Chapter 3

C hapter T hree

Thor slowly slipped out of bed. He was naked, but he didn't give a damn. He carefully pulled his gun out of his pack and stayed crouched down as he lowered the zipper on the tent flap. He peered out into the darkness, listening for any movement. A crack drew his attention near where they had eaten, and a large dark form casually pawed the earth, snuffling a few times. Thor pointed the gun over its head, ready to shoot if it came closer to the tent. A pistol was not going to take down a bear, but he had a full clip and was prepared to empty it. But he sure as hell hoped it wasn't going to be necessary.

He tensed as the bear turned toward him. Thor raised the gun, prepared to protect Michael and himself. His heart raced, and yet otherwise, he was calm and clear-headed. There was no way in hell he was going to let anything or anyone hurt Michael.

The bear stilled, the dark figure looming against the moonlit woods. Thor was ready to shoot, staring at the bear and getting the feeling it was looking back at him. Thor blinked, seconds from taking action. He felt Michael's hand on his arm. He glanced at him, and Michael whispered, "Don't," in the darkness. The bear held still for a moment, then turned and lumbered off toward the woods, disappearing from view.

"It's gone," Thor said softly to Michael, who had been as still and quiet as the dead, except for that one word.

"Good," he said with a quiet sigh. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine," Michael answered as Thor put his gun away and slipped back into bed. "That was something."

"The bear was looking for food, and we hadn't left anything out, so he had nothing to find. The only food we have is in the packs, and it's well packaged. I didn't bring anything extra." He wrapped his arm around Michael, sharing warmth in the cool night air of the coastal redwood forest. "Try to go back to sleep."

"I will," Michael said. "I've encountered bears before, but they've never come into camp."

"I think the ones around here are used to going through garbage and things from the homes in the area. They aren't put off by the scent of people the way a lot of other bears might be. But it's gone now, and I don't think it will be back. There was nothing for it to eat." Thor settled down, drawing Michael closer as he closed his eyes, knowing that while a bear was one thing, there was the possibility of something more dangerous out there, and he was going to need to be sharp if and when they encountered it.

Thor slept on and off for the rest of the night as Michael dreamed against his chest. Nothing approached the tent, and the night was still, if filled with nocturnal sounds. By the time the light shone on the canvas, Thor finally fell into a deep sleep, only to wake when Michael slipped out of their improvised bed. He squinted his eyes open and then returned to sleep, not opening them again until Michael lightly kissed his head. "I made coffee."

Thor groaned and took the cup, sitting up before drinking the nectar of the gods. "Did you sleep?"

"Yes, but you didn't, judging by the dark smudges under your eyes." Michael left him, and Thor finished his wake-up juice before dressing and climbing out of the tent. It was still early, but he rolled up the bedding and collapsed the tent, packing everything away. The morning fog hung in the trees as they hefted their packs and quietly headed toward the possible site indicated on the map. "We need to be quiet," Thor said as they drew closer. "Stay here with the packs, and just like before, if I'm not back in ten, get back to the truck." He quickly headed off through the woods. The cluster of buildings indicated on the map was maybe a few hundred yards ahead. Every so often, he stopped to listen, but heard no sounds made by man. As he drew within sight, he found buildings in their last stages of decay. Whatever activity they had seen earlier, it hadn't involved anyone trying to get here.

Thor looked around to confirm his suspicions before walking back to where Michael waited. "No one." It must have been other hikers or campers.

Michael groaned. "It looked like a good prospect based on the map, and with recent activity along the trail…." He hefted the pack, and they turned back the way they came, heading to the truck.

The rest of the day was no better, with them finding two more rustic but empty locations. Thor considered giving up all together. "This is a waste of time."

"I don't know about that." Michael pointed to the trail ahead of them as a young bear crossed. It paused to look at them before racing into the cover of the trees. "We got to see nature, and the two of us spent the night together with no phones or interruptions." He pulled Thor into a kiss that quickly grew deep and hot. "Now, I say we go on back home and finish up the last locations tomorrow. I don't know about you, but I could use a shower and maybe a really thick steak."

"Me too." Thor had to agree that was a great idea, and he pointed the truck back toward Mendocino.

As soon as they got into range, Michael's phone chimed with a message. Thor's did immediately after. "It's Peter. He says he needs to talk to us right away." Michael sighed.

