Under the Wire: Bad Boys Undercover by Helenkay Dimon Read Free Book Online Page A

ready to run toward the structures, Reid slipped his hand under her elbow. “Stay behind me.”
    “No arguments there.” And for once she didn’t. She slid back, using his shoulder as a shield, and slipped her finger through his belt loop. “You get to be in charge of this part.”
    “That’s what I like to hear.”
    “Don’t get used to it.”
    He nodded to Parker. “Swing out to the left. We’ll follow along this side.”
    He reached back and touched her hand to let her know they were ready to move. They walked the length of a football field to get to the huddle of four small nondescript white buildings. All single story and boxy. The buildings sat in the middle of an open field with more mud patches than grass.
    The two structures in the middle looked to be larger and connected, with limited windows. A small shed stood off to one side. The door to the structure, maybe twice the size of an outhouse, stood open. The wind lifted it and banged the handle against the wall every few seconds, with the broken lock hanging open.
    Other than the steady knocking and the rustle of trees, Reid didn’t hear any other sounds or see any signs of life. He couldn’t even imagine why someone would put buildings out here, so far from anything and standing right in the shadow of the grim-looking mountain looming behind. There were hiking trails in and around parts of the Urals, but not here. Not on this side of the mountain, which consisted more of rocky outcroppings than anything else.
    With slow steps, careful not to give away their location to anyone who might be lurking nearby, or to trample on something that could trip a wire, they made their way to the closest edge of one of the free-standing buildings. Reid pushed Cara back against a building and edged alongside of the window. Peeking in, he saw a similar scene to the one out in the campground. Papers everywhere. Smashed laptops. Add in clothing strewn across the floor and broken furniture, and they’d stumbled over something more than a burglary.
    Reid could see from one side of the building to the other. No people inside. Whoever ripped the place apart had moved on, but that didn’t mean they’d left.
    He kept pressing forward, clearing every inch and stopping for a quick check of the other door near the middle of the building. Just a small bathroom. The one place that looked as if it survived a destroy-everything-in-sight search.
    “This is the main building.” Cara whispered the words directly into his ear in a voice so soft even he barely heard her. “The makeshift labs and collection areas. The communications center.”
    He nodded to let her know he understood. Then his gaze switched to the far end of the complex. Parker must have cleared the last building because he headed toward them just as Reid reached the set of double doors connected the two main units. He gestured for Cara to stop.
    “Do not move.” He wasn’t sure if he said the words or just telegraphed them to her, but he could tell she understood. With wide eyes filled with fear, she inched back until she hovered in the doorway with her back tight against the doorjamb. Her hands tightened around the pocketknife until her knuckles turned white.
    He winked at her, hoping she took that as a sign everything would be okay. And it would. There was no way in hell she was doing anything other than walking out of there. If it took his last breath, she’d leave Russia healthy and safe.
    Parker went first then Reid slipped inside behind him. The open area was a replay of the other building.A mess of broken equipment and shredded documents. Smashed rocks with piles of what looked like dirt on the floor.
    He could make out muddy footprints. Boots, large, likely belonging to men with equally big guns. No spent cartridges or signs of shooting. Even more important, no blood. No sign that humans had been injured here.
    After walking from one end to the other, opening the limited number of doors and searching under