“Did Trace object at all?” she asked gruffly.
McKinnon had objected, Cody remembered. He’d told both Cody and Callahan, You’ve got Keira figured all wrong. But he couldn’t tell Keira that. And he couldn’t tell her what Callahan had responded, either.
She walked toward the stack of gear on the kitchen table and asked, “So, did Callahan tell you how he knows the New World Militia has been resurrected?”
“No.” At least he was on solid ground with that answer. “McKinnon said he should wait until you were there.”
“Well, that’s something, anyway.”
“Keira...” Cody began, then stopped.
She whirled to confront him. “Why am I here?” she demanded. “If you and Callahan don’t think I can pull my own weight, why did you even bother including me on the team? What’s the point?”
Her eyes were flashing again, and it was anger Cody saw in their brown depths. If you’re honest, he thought, you’ll admit you deserve it. He nodded. “I guess there’s a touch of old-school in me, too—more than I realized,” he said, acknowledging the validity of her accusation.
The corner of her mouth twitched, as if she were trying not to smile. “You mean you’re more like Callahan than you thought?”
“Yeah. I guess you could say that. But it won’t happen again,” he promised. “Not on my part, anyway. I can’t speak for Callahan.”
She must have read the sincerity in his tone, because she nodded and said, “Okay. I’ll accept that.” She allowed herself a small chuckle. “Trace said the same thing—he couldn’t speak for Callahan. And now that I’ve finally met him, I realize no one speaks for Callahan...except him.”
“You got that right” came a soft, deep voice from the back door.
Chapter 7
Cody and Keira both whirled. Just as Callahan had crept up unnoticed behind them outside the cabin earlier, he’d managed to enter the cabin from the back entrance without them hearing him.
“Good way to get yourself killed,” Cody told him as his hand dropped to his side.
“True,” Callahan replied, moving into the center of the room. “But it’s also a good way to hear what other people might not want you to hear.” He bent a hard gaze on Keira. “You’re right, and I apologize. I shouldn’t have agreed to let Walker bring you unless I was willing to accept you all the way. Your partner told us we had you figured wrong. Walker and I should have listened to him.”
“You heard what I said?” Keira asked him.
Callahan nodded. “I heard you ask Walker why you’re here.” He drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly, as if trying to figure out where to start. “You’re here because I called him yesterday. I’m sure he’s already told you what I said on the phone—that I know the New World Militia is back in business. What I didn’t tell him is how I know—my neighbor, Steve Tressler.”
“Your neighbor,” said Keira, quickly making the connection. “The one whose blood is on your shirt?”
Callahan nodded and glanced over at Cody. “I knew something was up. I didn’t know what, but my instincts were telling me something wasn’t right for the past week every time I saw Steve—I just couldn’t get anything out of him. Then he came to me yesterday morning. Confessed he’d been recruited by the organization a year ago. They talked a good line, but then, they always did. You remember,” he told Cody.
“Yeah.”
“Anyway, Steve said he hadn’t realized what he was getting into. He was a decent kid—stereotypical computer nerd, but likable nevertheless. Just a little naive at times, and didn’t always use common sense. He was always playing those online war games. He didn’t say it, but I suspect he joined the militia for the thrill of it, thinking it was like one of his computer games. He just didn’t realize it wasn’t a game.”
He drew another deep breath. “It all came down on him when he accidentally stumbled across an elimination list a week ago, and—”
“He saw your name was on it,” Cody said softly.