Page 72 of Montana Freedom
Agent Phillips’s jaw tightened. “No, I don’t believe that is what I said, Miss Derine. I said we were able to track Riders’ activity attached to your name back to them. It’s not much, but it’s something.”
Daniel cleared his throat from where he was standing just outside the open back doors of the van. “I don’t like this. The operation is just the two of you? If the FBI is truly so desperate to catch the Riders, why aren’t they providing more operational support?”
Agent Jones grinned. “A fair question. But this is still just data gathering. We can’t do much until we know where Simon is, and more importantly, where he’s moved his resources. His operation can continue without him, so we need everything. If we can take him and get that information, believe me, you’ll see all the organizational support you can dream of.”
That clearly wasn’t the answer Daniel was looking for. “In that case, I’m going with you.”
“No,” Phillips said.
“Liam, Noah, Jude, and I will be joining you, then. Unless you have a reason for telling us no beyond dislike?”
Phillips slammed his fist onto the tiny desk in front of him and pushed out of the van. “I’m getting tired of this, Mr. Clark. My like or dislike of you has nothing to do with this. Nor does your inflated sense of importance. Believe me, I would love more support, and I’ve asked. But as Agent Jones just said, the order is a no from the top. I know who you all are—I’ve looked into Resting Warrior—and I appreciate your service as SEALs and the work you do now. But I can’timaginewhy I’d say no to fourcivilianson a dangerous operation.”
“I thought you said it wasn’t dangerous?” I asked.
“Everything has its risks. It’s as safe as it can be.”
Liam was smirking and hid it behind his hand. We were cornering the special agent, and he had nowhere to go. And a little part of me loved that, given the shit he’d put us through.
“Either it’s too dangerous for Emma to go with only the two of you as escorts, or it’s safe enough for civilians to tag along. Which is it?”
“For fuck’s sake.” Phillips walked away. We were in a town to the west of Garnet Bend, along the shore of Flathead Lake. There was a coffee shop down the street, and it seemed like that was where he was headed to cool off.
“Thoughts, Special Agent Jones?” Daniel asked.
“He’s not wrong. We’re not supposed to bring along unauthorized civilians. But I don’t see the harm. You guys clearly know how to handle yourselves, and I understand why you want to be here. On the surface, this seems more dangerous than it is. I’ll talk to him. Besides, this is just an observation task. I don’t imagine there will be much danger.”
“What good will it do to ask?” I asked. “He’ll just say no.”
“He can’t,” he said. “I’m his superior. If I say you can be here, you can. But I need to make this clear. You will not do anything butwatch. Got it?”
“Got it,” Daniel said through his teeth. Clearly, he didn’t agree with that, but he also wasn’t going to say anything that would keep him from coming with us.
Jumping out of the van, Agent Jones headed in the same direction as his partner. “You’ll have to stay with this van, though. Like I said. Observation only.”
I went to the back and sat on the bumper. At least the air was fresher here. They’d told me all about what was supposed to happen. This time, they’d provided additional information about me when they released it to the public. I’d supposedly left Resting Warrior and moved to this town, working in my given field at a little computer shop on the other side of town. They’d leaked an IP address and a couple of other details, essentially sending up a flare for Simon.Come get her! She’s right here!
The idea was that someone would come for me, and they would intercept him—or her, I supposed—before the FBI pulled me out. Jones would be in a van across the street, and Phillips, Daniel, and the others would be here. A five-minute drive away, with a straight shot across town through some side streets. I already had the map memorized.
Phillips said they’d made it clear it was arumorabout where I might be and not solid information, so Simon’s people wouldn’t be able to take a shot from afar like they had at the wedding.
Still, nerves swam in my gut.
Jude stood the farthest away, watching, but he was looking at me. “Don’t worry, Emma. We’ll be around whether we’re in the van or not. We need these guys gone. And we protect our family.”
Now my gut swam for an entirely different reason. Did they consider me part of the family because I was staying on the ranch? Because I was with Daniel? Or because they saw something deeper?
I knew what I felt, but it terrified me almost as much as coming face-to-face with Simon again.
Daniel winced, and I went to him. “Is it okay?”
“It’s fine.”
“I’m sure we can track down some ibuprofen. Since you won’t take the real meds.”
He smiled down at me, but there was an edge to it. “Like hell am I going to be impaired while you’re doing something like this. If I had my way, you wouldn’t be going in at all. They’d just watch and see if the person showed up. But I’m not running the show.”
I swallowed. “I’m sure it will be fine.”