Paul wanted to see which direction the boat headed. Maybe they could get a fix on where the mercs had staged their supplies. He didn’t think they were storing their weapons here—which made sense if they expected an assault from an entire platoon at some point. They wouldn’t want to lose their stockpile all in one blow.

The darkness of the lodge allowed him to see through the large picture window toward the lake. There was just enough shine from the moon to see the outline of the boat bounce on the water as two mercs stepped aboard.

He paused, and the merc who’d been assigned to ferry him to the bathroom jabbed him in the back.

Paul took advantage of the motion to pitch forward as if the guy had shoved him hard enough to make him lose his footing. It wasn’t that far off given how cramped he felt after being bound to a chair for hours and only catching minutes of sleep at a time.

The man cursed in Russian and kicked at Paul to get up. He rolled and stumbled, drawing out the process as he watched the boat. If he could just delay long enough…

All at once, a massive blast rent the air, and the boat disappeared in a blinding flash of white and orange.

Satisfaction filled Paul as he adjusted his calculations.

Now there was a minimum of nine living mercenaries.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Xavier led Audrey through the forest, moving as fast as he dared. She kept pace with him without complaint in spite of being burdened with an unbalanced pack due to not having proper hiking gear. With each rapid step, he was reminded how incredibly lucky he was to have this knowledgeable woman and experienced hiker at his side.

Without warning, a massive boom split the air. Beneath their feet, the earth quaked. Raindrops fell from shaking tree limbs.

They stood on a steep hillside, and he could see glimpses of the lake through gaps in the trees. He turned his NVGs toward the water as the sound echoed across the basin.

The forest went silent once the earth settled, as if the wildlife all held their breath, waiting to see what was next. Then a cacophony of bird chatter broke out, filling the woods with discordant sound.

“Holy shit,” Audrey whispered, her words nearly lost in the distressed bird noise. “A pipe bomb did that?”

Pipe bombs could have massive explosive power, amplified by the point of detonation, but given their distance from the lodge, he guessed this had been something bigger.

His mind ran over the other items he’d seen on the workbench, remembering the small Dutch oven with the cracked lid. Had the lid broken when George attempted to drill a hole for the fuse cord?