”

  Kirra sat back and watched Jake interrogate the man with a finesse she’d never witnessed. He really was as good as everyone claimed. Ethan coughed up a few more details, remarks made between the Kellers, talks of regaining their rights, and their plan to punish NorthStar in the process. Unfortunately, as for where Jason Keller may have moved Meg, he was at a loss.

  “Think,” Jake said. “Did they ever talk about someplace they liked to go as kids, a weekend retreat, a hunting cabin?”

  “No. They always talked in code, it seemed. Now I know why.”

  “In code. Give me an example.”

  “They used the words plan, cause, rights, corporate America, home base.”

  “Home base?”

  “Yeah. I assumed it meant their family c
abin near Nome.”

  “Where they were holding Meg?”

  “Yeah, as far as I knew. I mean they kept me on a need-to-know basis. I was to watch you guys, monitor the communications. . . . If anyone got near Frank, I was to call it in. If anyone started looking for Meg near Nome, I was to call it in.”

  “And this cabin near Nome. Have you been to it before?”

  “Once. We had a meeting out there before all this began.”

  “Where?”

  “On the southeast coast outside of Nome.”

  “Near the water?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Did Jason or Joseph Keller own a boat?”

  “I think so. Everyone in Nome does.”

  “Did Joseph ever confirm that’s where they’d be holding Meg?”

  “No, but it was pretty secluded, and I just assumed.”

  “So . . . what makes you think they moved her?”

  “I told them that you were on to them and they should consider moving.”

  “Moving where?”

  “Wherever they had as a backup place.”

  “So you know they had a backup?”

  “Sure. I mean they never said it outright, but it’s just how they worked. They covered their bases. They’ve been working on this for years. Ever since NorthStar broke ground in Anchorage.”

  “If they had a backup location, would it be near Nome?”

  “I don’t know. They seemed awfully familiar with the area.”

  “What about Solomon?”

  Ethan frowned. “The ghost town?”

  “Yeah.”

  “What about it?”

  “Did they ever mention their family used to own the land?”

  “No. It never came up, but . . .” He straightened.

  “What?” Jake pressed.

  “They had this weird saying.”

  “Yeah?”

  “‘To nowhere.’”

  “‘To nowhere?’”

  “Yeah, it didn’t make any sense. I figured it was some family inside joke. They’d just say it and smile, but now that I think about it—that’s what the locals call that defunct train in Solomon.”