"Elk City station. We have a lockup in the basement," Parker supplied.
"Tell Dan the Elk City Ranger Station. No, not coming in yet. I'll catch Dan later. Thanks, man. You and Keely have fun in cyberspace."
Price swiped the call off with his thumb.
While Price and Tara guarded the four men, Parker and Sally made sure the fire was out and began taking pictures and inventorying the contents of the boxes and the men's tents and backpacks.
Finally, several sirens sounded in the distance.
The sirens stopped. Soon the rangers who'd take the men into custody entered the clearing. As the newly arrived rangers led the four away, Price, Tara, Sally, and Parker began ferrying the photographed and inventoried evidence to their vehicles for transport to the ranger station.
After the last bit of evidence was stowed, Price leaned against Tara's vehicle with her as close to him as he could get her. He noted that Sally hugged Parker's side. Good. Parker was a stand-up guy and Sally would do well with him.
"Well." Tara blew out a breath. "If you hadn't been with me—"
"Yeah," Price nudged her with his shoulder, "you would've taken a few of them out, maybe hurt the others, but—"
"I'm not at one hundred percent, physically." She sighed. "So, I would've been dead. Two I could handle…easily. Four, even four merc wanna-bes, they'd have had me."
Price tugged her until she faced him, then pulled her into his arms. "It didn't happen."
"No." She rubbed her cheek over his chest. He felt the warmth of her through his shirt. "So, Tweeter is on it?"
"Yeah, and Keely." He kissed the top of her head. "They'll call once they figure out who posted the reward."
Joe held up the flyer now in a clear evidence bag. "So, you think this is the cause for all the attacks on you guys over the last couple of weeks?"
"Possibly." Price frowned, then looked down at Tara. "But it's still not Miller's M.O., is it?"
"No." Tara leaned back and looked up at him. "Miller wants to kill me himself. I have no clue who Fee and I could've pissed off and who's willing to pay 100K to have us killed."
"Who's Miller?" Sally asked as she snuggled against her partner, and obviously, now that Price really looked, her lover's side.
"A dead man," Price snapped.
Tara laid her head back on Price's chest. "We can only hope." She looked at Sally and Joe. "Miller's a man I testified against. He kidnapped, raped, and abused Native American women, and when he was through with them, if they survived, he sold them into sexual slavery on the sex boats on Lake Superior."
"Were you on a task force or something?" Sally asked.
"No, I was one of his victims." Tara gave them a vicious grin. "I was the one who got away. And since Miller liked to brag to his victims while he raped and beat them…"
Tara trembled in his arms. He doubted the others saw it. He tightened his hold on his brave warrior, holding her to him—giving her his support and love.
"…I knew where some of the ones who hadn't survived were buried. He got life in a maximum-security federal prison."
"He escaped?" Parker asked, shock in his voice.
"Yeah, and he's coming for me." Tara rested her head on Price's chest. "But Price and I've got this."
"SSI and we have this," Price reminded her.
"Yeah." She hugged his waist. "My team has this."
"Well, add us to the team," Parker said. "Get us some intel, and we'll keep our eyes peeled. We should also clue in the other ranger patrols."
Price nodded at the look Parker sent him. He'd be mentioning Parker's suggestion to Ren. The sooner the local rangers knew who to look for, the better. No one was taking his firefly away from him. No one.
Chapter 15
Several hours later
He and Tara made it to Carmela's to get something to eat—for supper.
Lunch had turned out to be stale chips, peanut butter crackers, and sodas from the machines at the Elk City Ranger Station. The remainder of Tara's patrol had been picked up by another ranger. Tara, along with Sally and Joe, had been ordered to report to their superior, Eric Christensen, regarding the apprehension of the four self-proclaimed mercenaries. Since Price wasn't going to let Tara go anywhere without him, especially now that he knew she had a price on her head, he went with her and had also made a statement to Christensen and Dan.
