“You’d think so, but these groups can be very erratic and unpredictable,” Colin said. “A group protesting one environmental issue could be enraged over something they see or read in the news and jump on the anti-logging bandwagon in support of another group.”

  Finn nodded, but his attention drifted to Ryan, who had come to his feet and was stretching.

  “Excuse me,” Finn said and made a beeline for Ryan.

  “Me too.” Ryleigh gave Colin an apologetic look. “We want to ask if Ryan saw anything related to the bomb.”

  “Then I’ll join you. The device used could tell us who’s behind it.”

  She hurried to follow Finn. By the time she reached Ryan, he’d planted his hands on his hips.

  Had Finn gone in guns blazing?

  Ryan looked at her, at Colin, then back at Finn. “Okay, what gives? You’re not ganging up on me to see how I’m doing.”

  “We’re hoping if you saw any bomb fragments that you could tell us about them,” Ryleigh said.

  His eyes widened. “Guess my tight-lipped brother is being his usual self, and you want to pick my brain.”

  “He is,” she said, as there was no point in denying it.

  Ryan eyed Ryleigh. “And you’re going to try to find the bomber on your own?”

  “Not alone,” she said. “I’ll work with Finn and Colin. Nick at Veritas too.”

  “But you won’t be working with Russ?” Ryan pointed at a patrol car pulling up on the road behind them.

  Drat. Why did Russ have to pick this moment to show up?

  “Right,” she said to hurry Ryan along before Russ joined them. “So if you saw something…”

  “I did actually,” he said, as Russ’s car door opened.

  “Out with it,” Finn snapped. “Before your brother gets over here.”

  She wasn’t surprised at Finn’s outburst, but she was surprised he’d made it this long without exploding.

  “Please,” she said to Ryan making sure her tone was soft and conciliatory to make up for Finn. “Finn’s just a bit impatient, and he means nothing by it. Right, Finn?”

  “Right, but let’s get to the point.” His tone continued to hold a sense of urgency. “What did you see?”

  “One unusual thing. A piece that looks like a photoelectric cell.”

  Now he had Ryleigh’s full attention. “They used it to detonate the bomb?”

  “Looks like it,” Ryan said. “We spotted computer fragments too, which I suspect are out of place in the mill.”

  “Only computers are in the machinery,” Finn said. “So if you saw parts of a typical computer casing, they’re not from the machine.”

  “That’s what I saw,” Ryan said.

  Colin cocked his head. “In all my ecoterrorism research, I’ve never seen a photoelectric cell being used.”

  “If the cell was the detonator,” Finn said. “The computer fragments could suggest the bomb was controlled by a computer. That would allow them to time the explosion somewhat.”

  “Explain,” Russ demanded from behind them. “And make sure you mention how and why you possess such knowledge.”

  Finn turned slowly. “SEALs are trained in explosives. All types and all methods of detonation. You never know what you might encounter on an op.”

  “Okay that covers why you know about it.” Russ kept his gaze pinned to Finn. “Now give me the what.”

  Finn stood tall and strong under the intense observation. “When you think of photoelectricity think of electricity produced by a light beam. So photoelectric cells work when light hits them. The brighter the light, the greater the electricity produced. These cells are used in everyday life. Automatic faucets in public restrooms for example.”

  “You wave your hand,” Colin said. “And the cell sends a signal to a solenoid, which pulls the valve open and the water comes out.”

  Finn nodded. “Bombs controlled by these cells are often called “when dawn breaks” bombs as they go off when the rising sun hits them.”

  Russ frowned. “Then why didn’t this one detonate at sunrise today?”

  “Based on Ryan’s mention of computer parts, seems possible that the cell was controlled by a computer programmed to only detonate when a certain level of light was reached.”

  “Doesn’t sound precise though,” Ryleigh said. “If the bomber knew when the workers would be out of the building, why not just set a timer? Or even detonate with a cell phone?”

