“Whittenhall,” Stewart whispered.

Alex nodded, his heart trying to hammer its way out of his chest. “He told you to take me out.”

Stewart’s eyelids fell closed, then slowly opened. “He thinks you know.”

“Know what?” Alex moved his face closer to the dying man. “What’s Whittenhall think I know?”

Surprise crossed Stewart’s eyes. “Besand. You know about Besand.” He coughed and bloody spittle hit Alex in the face. Alex wiped at his face, knowing he was talking to a dead man.

“Know what about Besand? What do I know?” he yelled.

Stewart’s face contorted into a grin, his eyes focused beyond Alex, and his breathing halted. Blood pooled in his mouth.

Alex grabbed the front of Stewart’s coat and shouted, “What do I know?” He shook the dead man, froze in horror at his

actions, and then yanked his hands away, dropping Stewart back into the snow. Alex stared at the sightless eyes as he wiped the blood from his hands onto the snow, willing Stewart to say another word. Every nerve in Alex’s body screamed the question. What do I know?

Alex looked up and met Matt’s gaze.

The other marshal looked dazed. He kneeled in the snow, his gun drawn too late and resting against his thigh. Matt licked at his chapped lips, breathing hard as his eyes focused. He looked Alex up and down before he spoke. “Found you.”

Alex heaved Stewart’s pack onto his back. Matt slung on his own pack, and Alex watched Matt’s hands tremble as he fiddled with the straps. They’d covered Stewart with a thick layer of snow and tied a shirt to the nearest tree to mark the area. Matt had noted the location on his GPS. Alex broke the tense silence. “What the fuck is going on? What are you doing out here?”

“You say that like you own this piece of woods. I could ask you the same question.” Matt gave him a level look. “Stewart contacted me and said he needed someone with outdoor experience to go in after a plane that’d crashed with Linus on board.” He spoke Linus’s name with the slightest quiver.

Alex swallowed and nodded for Matt to go on. He’d tell him in a minute about Linus. It wasn’t going to be easy. At one time, the three of them had been as close as brothers. Until Alex had stopped all communication.

“When I got to the base camp, the sheriff told me that a marshal had already gone in with his team. You.”

Alex didn’t say anything.

“Stewart told me you’d manipulated your way onto the team because you wanted to get to Linus. But halfway up here he told me that Darrin Besand had been on the transport, and right then I knew Linus wasn’t your only motivation. Hell, Linus might not have been your concern at all.” Matt spit the last sentence, his face dark.

“That’s not true,” Alex stated firmly.

Matt rubbed a hand over his mouth, and Alex knew he didn’t believe him. “Then this morning he tells me he has orders to shoot Besand on sight if he survived the crash. I was still trying to wrap my mind around that statement when Stewart spotted you.”

Matt shook his head. “It was weird. We’d both spotted you through binoculars, and I was so damned glad to see you in this freezing hellhole that I didn’t notice Stewart had put his rifle to his shoulder. I’d told him a hundred times on the hike up here that the AR-15 was too awkward to bring along. Now I know why he insisted on bringing it.”

Matt shuddered.

“That shot scared the shit out of me, but I knocked him down and got the rifle out of his hand. What I really wanted to do was beat him over the head with it. We’d been going at it for a few minutes when you came up.” He grimaced at Alex. “You

startled me when you yelled his name. For a split second you sounded like the big boss man, Whittenhall.”

“Did Stewart say why he shot at me?”

Matt shook his head. “I kept asking him why the fuck he’d done that, but he’d only say that he had to.” He paused. “Do you know why?”

Alex stood silent. “Yeah, I think I do. I’ll fill you in on the way back to the plane.” He started off in the direction he’d come, stepping in the footprints he’d made earlier.

“The plane? You found it? Anyone live?” Excitement filled Matt’s voice as he stepped along beside Alex, but then he frowned. “How come you’re alone?”

“Everyone else is back at the plane. Linus died and the pilots didn’t make it.” He met Matt’s gaze and watched the pain line his face. “I’m really sorry to tell you about Linus. The three of us used to be tight. But it looks like Besand lived.”

Matt halted. “Looks like?”

“He wasn’t with the plane, and I think he’s hiding out nearby, waiting for me. I thought that shot had come from him.”

“Then what are you doing wandering around the woods if you think Besand’s trying to kill you?”

Alex’s lips formed a cold smile. “Trying to draw him out.”

“Kinton.” A new voice.

Matt whipped around and leveled his gun at Thomas.

“Don’t!” Alex lunged and pushed Matt’s arms down. “He’s with me.” Alex glared back at the Alaskan. “About time.”

“I’ve been watching for a while.” Thomas’s mouth twitched.

Thomas did reconnaissance, covering the area a hundred yards out from the cockpit in a circle as Alex led Matt to the small piece of plane to look for any new signs of Besand. They dropped their packs and approached with weapons drawn. The skin on the back of Alex’s neck tingled and pricked as they stopped behind the pilots’ seats.