Now, he was starved and really, really wanted a beer.
"It smells so good in here." Tara lifted her head and inhaled, a smile crossing her lips for the first time in hours. "My mouth is watering."
Fuck, he was happy to see Tara's smile. The last few hours had been a pain in the butt for her, mostly because her superior was an asshole.
Christensen had cross-examined Tara as if she were the culprit behind the reward for her death and for the mercenaries' presence in his National Forest and not the victim. The overweight, short shit wasn't qualified to lead a law enforcement division of the National Forest Service. Price figured the douchewad had gotten the job through political connections.
Her superior then had gone off on a tangent and stated he wasn't happy that his counterpart in Missoula hadn't fully briefed him on why Tara had requested a transfer to Idaho. What that had to do with today's takedown of four armed and dangerous men Price still hadn't figured out.
When the pompous, misogynistic bureaucrat put Tara on leave until her "troubles," as the prick had called them, were over, Price had wanted to plant his fist in the jerk's face. The fact he hadn't was because Tara'd grabbed his arm as he'd moved forward to do so.
"The SSI gang is at the back corner booth." The booth was perfect for keeping an eye on all exits and entrances and allowed anyone sitting in it to have their backs covered, almost like at Ma's. Price concluded that Ren had some input into the layout of the seating in Carmela's and that this booth would be the SSI designated booth any time the operatives ate there.
With a hand on Tara's lower back, Price steered her through the maze of tables, most of them occupied. The booths along the windows were full and there were no stools empty at the eat-in counter. The place was hopping. And Tara was right, the place smelled wonderful.
"Carmela must be elated her diner is doing so well after only being open for a week," Tara commented. "Besides smelling like what heaven in Mexico must be like, the place looks amazing, considering."
After the attack, the SSI crew had helped the local builder patch up holes, replace bulletproof windows that had been cracked by the high-caliber bullets, and paint the whole place in less than a day.
"It's not like there are a lot of places to go out and eat in this part of the county," Price replied. "Also, the summer season around the park and the wilderness area is gearing up. Even the most avid hikers and campers get tired of cooking over a campfire."
"No argument there." Tara tugged Price to a stop. "I'm going to go and wash my hands. Would you order me a white sangria, please? Fee told me it's Carmela's specialty. Hell, tell them to bring a pitcher. After the day we've had, we deserve to get buzzed."
"You got it." He tipped her chin up and gave her a quick kiss.
"What was that for? Not that I'm complaining." Tara smiled.
"Making sure the assholes at the counter know you're spoken for." He gave one obviously leering male a drop-dead glare. The guy shrugged and turned back to his beer and the flat screen tuned to a soccer match.
Satisfied, Price kissed the tip of her nose. "And because I love you." He cupped her face and looked her in the eye. "If you're not back in five minutes, I'll be coming to find you."
Tara shook her head, a look of disbelief in her amber-colored eyes. "Price, really? It's just the ladies' room and you can see everyone who enters and leaves the hallway from the booth."
"There's a reward out for your death. All sorts of vermin, male and female, hide in the remote areas of Idaho, and some of them frequent the Dark Net. Most of the people in this room have guns or kni
ves on them, and I don't know all of them. So, five minutes—or I'm tracking you down." He gave her a gentle nudge in the direction of the hall to the restrooms, then covered the rest of the distance to the booth where six sets of eyes—Keely, Ren, Tweeter, DJ, Fee, and Trey—had been focused on them.
"We waited on you before we ordered our entrees," Fee said. "What did you say to Tara that pissed her off?"
"None of your business," Price told his sister, noting they all had drinks, and what looked to be the remains of a nacho platter. His stomach growled, loudly. "You ordered drinks and an appetizer, so you must've been here for a while."
"Not that long. The guys inhaled the nachos." His sister gave the men a glare. "Don't worry. Another order is coming. Now, scoot on back here so I can get a hug. When Tara returns, you can move and let her sit next to me."