  “That I can’t answer,” Finn said. “But I do know bombers tend to stick to the same script—use the same switches, explosives, and wiring—so maybe the photoelectric cell is what he knows.”

  Russ faced Ryleigh. “I’ve thought about your earlier offer. I’d like your assistance on this investigation and have you call in the Veritas team if they’ll do the work pro bono.”

  Ryleigh tried to keep her mouth from falling open, but this was the last thing she expected from Russ.

  “Good way to catch flies,” Russ said.

  “But I…you…are you sure?”

  “Positive. I need to gain as much information as I can over the weekend before I call in the feds—who aren’t known for sharing.”

  “You know I’m not a law enforcement officer anymore.” She didn’t really want to throw out things to change his mind, but she didn’t want him to agree only to backtrack either.

  “You can serve as an official expert,” Russ said. “But I can deputize you if that makes you feel better.”

  Clearly, he’d given it some thought. “No need as far as I’m concerned.”

  He gave a sharp clap of his hands that echoed through the stillness. “Get on the horn to Veritas, and let’s get this moving.”

  She nodded, but her mind raced with items she would need to do. First off, call Veritas, second, find a place to stay in town. She couldn’t make the four-hour drive back and forth to Portland each day.

  “Give me an hour,” Russ added. “And we can meet at my office to form a plan of attack.”

  “I’ll be joining you.” Finn thrust his chest out as if he expected a fight.

  “We could use an explosive expert on the team, so why not?” Russ said.

  Finn blinked. “Well, good, then.”

  Russ looked at Colin. “Can Reid free you up to help us in the IT area?”

  “I already asked for Colin’s help,” Ryleigh said. “But he hasn’t had a chance to ask Reid for the time off.”

  “I’ll take care of that,” Russ said.

  Reid managed the day-to-day aspects of the business, but Russ was a full partner as was Ryan, so Ryleigh supposed any of them could make such a decision. Hopefully, Reid would be okay with this one.

  Russ fixed his sights on his brother. “Anything else you want to tell me about the fire or bomb?”

  Ryan tilted his head. “Burned hot and fast, but not unexpected with all the wood. Could be solvents or other chemicals that you might want to check out with Tobias, but I don’t think he’d have done this for insurance or anything.”

  “A possibility we still need to consider,” Ryleigh said.

  “And we will.” Russ looked at Ryleigh and Finn and gave them directions to his office. “Okay, people, let’s move. We have a bomber to find in less than two days.”

  5

  Ryleigh wasn’t the least bit surprised by Russ’s rapid end to their discussion, but Finn gaped after the sheriff, who rushed up the hill with sure and solid steps. Russ knew his mind and didn’t like to be challenged. Finn knew his mind too. Ryleigh had seen him in action enough to know. And as leader of his SEAL team, he was used to men following his lead no matter what and ensuring the chain of command wouldn’t be broken. But he wasn’t in charge in his current job. Tobias was. The Finn she’d known would be experiencing extreme frustration.

  He shifted his attention to the group. “Is Russ always this abrupt?”

  “Abrupt? That was calm Russ.” Ryan chuckled.

  Colin dug his phone from a cargo pocket. “I’ll still check in with Reid and meet you all at Russ’s office.”

  Finn held out his hand and gave Ryleigh a tight smile. “After you.”

  They climbed the incline, and she took out her phone. She scrolled through her contact list until she came upon Blake Jenkins’s name and hit dial. As Veritas Center’s criminal investigator, he coordinated their team’s efforts in all major investigations. A bombing and murder required a big response. And a big ask in terms of pro bono costs.

  The phone rang, and she offered a prayer for success with Blake.

  “Blake, hi,” she said when he answered. “Ryleigh Steele here.”

  “Ryleigh.” His deep tone rumbled through her phone. “How are things at the FBI?”

  “Actually, I retired and now work for the family business.”

  “Big change, I imagine.”

