ChapterSeven
It was slow going at first, but finally, they’d put enough distance between themselves and the encounter with the tango for Xavier to use his red light to find their way through the woods. Without his NVGs, it was just too damn dark.
Rain filtered through the evergreens, but they were more protected than not by the dense growth in this section of forest. Branches dumped water on his head and back as he brushed against them, but he didn’t pay attention to the chill that penetrated his camouflage rain gear. He was more concerned about Audrey. She was an avid hiker and knew this forest, but hadn’t been prepared to be in the woods in the dark during a winter storm. Her boots were light hikers, and her raincoat was more fashionable than rugged.
“You okay, Aud?” he asked softly as they reached a small but rapidly flowing stream they’d have to wade across. There was a footbridge on the main trail, but they couldn’t risk the easy route, and there were no culverts away from the road.
“I’m better than Jeb. That’s all that matters.”
He nodded and stepped into the stream. They didn’t have time for sentimentality here. Just knowing she had the strength to keep going was enough. He was impressed by how well she’d held it together so far.
He didn’t need to close his eyes to remember the shock of horror on her face when the guy came at her on the cliff or when she’d spotted Jeb slumped over the power meter. He guessed she was taking a survive now, panic later approach. He appreciated her ability to compartmentalize. Hell, he’d spent weeks of BUD/S training trying to achieve what she’d managed in just a few hours.
But then, she’d had a crash course in the real world, while his training had been a facsimile of the real thing. Grueling and brutal, absolutely. But still, deep down, he’d known it was fake.
He’d thought she was pretty damn amazing the night they met. Now he upgraded that assessment to include remarkable.
It was a short distance from the stream to the first inholding after the yurt, a small cabin that was cinched tight against winter storms. Xavier would have peeked in the windows to see if any electronics glowed with power, but the windows were all shuttered and the detached garage locked.
Three cabins later, they slipped through a barrier of blackberry vines and reached the outer perimeter of the Jamison cabin. Audrey’s suggestion had been a good one. It was a fair distance from the lodge, and the lake curved in a way that it couldn’t be seen from the yurt or lodge.
The cabin was one of the older structures in the area and constructed with thick logs, making it more bulletproof than newer cabins made with drywall, insulation, and siding. As with the other older structures, the windows were shuttered tight for the winter.
“What are you doing?” Xavier asked as Audrey ran her hand down a corner where the cut ends of logs were notched and joined at the rear of the home.
“Getting the key to the back door.” She stood and held up something small. He saw her smile in the glow of his red light.
He couldn’t help but smile back, a strange pride blooming in his chest. He’d worried about breaking a window—it would be both a signal and entry point for the enemy, but of course, Audrey had access to the key. “What, it’s not a color-coded one on your magical key chain?”
She laughed softly. “No. I don’t know the Jamisons that well, and this cabin doesn’t belong to ONP.”
But clearly, she knew them. Like she knew Jeb. Like she knew this park.
And his lie could have taken it all away from her.
When they got out of here, he would call her boss and the ACHP. He would tell everyone he’d lied. The blowback on the Navy would be bad—no doubt it would end his career as a trainer—but it was fitting and the only way to make things right. He couldn’t hold his career as more valuable than hers.
Which, of course, was exactly what he’d done a month ago. He’d had very good reason, but she would never know that part.
He took the precious piece of metal from her hand and moved to flank the back door, nodding to her to take the other side, just like they’d done at the yurt. “We’ll go in fast and search the place.”
The cabin was one story, but larger than many of the old lakeside cottages. It had a big kitchen with a walk-in pantry, dining area, living room, one bathroom, and three bedrooms of roughly equal size.
He relocked the rear door once they were inside. After the initial search, he did a second check of both doors and every window, making sure the cabin was secure. All the windows had exterior shutters and interior curtains. From the outside, no one would know they were here.
He looked at Audrey in the dark room, wishing he could turn on a brighter light than the red one. Even with the closed curtains and shutters, he wouldn’t take the chance that light could slip through.
But the red light was enough to see she shivered in her soaking wet, mud-coated jeans and drenched raincoat. “If there are clothes in one of the bedrooms that fit you, you should change into something dry.”
He circled the old woodstove in the corner of the room by the picture windows that overlooked the lake. Fully enclosed in black iron, the woodstove would pump out heat, but wouldn’t emit light. Rain and darkness would hide smoke from the chimney. It was tempting to build a fire to cut the chill in the room and give Audrey’s coat a chance to dry, but a heat camera could pick it up.
Too risky.
“I’ll grab blankets from one of the beds. You can bundle up and get warm.”
“What about you?” she asked.
He’d been thinking about this the entire long journey to the cabin and knew she wouldn’t like it. “I need to head back out. I’m going to hike up to the van with the signal jammer. Disable the system so I can call NSWC and radio the SEALs.”