Chapter 39

39

Despite the powerful heater in Rog's snowcat, the thought of Kate, trapped and at the mercy of her former fiancé, chilled Fenn to the bone. A man like that wouldn't hesitate to use her as a bargaining chip, or worse, if it served his purposes.

With the exception of Rog, his posse was a ragtag bunch. He deeply appreciated their willingness to help, but these men were more accustomed to wrangling heavy machinery and downing beers at the local watering hole than engaging in high-stakes asset retrieval.

Rog reached down next to him and pulled a night vision scope out of the backpack at his feet, holding it out to Fenn as he wrestled the big cat over a rut in the snow. "The latest photonics with digital enhancement. You'll be able to get a read on the station from over a mile out under clear skies like this. We'll stop at the base of that next rise."

In the glow of the dashboard lights, Fenn studied the fine piece of equipment. This new scope wasn't even on the market yet. Tai would be seriously jealous.

"Excellent."

As the rise neared, Rog slowed his speed. Their posse followed suit, everyone cutting their engines and climbing off their machines to stretch. Fenn hoofed it up the small hill and laid on his belly, dialing in the scope to survey their target. Four snowmobiles sat out front, one each for Kate, Steele and probably Jimbo, and his abandoned rig.

There was no visible activity. A powerful heat signature came from inside the opening. The industrial generator, most likely.

No guards that he could see, but that didn't mean Steele didn't have cameras set up. No way they'd be able to glide in undetected.

Kind of a huge problem.

Bile rose in his throat. Steele would know he was coming. Probably already did, depending on the quality of his own equipment. Heat signatures from engines—or bodies—weren't hard to read against subzero background temps.

He bit back a cry of fury, heart clenched as he thought of Kate at Steele's mercy. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Rog, his eyes filled with determination.

Something would occur to him. Some fantastic plan. A Hail Mary pass to save the day. Something. Anything.

Ice crunched behind him. Rog lowered himself down next to Fenn with a hefty grunt. "How're we looking?"

He handed the scope to the other man. "Not good. There's no way to surprise them."

"Yeah, no. I figured as much," Rog said, his voice low and steady from behind the scope. "Steele's been in town a couple weeks. Had plenty of time to set up his little shop of horrors out here. Probably already knows we're here."

"No doubt."

Rog rolled on his side and considered Fenn. "Preparation isn't everything."

"It's a lot."

"Eh." Rog raised an eyebrow, his voice low. "What's the plan?"

He turned to Rog, his voice barely a whisper. "We need to move now, before Steele tries to move her."

"Or gets reinforcements."

"Or that."

Fenn held out his hand for the scope and trained it on the facility again. Steele would have Kate in that little cell in the back of the bottom floor. It would be the most easily defensible spot. He pictured the ingress: crossing the large main floor, then a deadly funnel at the ruined staircase in the back. Then having to pick his way through the minefield of discarded furniture and lab equipment to the very back corner…

Game over before he even made it to the stairs.

But there had to be a way to get past Jimbo and Steele. They wouldn't kill Kate. She was the one the Consortium wanted, though he had no idea why. Any rescuers? Not so much.

Rog's eyes narrowed, a glint of mischief in his gaze. "What we need is a distraction. You figure there's just the two of them, right?"

"Steele and Jimbo. Copy that."

"Getting at least one of them outside would even our odds."

That it would. Fenn grunted his agreement, his mind already whirring with possibilities. "Divide and conquer."

"Bingo."

He scanned the snowy entrance again, looking for something to blow up. But he was no explosives expert. Neither was Rog. And Steele had had days or even weeks to plan the mission and set up his fortifications.

He had to believe Steele would see them coming from literally a mile away.

"The place is nothing but a crushed tin can," he muttered.

Rog snorted. "That's about right."

"Yeah, it is." Fenn lowered the scope and grinned hard. "I think I've got just the right can opener."

It was a crazy plan, but crazy was all they had left.

Time to make some noise.

He smacked the older man on the arm. "I have a plan. You up for riding shotgun?"

Rog's eyes brightened behind his goggles. "I've had worse offers."

Fenn rose, leading Rog back down the hill. The guys were lounging on their rigs, but they came to their feet.

Fenn held up a hand. "Listen up. I need you all to hang back here. Fan out, find whatever cover you can, and keep your eyes peeled."

The men exchanged glances, visibly deflated. Lester stepped forward, his brow furrowed. "We came here to help rescue Kate, not just stand around and watch."

Rog shook his head, his expression grave. "This Steele character is sneaky as anything. The man has no honor. He'll use every dirty trick in the book to get what he wants. Capturing more hostages will only help his cause."

Burl McCoy shifted uneasily, his snowsuit creaking. "What kind of tricks are we talking about?"

"Ambushes, booby traps, you name it," Fenn said, his jaw tight. "Steele's a trained operative. He knows how to exploit any weakness."

"So what do we do?" one of the Barnsdales asked.

Fenn looked each man in the eye, his gaze intense. "You stay alert. You watch each other's backs. And if you see anything, and I mean anything, you radio Rog immediately."

Rog nodded, his voice low and urgent. "Fenn and I will move in closer, try to get a feel for what we're up against. But we need you all to be our eyes and ears out here."

The men nodded, their expressions now a mix of determination and apprehension.

Lester clapped Fenn on the shoulder, his grip firm. "We won't let you down, dude. We're here for you and Kate, whatever it takes."

Gratitude tightened Fenn's throat. "I know you are. Just don't get dead, okay?" He pointed at Lester's beefy rig. "All right if I borrow your ride?"

The shock on the other man's face would have been priceless, if the situation weren't so deadly serious. "Uh. Well. Yeah, okay. Sure."

Fenn punched him in the arm. "Gracias, dude." He put a leg over the machine and turned to Rog. "Let's do this."

Rog nodded, his hand already on his weapon. "Lead the way."

Fenn started the engine. "Operation Snow White is a go."