"So you can cross-examine her about living with me?" Price sat and gave his sister a kiss on the cheek as she hugged him. "And about what I said to piss her off?"
Fee stuck her tongue out. "You think you're so smart."
"I am where you're concerned. Tara's had a bad day, sis. So maybe save the interrogation for another time." Price looked up and smiled at Manny, Carmela's boyfriend. "Hey, Manny. My girl wants the white sangria, bring a pitcher, please. I'll have a Dos Equis, bottle is fine, with a lime."
"You got it." Manny grinned. "Other than the items on the menu, the evening special is Molcajete with your choice of chicken or shrimp, served with corn tortillas. It is big enough for two to share. Y'alls order of nachos should be up soon. I'll bring more chips and salsa, also."
"Thanks. Tell Carmela we're thrilled her place is doing so well," Price said.
A smile a mile wide on his face, Manny gave Price a snappy salute and moved off to get their drinks.
Price checked his watch and was just about to get up when Tara exited the hall to the restrooms. He stood and waved her into the booth. "Fee says you have to sit next to her." He brushed a kiss over Tara's cheek and lingered to whisper against her ear. "If she pesters you too much about our sex life, tell her to shut up, okay?"
"I'll be fine." She hugged him before she slid in and then gave the table a smile. "Hey, everybody. Sorry we're late. But Dan and the chief ranger wanted to make sure we got our statements down and signed off on while the details were still fresh."
"Yeah, Dan called and gave me the Cliff Notes version," Ren said. "Keely and Tweeter gave me their report on the reward posted on multiple sites on the Dark Net which I shared with Dan."
And not Christensen. Good.
"Multiple sites?" Price fisted his hands on the top of the table. He really needed to hit something or someone, preferably the fucking asshole who wanted his firefly and his sister dead. "What kind of sites?"
Keely replied, "The poster children of domestic terrorism—white supremacist sites, anti-government sites, and lots of incel-oriented sites—plus, the usual murder-for-hire, soldier-of-fortune sites."
*
"Just freaking great," muttered Tara as she reached for the glass of sangria Manny had placed in front of her. "All the crazy types with guns and imagined grudges."
"What I want to know is who's funding the bounty?" Price thumped his bottle of beer on the table.
Tara covered his forearm with her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I'll be fine, píítaa. I'm with you now. We have a great team behind us."
"Before Tweeter answers that—" Ren began.
"He knows?" Price looked at Ren, then narrowed his eyes at Tweeter. "Who is it?"
Ren coughed. "Before Tweeter shares what he found, I want to know what happened at the ranger station that had Dan calling and warning me you were pissed the fuck off and I needed to keep an eye on you."
Keely held out her hand. "Pay up, big guy."
Ren slid a quarter onto her palm. "Sorry, sprite."
"Understandable." Keely touched her husband's arm. "But no eff words allowed." She pointed at table in front of their booth where a family with what looked to be three children under the age of five sat. "Little ears are in range."
Ren nodded, then picked up his wife's hand and kissed it.
"Christensen made me mad." Price looked at the family of five. In a lower voice, he said, "The pecker-headed moron that's in charge of the law enforcement division in this sector put Tara on leave. A leave with no end-date in sight. The little prick, who seems to have a problem with women in the Forest Service, needs an attitude adjustment, that's all."
Her píítaa was just the man to do it, too. Tara grimaced. She didn't want Price to get in trouble because of her problems. Thank the gods, Dan had been there to help her de-escalate the situation.
"Price, is that why you've been all stiff and growly since we left Elk City?" Tara rubbed her cheek against his shoulder. "Yes, Christensen's a prick and he doesn't like me. But he has a reason for that, not a good one, but one that's valid in his mind."
"What reason?" Price asked, his voice a rumbling growl.
"Uh-oh," Fee said.