"Tell him to come to the house." Thor wondered what going on, and he sped up, taking the curves along the coast as quickly as he dared. Michael spoke to his brother for a few minutes, and mostly, it seemed to try to calm him down.

"Just come to the house, and Thor will help you deal with it. Don't worry," Michael said gently. "I know Dad can be a pain in the ass, but this isn't up to him. This is your future, so you can make your own decision and ignore him." He didn't raise his voice, but tension filled it. "We can talk it over and try to help. We'll be at the house in ten minutes." Michael ended the call, and Thor took the scenic drive without really seeing anything but the road ahead.

"What's happened?" Thor asked.

"Peter was contacted by the same people as before, the ones who rented his boat and used it to transport the drugs. He told them he couldn't rent them another boat because they sank the last one, and bless him, he said that they needed to pay for the damages."

Thor chuckled. That took guts, especially with the kind of people he was dealing with. "Did they threaten him?"

"I don't know. I'd assume so, or maybe my father is pressuring Peter to do it because he doesn't know the entire story. Dad is always about money." His left leg bounced as he sat. "Sometimes I think our father…." He didn't finish his thought, and Thor made the left onto their road and along the winding drive to the house. The deeper into the redwoods they went, the more Michael seemed to relax. There was something about trees that were a hundred feet tall and had been growing for just as many years that seemed to exude peace.

Thor parked next to Peter's car, and they climbed out of the truck. Michael went right over to his brother, the two of them heading inside as Thor unloaded the truck and put all their equipment away. By the time he was done and had gone inside, Peter and Michael had broken out a bottle of whiskey and sat at the table, each with a small glass. Thor sat down and poured himself one as well.

"Want to tell me what happened?"

"Well… I got a call today from a guy in San Francisco, judging by the phone number, saying that they had rented from me before and wished to do so again. I told them that I couldn't, and they tried to pressure me."

"You stood firm?" Thor asked, and Peter nodded. "Good. If they call again, say the same thing. Stand firm." He smiled. "I need you to give me the phone number. Maybe my people can do something with that, though it could have been spoofed. Still, we can try." He settled back in his seat, holding his glass, rolling it between his fingers.

"What are you thinking?" Michael asked.

"That maybe we can go at this from both ends." He continued mulling. "Michael and I have been looking at possible locations where the product is being made, but we aren't getting anywhere fast. Maybe you can help us on the other end. If you're contacted again, tell them that you'll consider renting them a boat as long as they pay for the loss of the last one and provide a deposit against any damage, in cash if possible." He smiled and leaned forward. "If they agree, we can arrange to meet them."

"But…," Peter started.

"I would be the one to meet them. Not you. If I can get pictures and send them back, then maybe we can get some sort of lead on the entire operation."

"Do you really think they'll contact me again?" Peter asked.

"It's possible. If they're determined enough. They need a boat, and they're desperate enough to contact you after sinking the last one, so I'd say it's a fair bet. Keep your head about you."

"But what boat do I offer them?" Peter asked,

Thor grinned. "Leave that to me. I can contact a friend at the DEA, and we can see if we can come up with something as seaworthy as the last one they took out." Damn, this might just work this time. They could bug the boat in such a way that they would get evidence, and maybe they could finally get to the heart of this entire operation. That would make Miller happy and get her and the department off his back for a while.

"Okay. I think I can do that."

"Stress that you must have the money to make you whole, or the deal is off. If they pressure you, play hardball and push back a little. They need the boat more than you need the money. And you can tell them that." He yawned and pushed away the drink. It had sounded like a good idea when he first sat down, but a lack of sleep was catching up to him, and what he really needed was a chance to rest.

"Thanks," Peter said softly. "I want to help."

"I know, and I want to stress that at no time do you let on that you know what the boat is being used for. Don't hint at it in any way. Just be businesslike. They can give you whatever excuse they want, and you just buy it, as long as they are willing to cover the costs the way we discussed. That will ensure you are covered, and they can have the use of a boat. From there, the rest is up to me and my contacts." Thor was coming to like Peter more than he ever thought he would. And on top of that, he and Michael seemed to be developing a real relationship, and that was even better. Now that the two of them had come to realize the way their father played them against each other, they seemed to have found some common ground, and their rivalry seemed to have cooled.

"But that's my once piece of leverage," Peter said.

