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“Could be stress wearing on you. That talk with Jared definitely didn’t put me at ease.”
“That’s for damn sure. Bastard was way too confident he wouldn’t be convicted at the trial. Like he knows something we don’t.”
Tanner nodded, lips tight. Oscar Stobbart already put a call in to Sheriff Duggan, Tanner’s boss. Nothing formal, just a verbal complaint and concern about harassment against his client. Fortunately, they didn’t have an ID for Bree, so there was nothing official Oscar could do. But Tanner had no doubt this would come up again at the trial if Stobbart could possibly work it in.
“Have you been following Jared more? We don’t want to do anything that gives Stobbart any reason to try to have the case dismissed outright.”
“I’ve got a colleague who’s gone into Denver a couple of times for me, with instructions to stay far from Jared. I do know they’ve still got those building plans and maps out everywhere. Stobbart has joined them most nights. Another man joined them last night.”
“That’s probably Marius Nixon, the guy who provided money for Jared’s bail. He arrived back in the country yesterday.”
Noah rolled his shoulders. “They’re planning something, Tanner.”
“Do you know that for sure? Has your guy been using the surveillance equipment you talked about?” Anything the man heard wouldn’t be allowable in court, but at this point, Tanner would be glad just to have information. Once they knew what was going on, they’d figure out a plan later.
“I know there’s something going on because my man couldn’t hear anything with his surveillance equipment. They’re using counter surveillance equipment.”
Tanner let out a low curse.
Noah nodded. “That’s how I felt too. It’s high-end stuff. Took my man a night to figure out the info he was receiving wasn’t legit. He happened to hear a loop in the recording their equipment was spitting out. Most people wouldn’t have caught it at all.”
“What do you think they’re planning?” Tanner leaned closer to the fire, trying to process all of this.
“Honestly, I think they have something up their sleeves for the trial, then are planning to take Marilyn and the kids somewhere. I’m not going to let that happen, Tanner.”
Tanner nodded. “We’re not going to let that happen. Not you, not me, not Bree, not anyone else at New Journeys or in Risk Peak. Marilyn and those kids are one of ours now. You’re not alone in this. Neither is she.”
Noah shrugged. “It’s hard for me not to work alone.”
“We’ve got almost four months until the trial. We know the ankle monitor is working, so we focus on figuring out their plan. In this case, the best offense is a good defense. But we’ve got to let the law handle this. We cannot go after them just because they’re doing suspicious stuff.”
“Roger that.”
“So let’s try to enjoy this camping trip and make it something memorable for Marilyn and the kids. Unless you think there’s actual danger here.”
Noah ran a hand through his thick black hair that looked so much like Tanner’s own. “Honestly, I don’t know. I feel like something is off, but my neutrality is definitely compromised when it comes to that woman and those kids. Maybe I want Jared to be here so that I have an excuse to take him out and make sure they’re safe for the rest of their lives.”
“As an officer of the law, I’m afraid I’d probably have to let you do exactly that if Jared showed up here.” Tanner gave his brother a wide grin.
“I have the emergency radio,” Tanner said after a few minutes. “If there’s any change in Jared’s status, Ronnie will let us know right away.”
“Good. There’s probably nothing out there right now except my own feelings of inadequacy haunting me.”
“Well, you better let those die out in the cold, because we’re going to need your help protecting Marilyn if Jared really is found innocent by some miracle. And I need you on this trip because those kids certainly look up to you. Especially Sam.”
Noah shrugged. “That’s good, because I look up to them too. And especially their mom.”
That was about as gushing and flowery as Noah got. Tanner swallowed his chuckle, but not quickly enough.
“Stuff it, jackass,” Noah muttered.
“Yes, sir. How about I take first shift on lookout, just in case? We’ve got a long day of hiking and rafting ahead of us tomorrow.”
None of it would be very rough—nobody wanted to take young children on rapids they couldn’t handle—but it would be a full and exciting day.
“Wake me up in a couple hours and I’ll relieve you.”
Tanner settled into his place by the fire, listening for changes in the night noises around him. That would be his first indication that danger was nearby. He looked up at the moon, barely visible through the trees. Standing guard was no hardship for him. Maybe Noah was right, and his gut feelings were just a manifestation of the frustration inside him for not being able to do anything about the abuse Marilyn had suffered.
