Hearths of Fire (29 page)

N
eal parked his
truck at a hotel just over twenty miles outside of town. It wasn’t fancy, but it
provided the team rooms for quarters and Starr’s suite in which there was enough space
to use as a headquarters. It had been required to use Charlotte’s residence last night
just because he thought it would be best if the two cult members reported back that
Charlotte and Neal had returned home, under the assumption that Mandy was inside too.
Daegan had opted to stay inside the house just in case one of the members got brave
and decided to look a little bit closer. In all honesty, Neal was surprised that Garreth
hadn’t made another appearance. What was he waiting for?

Looking into his rearview mirror, Neal saw that Stick was pulling in behind him from
pulling an all-nighter. He was driving a rental car and as both of the men pulled
into spots, Starr came walking out of what he presumed was the hotel office carrying
a cup of coffee. The hot beverage made him think of earlier when Charlotte had hopped
out of the shower as if what they had done was an everyday occurrence. Fuck, but he
needed to get his head on straight.

“You look like shit,” Neal said, walking beside Stick as they made their way to the
room where Starr was now entering. “Anything happen last night besides you freezing
your ass off?”

“Not a goddamned thing.” Stick rubbed the back of his neck and Neal was sure he was
looking forward to a couple hours sleep. Once everyone was caught up that’s when things
would progress. “They were quiet as church mice, which makes me even more wary. That’s
one hell of a compound they’re building.”

“Tell me about it.” Neal hit the door first and turned the knob, knowing full well
that Starr had seen them. She might be petite, but her athletic frame underneath her
denim and black form-fitting blazer she wore told another story—don’t mess with her
or she’d kick your ass. “Did I miss anything while I’ve been away?”

“Not really,” Stick replied, walking into the hotel room and shedding his lightweight
Marpat digital Gore-Tex parka and watchcap. “You’ll be able to catch up within a day
or two.”

“All right, gentlemen,” Starr announced, taking a seat at the head of a banquet table
they’d set up in her suite. “Let’s get this day started so that we can end this with
a successful mission. Stick, anything at the compound?”

“No, nothing unusual. A handful of members guarded—and I use that term loosely—the
property. Other than that they apparently slept like babies.” Stick walked over to
the table where Starr had placed a can of Coke obviously meant for him, proving she
had a soft spot somewhere in that hardened heart of hers. “Gunny was going to check
the backside of the acreage, ensuring there isn’t some type of escape route cutting
down to the secondary road behind the property.”

“Good.” Starr leaned back in her chair, ignoring the open laptop in front of her.
She locked eyes with Neal. “Did you get the rest you needed? We need everyone’s head
in the game.”

“I’m good to go.” Neal pulled out another chair when it was apparent Stick was going
to sit next to Starr. “I have Charlotte at her bookstore, giving the appearance that
everything is going back to normal. I’ll stay in touch with her throughout the day,
ensuring that no one has tried to make contact. Stick and I can go over the compound
diagram and add any notes he thinks are necessary before he hits the rack.”

“What about your friend and Mandy? All secure?”

“Yes, I received Brad’s twenty-four hour check-in as agreed. Code word indicated all
clear.” Neal eyed Starr’s coffee but figured he’d had enough to get him through the
rest of the morning. He reached for one of the bottles of water sitting in a bucket
of ice. “Have you had a chance to speak with the sheriff?”

“I did.” Starr patted the side of her black blazer. “The federal probable cause warrant
we obtained was enough to get Plinkton and his boys to back off and keep their mouths
shut while we do our jobs. I spoke to him in private and after we were done having
our conversation, he was well aware of the consequences should our presence in town
be leaked in any way by any of his staff.”

“The festival is a big draw,” Neal said, twisting the cap off of his water and then
taking a drink. He took his time putting the top back on. “No one is going to think
twice about seeing new faces milling about town.”

It wasn’t long before Trigger and Diesel made an appearance. Stick finished with Neal
and went to his own room to get a few hours of sleep while the rest of them went over
the various options that were available to them. They would catch Stick and Gunny
up on the different proposals. They all would follow Starr and Gunny’s operational
lead. Trigger and Diesel went to get some rest as well. As the morning passed, plans
began to fall into place and it was apparent that with the right equipment and proper
coordination they would be able to access the compound tonight without a soul knowing
they were there—at least until it was too late for anyone to do anything about it
if the team decided to act decisively.

Neal shifted in his chair, unable to pinpoint why he felt so uncomfortable with the
multiple strategies that were up for review. They’d gone over every possible scenario,
leaving nothing to chance. So why then was he feeling that they were missing something
very vital?

*

Charlotte spent the
morning going over the sales for the last few days…or at least trying to. The shop
had done exceptionally well, but that was usually the case during the week of the
fall festival. It brought people from miles around, including the surrounding larger
towns. Regardless that she should be thrilled over how the store had done, she couldn’t
keep her mind focused on the task at hand. She sighed in resignation and pushed aside
the keyboard. Standing and taking a moment to stretch her back, she was glad that
she’d had Pam work today as well. There was no way Charlotte would have been able
to go over the books and man the store at the same time. They’d had a steady stream
of customers since they’d opened the doors and considering she couldn’t get her mind
off of Neal and the danger that he and his team were facing, it was best for someone
else to deal with the patrons.

“It’s lunchtime.” Pam’s voice coming from the doorway startled Charlotte and she tried
to cover up the fact that she was a little stressed. She didn’t want to answer any
questions that Pam had to have weighing on her mind. “Want me to run over to the diner
for us?”