  “I figured life would be more boring, but today has proved otherwise.” She explained the situation and their needs. “You know Emerson County doesn’t have the funds to pay for such an investigation, so our request also includes your team subsidizing the investigation.”

  “Isn’t the sheriff calling in the ATF and FBI?” As a former sheriff, Blake would know the proper procedure. “If they pool their resources, they’ll have everything they need.”

  “He is, but he has the murder aspect to work and wants to gain as much information as he can before he calls them to take control of the narrative.”

  “We wouldn’t want to step on the fed’s toes.” Blake went silent then let out a breath.

  Oh no! He was going to say no. She was counting on a yes, but she knew this was a big request and shouldn’t have had her hopes so high.

  Please!

  Blake cleared his throat.

  Here it comes. A big fat no.

  “But as a former sheriff,” he said, “I totally understand this guy’s wishes.”

  She should’ve thought to play up the sheriff card right up front. “Does that mean you’ll do it?”

  “Depends. I can usually commit our resources but not with this. Way too big of a pro bono request to act on my own. I’ll have to get the partners buy-in.”

  “I hate to ask this but—”

  “You want an answer like yesterday and us on scene within an hour.”

  “You read my mind.” She laughed.

  “Not hard to do when you think like every law enforcement officer out there.” He chuckled. “We already have a partners’ meeting scheduled in half an hour, and I can get back to you after that.”

  “Thanks, Blake. The sheriff and I really appreciate it.” She ended the call and shared the information with Finn.

  He raised an eyebrow. “You think they’ll go for it?”

  Did she? “It’ll take a lot of resources, but all the partners have a heart to help, so yeah, I do. Or at least I’m hopeful.”

  He narrowed his gaze. “What else do we need to do before the meeting?”

  “I don’t know about your tasks, but I need to make lodging arrangements and call one of my sisters to see if one of them can pack a bag and bring it down here for me.”

  He stared at her for a long moment. “Avery and I still live in Felicia’s big house. It’s really more house than we need, but I don’t want to move Avery. Anyway. My point is, we have several spare bedrooms, and you can stay with us.”

  Another surprise, but this time she managed to keep her mouth closed. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  He gritted his teeth. “It’s just a place to sleep, Ryleigh. Nothing else. No big deal.”

  “But we’ll be together so much of the time already. Adding even more time isn’t wise.”

  “Afraid you’ll fall for all of this again?” He ran his hands over his body and laughed.

  “Easy for you to joke like that. You weren’t the one who was hurt.”

  He sucked in a sharp breath.

  Right. She’d nailed him, and it hurt him. She should feel bad for that. And she did. Somewhere deep down, but the other part of her—the part she would later have to repent for—was glad he was hurting too. Even if he’d been the one to walk away, maybe he didn’t want to and had been heartbroken back then as well. She had to at least admit it was a possibility.

  “I want to talk about that.” His tone had grown husky. “Ask for your forgiveness and make it right, but not here in public.”

  “I understand.” Or at least she was trying to.

  “Then just agree to stay with us and after dinner tonight we can talk.”

  She still couldn’t commit. “I’ll think about it.”

  He didn’t look away. No surprise. He didn’t like to lose at anything. Even something as simple as her decision of where to stay.

  “At this time of year,” he said. “Tourists are flocking to the lake, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find another place on such short notice.”

  He had a point, though she didn’t want to admit it. Maybe the Maddox family had room for her at their compound instead. “Like I said. I’ll think about it.”

  She nodded at Colin. “We should help clean up here and get going.”

  She marched away from Finn and up to the table. She covered the sandwich platter while Colin consolidated several boxes of chips into one.

  Maybe he could help with her lodging needs. She looked at him. “Do you live on the Maddox compound?”

  He nodded. “All the staff does. Reid and his daughter Jessie have the main house. Russ and Ryan live in the two big cabins near the lake, and the rest of us are in smaller cabins. They recently built more cabins for paying guests too. Even with the added ones, they’re almost always full.”