"The background isn't important," Tara said. "The facts are. Christensen had to put me on leave. Hell, I'd have put me on leave. I'm a danger to anyone around me. The morons who've been trying to collect the reward don't care about collateral damage."
"Okay, I understand the reasoning, but it was the way he broke the news that pissed me off," Price muttered. "In front of a room full of people and in a gloating tone that made me want to put my fist down his throat. And I would've if you hadn't stopped me." He angled her face toward him. "Why was he so smug, sweetheart? Why does he dislike you?"
Tara covered the hand on her face. "Leave it be, píítaa. It doesn't matter anymore, because I gave the pecker-headed moron, as you named him, my resignation when you went to get me a bottle of water."
Murmurs of distress and anger swept around the table.
Fury in every line of his body, Price looped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close even as he vibrated with his anger. "Baby, why? You didn't do anything wrong. Why should you quit?"
"Price, I should've quit after Miller abducted me and all that followed. But I held on, since, at the time, it was a matter of principle. The Forest Service totally ignored my complaints about Miller's harassment and stalking. Hell, even my brothers didn't believe me at first. By the time they did, it was too late and Miller had taken me."
DJ exchanged glances with Keely, then looked at Tara. "Does your girl posse need to kick some brother-booty?"
Tara snorted as she fought laughing. None of this was a laughing matter, so whatever came out would probably be more like hysteria. She'd survive leaving the Forest Service; after all she'd survived far worse than hurt feelings.
"No, but thanks, DJ. My brothers never saw it, because there was never anything for them to see. Miller was a sly one and never showed that side of himself when other men were around. Hell, even I had to question whether I was overreacting to his come-ons, since everyone else thought he was a good guy. The kind of guy you'd call if you needed a ride or someone to feed your dog while you were on vacation. But then he'd find moments to corner me when no one else was around and I'd see it was all a lie. Eventually, all I saw when I looked at him was a sexual predator. A sociopath."
His arm around her shoulders, Price sipped his beer and gave her silent support, something she'd never had from a man before. Yet, Tara knew she was right in not telling him exactly why Christensen disliked her so much. Oh, it would come out eventually, when she and several other female rangers, including Sally Yates, went in front of the administrative review board for the sexual harassment hearing. But maybe by then all this other shit would be handled and a sexual harassment case would be a mere diversion.
Tara rested her cheek on Price's shoulder as she addressed DJ. "Don't judge my brothers so harshly. They did talk to Miller and told him I wasn't interested. They also told him that if they ever found out he'd touched or spoken to me in an inappropriate way, he wouldn't
like what they'd do to him. Miller darted me the morning after that and abducted me."
"So why quit now?" Ren asked. Though from the look in his eye, he knew about the sexual harassment filing and understood exactly why she was fed up with the bureaucratic and political bullshit that affected certain areas of the Forest Service.
"It was time. Christensen putting me on leave just nailed it for me." She gave the SSI boss a slight smile. "I'd like to apply for a job with SSI, if the offer is still open. Since I'm going to marry Price and live with him for as long as he wants me—"
"Which will be forever," Price interjected.
"—you might as well use my skill sets."
"You're engaged?" Fee squealed and hugged Tara. "When did this happen?" She picked up Tara's left hand. "No ring?" Price's sister frowned at him.
"He only asked me last night and I said yes." She turned to Price whose eyes glowed with happiness and satisfaction. "We haven't made any decisions as to when and where. And a ring can come later." Or never. She didn't need a ring; she only needed Price.
As the others smiled and offered their congratulations. Price leaned in and murmured, "I thought you wanted to wait."
"I thought I did, too," she whispered. "But then I read that flyer putting a bounty on me and Fee, followed by Christensen's crap and me quitting my job. It hit me that we, and our friends, have had enough bad news lately, why not share our happy news with the people we care about?"
"I love you so much." Price kissed her. "No pressure, but what about sharing our news with our families? My mother will be…difficult."
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