"No!" Thor said forcefully, making Peter jump slightly. "That is shooting yourself in the foot. These are dangerous people who make their living doing something illegal. Your one piece of leverage is your innocence. As long as you aren't a real threat to them, they can simply walk away. But as soon as you indicate you know what they might be up to, then you put yourself and your entire family in danger." He had to make surer Peter understood that. "Like I said, just play along and don't ask questions or confront them about what they might be doing. The person who got you into this mess hasn't said a damned thing. He clammed up big-time. So as far as anyone knows, you are unaware, and we managed to scoop up only a low-level operative." Which was frustratingly true. He knew relatively little. "Okay?"

Peter seemed to grow stubborn, and Thor turned to Michael. "Now is not the time to act like Dad," Michael said, and Peter's expression softened. "Thor knows what he's doing, and you came to him for help. Threatening anyone isn't going to get what you want. Dad tries to lord it over everyone, and look where it got him." As soon as Michael had hung out his shingle and left his dad's company, all the men who had been on his team had found other jobs because none of them were willing to work directly for his father. Suppliers Michael had cultivated for years had refused to deal with the self-righteous old man.

"All right," Peter huffed. "We'll do this your way."

Thor leaned over the table. "The most important thing is to keep you safe. I need your help, but I won't put you in danger." Thor pushed back his chair and stood. "You two stay and talk. I'm going to sit for a while and relax." He also needed to make a few calls. Thor went to the living room and sat on the sofa, using the button on the arm to recline his section. Then he sent a message to Miller and waited for her to return his call.

"I may need a boat," he said as soon as she answered. He went on to what they had found. "I need it to be seaworthy, but it doesn't need to be a looker. And add a few trackers and listening devices, but make sure they are well hidden and undetectable."

"What about the last locations?" Miller pressed. She was always thorough.

"I'll check those out as well, but we need to be prepared in case they make contact again and are willing to meet our conditions. I'm not particularly hopeful that those locations will pan out. We already checked the most likely ones with no luck." He paused a second. "Is it possible to send us over the more detailed original images rather than just a map? It may be helpful if I can see them for myself. I know this area." He didn't say that Michael knew it even better than he did and that he intended to get his input. Part of his job was to use whatever resources he had to achieve his objectives, but Miller didn't need to know what those resources were.

"All right. I can see if I can get them released. But what is your plan if the boat people don't bite?" Miller asked.

"Then we'll continue with plan A, and develop plan C." Though he had to admit, he was running out of options and leads. "Just send me the images, and I'll keep you informed as usual."

"Agreed. I'll get to work on a boat." She ended the call, and Thor set the phone aside, leaning back and closing his eyes. Under normal circumstances, he could clear his mind and sleep almost anywhere, but not right now. His mind tumbled over options and ideas to try to figure out what the hell was happening and who was behind it. He needed to find these people so the DEA could put them out of business. If he didn't, then he was failing in his mission, and his continuing usefulness would be questioned. Worse yet, he could get pressured to move to a different assignment. He had no intention of leaving Michael, and he loved what he did, so it was either perform or he was going to have to make a choice he'd rather not have to deal with.

Soft voices drifted over to where he sat, followed by laughter. Thor smiled as Michael and Peter talked. Laughter was good and so was happiness. That meant they were getting along.

Thinking of siblings, he opened his eyes and reached for his phone to call Angie.

"I take it you're back from your escapade into the wilds of the forest," she teased, but sounded weary as August pitched a fit in the background. "Brian is at a convention in Las Vegas, and I'm here alone. The baby won't settle, and I haven't slept in two days."

"Put him in the car and come on over. Michael and I are here."

"I was hoping you'd say that. I'll get him bundled, and you'll know we've arrived by the screaming." She hung up, and Thor lowered the footrest, sitting upright.

"Angie is on her way," Thor told the other two.

"Then I should go," Peter said.

"Not necessary. I'll put some burgers and stuff on the grill in a little while," Thor offered.

Peter smiled. "As good as that sounds, Rosa is making her pot roast with all the fixings, and there is no way I'm going to miss that." He grinned, and Michael groaned.

"With blueberry cake for dessert?" he asked longingly. "Damn. You better go. If you're late for dinner, you know how she gets." Michael hugged his brother, and Peter hurried out. Rosa's dinners were legendary, and he didn't want to be late.

Michael sat on the sofa next to him. "What did Miller have to say?"

"Not much. She's going to work on a boat, but other than that and some information she's going to try to send, I'm pretty much on my own." He needed to figure this shit out, but right now, he was too tired to think about it, and yet his mind was too active to sleep. One way or another, he had to find a lead.