Page 67 of Sergeant's Christmas Siege

“Let’s say that the ritual was benign in every way,” Kate said now. “That doesn’t change the fact that the family was also sending out explosives through the mail. And it certainly doesn’t change the fact that when the troopers came out to the compound, our parents refused to surrender.”

“Why are you here?” Liberty asked again, impatiently. “We’re not the audience for your lies. We know what actually happened.”

“You invaded private property with weapons; you shouldn’t be surprised if what you get is an armed response,” the man behind Liberty chimed in. “We’re within our rights to defend our land.”

“I take it this is your husband, Liberty,” Kate said. She smiled sunnily at the man. “I’m Liberty’s cousin Kate. I’m guessing you’ve heard of me.”

“This is Scott.” Liberty exchanged glances with him. “Life went on without you, Kate. Like you never existed. And let me tell you this right now. You might have ruined our childhood, but you’re not going to ruin the rest of our lives.”

“I’m not here to ruin anything.”

“We’re not breaking any laws,” Russ said.

“I think you’ll find that shooting at an Alaska State Trooper is generally frowned upon, no matter the circumstances.” Kate was still smiling. “But because we’re family and it’s almost Christmas, I’m prepared to overlook that.”

“We don’t need any favors from you,” Scott growled.

“The other option is that I call for backup and have the Troopers swarming all over this place within the hour, which I’m guessing you won’t like,” Kate said dryly. “So really, it’s up to you.”

“If you want something, say what it is,” Liberty threw at her, her pitch rising. “If you just came here to stir things up because you need more attention, you need to go.”

“Do you have your own plane?” Kate asked calmly.

“What do you care?” Russ demanded. Next to him, Scott muttered something he was very lucky Templeton couldn’t quite hear.

“It’s a yes-or-no question,” Kate said, and continued to gaze expectantly at her cousins.

Templeton swept the room, looking from the cluster of children at the top of the stairs—and the blank-faced woman who watched the proceedings down below as if none of it affected her—to the trio of adults standing together on the other side of this weird room, as if they were guarding something. Some kind of temple or treasure.

He put his money on drugs of one sort or another. Or illegal weapons.

But what he bet they didn’t have was a plane.

“And no,” Russ said, as if he was offended by the question in the first place. “We don’t have a plane. We don’t have the same uppity needs that you do.”

“What uppity needs do you mean?” Kate asked him, sounding slightly less calm. “The ability to do my job?”

“I’m more interested in how you know what kind of needs your cousin has, uppity or otherwise,” Templeton said then. “Living all the way out here the way you do and not having spoken in years.”

Liberty rolled her eyes. “I don’t think there’s a single member of this family that doesn’t think it’s in their best interests to keep up with what Trooper Holiday is doing. Seeing as how she went and built a whole career out of betraying her nearest and dearest. Who’s to say she won’t do it again?”

“What do you think would have happened if I hadn’t left that night?” Kate asked her softly. But this time that softness was temper, not entreaty.

“You think we don’t ask ourselves that same question every damned day?” Russ demanded.

Liberty nodded her agreement, her eyes narrowed. “For one thing, the family wouldn’t be in pieces.”

“It’s always a pleasure to learn how little my life matters when stacked up next to the rest of the family,” Kate said dryly. “All of our relatives are still alive, Russ. If I hadn’t left that night, I’m not sure I’d be able to say the same.”

“Boo freaking hoo,” Russ growled. “You look fine to me.”

“I want to hear more about the tabs you keep on Kate,” Templeton said then. He didn’t move from where he stood. But he did widen his stance, and found it entertaining when the two other men in the room stood taller, puffing out their chests like he couldn’t take them bothwith his hands tied behind his back. “Because that sounds a lot like a kind of threat.”

“It’s not a threat to type a name into a search engine,” Liberty snapped. “Seems like we can’t go more than six months without another glowing write-up on the life and times of everybody’s favorite Alaska State Trooper.”

Kate smiled again. “I appreciate your support.”

“All we want is to be left alone,” Liberty hurled at her. “You and Will don’t seem to get that there are consequences to actions, like Father Samuel always said. I would have thought that you, of all people, would know that.”

---