“Sure,” Charlotte replied, accepting the offer. “That sounds good. I’ll take whatever
their lunch special is as long as it isn’t that damn catfish. Maybe a grilled cheese
with bacon and some chips if Manny’s running the grill…either way.”

“Okay. I’ll be right back.”

Charlotte winced at those words, knowing that Pam would undoubtedly ask questions
about Neal upon her return. That was one of the reasons she’d holed up in her office,
knowing that if the townsfolk knew she was in the store today they would stop by for
any gossip there was to be had. Knowing she had to venture out front to man the store,
she took a deep breath as she followed Pam through the displays. The fragrance of
books, magazines, and the free coffee that she supplied wafted together, offering
that calming remedy that she loved so much. Unfortunately it did nothing for her nerves
today.

There were a few customers browsing, but they appeared content so Charlotte left them
alone. She walked behind the counter, unable to keep herself from thinking of her
mother. She had loved this bookstore almost as much as she had loved her family. Both
of her parents had thought fondly of Neal as well and she often wondered what their
thoughts would have been on her decision to let him go on with his life—away from
Hearth. Truthfully, all she’d been thinking about since she’d called Neal back home
was her momentous decision all those years ago.

The bell jingled above the door, indicating a patron. She looked that way with a smile
on her face and had been about to greet him or her when Charlotte saw that it was
an older man dressed all in black. He had whitish hair and although mature in his
years, he moved rather well for someone his age. He casually glanced around the shop
although she felt sure it was to gauge how many people were inside. It was apparent
he was with Ashes to Dirt. Her heart rate sped up slightly as she contemplated what
he would say or do. There were people around, so it wasn’t like she had to worry.
Did she?

“May I help you?”

Charlotte was proud that her voice didn’t tremble and that her smile stayed in place.
She refused to let this man or the cult in general think she was afraid of them. As
he got closer she saw that his blue eyes had dulled with age but that there was wisdom
held within. She wanted to ask him many questions, but she knew that he wouldn’t answer
her. One still remained on the tip of her tongue—how was it he bought into what the
Ashes had told him?

“They’re going to come for Mandy.” The words weren’t spoken until the man stood directly
in front of the counter, and even then Charlotte had to strain to hear his conspiratorial
whisper. “Your friend needs to be at your house when they do.”

As if he hadn’t said anything, the older man turned on his heel and walked out. She
thought about calling out to him, a ton of questions rolling around in her mind but
she decided against it. She didn’t want to draw attention to him. If he was the person
helping Neal, the chances of this man being in danger were greatly heightened. Charlotte
felt a little unsteady as she looked around the shop, although no one seemed to notice
what had just taken place. That was a good thing.

Charlotte doubted Daegan was still at her residence, but if the Ashes sent someone
to take Mandy then they would know she wasn’t there. Would they think that Mandy was
with Charlotte, visiting a friend…or would they know that she was out of town? Charlotte
hadn’t seen anyone watching her as she’d driven into town to open the shop, but that
didn’t mean anything. They had many, many members within their group that could be
keeping an eye on her right now. She needed to let Neal know immediately so she reached
into her back pocket for her cell, pulling it out and trying very hard to remain calm.
Neal’s line rang twice before he picked up the phone and she closed her eyes upon
hearing his voice.

“Neal? The man you’ve mentioned came by the store and said that the Ashes were coming
for Mandy. He said you should be there when it happens.” Charlotte had spoken in hushed
tones into her phone so that her customers didn’t overhear her. “Should I call the
sheriff?”

“No. Don’t do anything,” Neal stated, his stern order coming through loud and clear.
“You stay at the store and make sure that you’re surrounded by people.”

“What are you going to do?” Charlotte asked, wanting to know so that she didn’t sit
there the rest of the day and wonder if he was all right. “What if they realize that
Mandy isn’t in Hearth?”

“It’s obvious they want her for something they’ve got planned. My team and I are going
to find out what that something is.” Neal paused and she could feel his tension come
across the phone as if he was standing right in front of her. She would have really
liked to have his arms around her to take away this worry. “Do not leave that store,
do you understand me?”

“Yes,” Charlotte whispered, feeling helpless while he and his team were putting their
lives on the line. At least that’s how it felt. The older man didn’t seem to think
this was some visit by an ex-boyfriend. Who knew how far the Ashes were willing to
take this?
Why
did they want her sister? When the man said
they were coming for Mandy
, did that have more of significance than they originally thought? It was obviously
not to just talk to her about Garreth. “I’ll wait for you before I close up the shop
and make sure that Pam stays with me.”

“Promise me, Char.”

“I promise.”

Neal didn’t bother to say goodbye before he disconnected their line. Charlotte didn’t
like not knowing what was going on, especially when what was about to take place was
in her home. She wanted to be there with him and show the Ashes that they didn’t scare
her. They did, but that was beside the point. She slowly lowered the phone and seriously
contemplated the promise that she’d just made. Looking at the time on her phone display,
she realized that the minutes of the day were going to feel endless. Feeling a presence,
she looked up to see a woman holding a few books, waiting to check out.

“Were you able to find what you were looking for?” Charlotte asked, once again pasting
a smile on her face.

“Yes, thank you. You have a wonderful selection to choose from.”

Charlotte began to mindlessly ring up the woman’s order when one of the books chosen
caught her eye. It had come from the New Age section and caused Charlotte to pause
before she placed it in the bag with the other paperbacks. This entire time she had
a complete section in the shop on religion and she hadn’t thought to research cults.
She quickly finished cashing the woman out and made the required small talk. Within
minutes the woman was walking out of the store while Charlotte made a beeline for
the books that she kept in stock in regards to cults. There had to be something in
one of them that would give them some information on why the Ashes were so obsessed
with her sister.