Chapter 38

38

"No way."

Fenn stopped short in the doorway leading out of the hotel, eyes wide with surprise as he watched an armada of over-the-snow vehicles post up outside. He blinked, stunned by the sudden commotion. At least half a dozen machines came to a stop in front of the hotel.

Rog emerged from the lead snowcat, accompanied by what seemed like half the settlement. Lester and the two brothers stepped forward, looking Fenn straight in the eye. A shorter figure climbed off a bright blue snowmobile and removed his helmet and mask. Aiden Dupuis from the Frostbite. Another capable man.

"This isn't gonna stand," one of the brothers announced. "We're here to get back your woman."

Fenn's heart pounded in his chest, the adrenaline coursing through his veins. He hadn't expected this kind of support, but he was grateful for it.

And was that the airport chief, Burl McCoy?

The man had to be close to sixty. Fenn waved at him. "Burl!"

The man shrugged. "I got nothing better to do today. And I can't abide the notion of someone messing with your girl. She's a keeper if I ever saw one."

Despite the situation, Fenn grinned. "Copy that, sir."

Lester introduced three other locals, but over the pounding of his heart and the roar of the engines, he didn't catch their names.

He had reinforcements.

Fenn's mind raced as he reassessed the situation, his finely-tuned situational awareness kicking into high gear. Determination radiated from the group, their desire to help clear in their eyes and the set of their jaws.

Outside of Rog, they might not be battle-hardened, but they were tempered by a landscape so hostile he couldn't have imagined it if he weren't experiencing it himself. Cut by wind, frozen and steeped in six months of eternal night, these men were some of the hardest of the hard.

Only this wasn't going to work…

Fenn's heart sank as he stepped in front of the group, sucking in a breath so cold it seared his lungs. "I appreciate the support, guys, but I don't have enough protective gear to go around. I can't let you face down this dude without tactical vests, at least. I've only got one extra vest."

"Not a problem." Rog turned to his ragtag team. "Show him, boys."

All the men unzipped their parkas, and showed off their own Kevlar vests, night vision goggles, and other gear.

Rog shrugged self-deprecatingly. "I collect stuff. What can I say?"

Turning them all away killed him, but it was the right thing to do. Fenn held up his hands, his expression serious as he addressed the group. "Listen, guys, I appreciate your enthusiasm, but you need to understand what we're up against. These men I'm hunting aren't your average thugs. They're highly trained former special ops soldiers. They're vicious and deadly, and they won't hesitate to take kill shots."

"Polar bears won't hesitate to kill either," one man yelled out. The others laughed and nodded in agreement.

Fenn opened his mouth to protest again, but another man shouted him down. "Why'd you think we live out here? I can tell you it's not for the food. No offense, Saila," he added quickly to the small, hooded figure just walking up to the group.

The woman pulled down her face mask, dark eyes twinkling up at Fenn from behind her goggles. "He's trying to say it's the camaraderie," she explained. "We all drifted our way up here wanting to find solitude. But the ones who stay find family."

"What she said," the man mumbled.

Fenn's heart swelled with emotion, his eyes stinging from more than just the biting cold. He looked around at the group, taking in their determined faces, the way they stood strong and united in the face of danger.

He needed their help to save Kate. And here they were, ready and willing to fight by his side, no questions asked. "All right, then. Let's do this."

The group erupted in cheers, their voices echoing through the dark, frigid air. They were ready, eager to take on whatever lay ahead.

He turned to Rog, his voice low and urgent. "Put your best man on our six. Make sure no one tags along."

Rog grinned, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. "You got it, boss."

Fenn turned to the others, his mind already racing ahead to the next steps. They had a lot of ground to cover, and not much time to do it.

He was coming for Kate. Nothing was going to stand in his way.

Not Hawk. Not the Consortium. Not the unrelenting Arctic wilderness itself.

He bowed his head, offering a quick prayer. "Please, Jesus, keep these fine men safe as we head out on this rescue mission. And Lord, please keep Kate close to your heart. Let her know we're coming."

A hearty "amen" came from the group, and they all jumped back on their rigs. Saila hugged Fenn, her eyes shining with determination. "I'm going to man the hotel and keep an eye out for your team. When your friends show up, I'll point them in the right direction."

Fenn hugged her hard enough to draw a squeak. "Thank you."

The engines roared to life, the sound echoing through the frigid air. Rog reached across the seat of his big snowcat and flung the passenger door open. Fenn jumped in, the vibrations thrumming through his body, filling him with a sense of purpose.

The snow glittered beneath the moonlight, the trees casting long shadows across the ground.

Another time, he hoped he had the chance to appreciate this majesty of creation. But right now, he had a partner to save.