  “Are they occupied right now?”

  “Yeah. Busy time of year, and the weekends are big for us.”

  So if she wanted to hunker down on the Maddox property, she would have to ask one of the brothers to bunk with them. No way she would stay with Russ and his intensity. She wouldn’t mind asking Ryan but wouldn’t want to intrude on Reid and his daughter. Maybe it was just easier to take Finn up on his offer and hide out in her bedroom. She would have to decide soon.

  She put her attention to her chores, and they finished the clean-up.

  “See you at the meeting,” she said to Colin and Finn and headed for her SUV.

  Inside, she sat for a moment and inhaled the coconut air freshener. Enjoyed being on her own and the lack of need to be on guard every second. Away from Finn. Away from her thoughts. Just sitting in the quiet. Alone.

  Colin drove past and waved.

  If she wanted to arrive at the meeting on time she had to get going. She took a cleansing breath and cranked her engine.

  Click.

  No response.

  She turned the key again. Another click.

  No. No. No. Not again.

  She slammed a fist against the wheel. She’d had the same dead engine one morning last week, and her vehicle had been towed. The mechanic said he’d replaced the alternator, and the car was good to go.

  Obviously not.

  Argh! Today was a gift that just kept on giving. She couldn’t handle another stressor, could she?

  She gripped the wheel and rested her head on her hands.

  What did she do next? Pray for sure. Mostly for her attitude as it raced down a steep incline toward the pits.

  A knock sounded on her window.

  She startled and sat up.

  Finn stood there. Of course he did. He would’ve waited until she got on the road to follow her and be sure she was safe. He’d done that often enough when they’d been together for that short month.

  He was a protector. Something she was used to from her family of current and former law enforcement officers, and it had never bothered her in the past. Not so at the moment. Now she didn’t want to need him for anything. But it seemed like she might need him not only for lodging but transportation as well.

  She lowered the window.

  He leaned forward. “Car trouble?”

  She explained about the repair.

  He pointed at the front end of her vehicle. “Want me to look under the hood?”

  “Not sure you can do anything. It just clicks like it did before.”

  “Still, it could be something different. Like the battery. “

  “But Russ is expecting us, and we don’t have time to troubleshoot. Can I grab a ride from you now, and I’ll call for a tow on the way?”

  “Your tow options around here are limited, but I know a good local mechanic. We could stop by his garage to give him the keys. He can bring it in to work on while we’re in the meeting.” He pulled her door open as if he expected her agreement.

  She didn’t want to give in so readily, but that was childish, and besides, she didn’t have much of a choice. She got out and followed him to his truck. He opened the door, grabbed a worn pair of combat boots sitting on the floor, and tossed them in the back where he’d strapped in a child’s booster seat.

  The contrast struck her hard. So many military families struggled to balance family and service to keep the country free for people like her, and she never really appreciated it enough. Sure, on the one day a year when the country remembered them, she did too, but since she’d split up with Finn, she’d tried hard not to think about the danger he raced into most of the year.

  She prayed for the service members as she climbed into the truck that smelled of vanilla. The big vehicle had buttery soft leather seats, and he kept the interior immaculately clean. His military days had taught him organization, and he continued to apply it in his life. She remembered how neatly he could fold laundry when she shoved things into drawers.

  He got behind the wheel and put his hand on the key. He sat for a long moment, not moving. He looked at her. “I have to be right up front with you about something.”

  Please don’t let him say he’s in love with another woman.

  “Okay,” she said.

  “I have to stop work at five-thirty to pick Avery up at daycare before it closes at six. On the weekends, I head home to relieve her sitter at the same time.”

  “Oh, okay.” She let out a silent breath. Why in the world was she so thankful that he didn’t tell her about another woman in his life? She might be attracted to him, but she wouldn’t give him another chance. If he even wanted one.