“Neah, you remember Jae, don’t you?” she asked as she petted the dog. Neah turned to Jae on cue. Such a smart girl.

The only thing missing from her idyllic fantasy was a baby, something she and Luke had both wanted from the moment they got engaged. And just this week, her obstetrician had confirmed what the home pregnancy test had told her two weeks ago—she was officially nine weeks pregnant. Their first child was due in August.

She’d planned to share this news with Audrey at breakfast, and now her belly clenched at the thought that her friend was missing.

Surely, if she’d gone to the lodge, she was safe. Maybe she’d just gotten caught up in the storm and the road had washed out? Or maybe a tree blocked the way? Audrey could right now be sheltering in the lodge, unable to make calls because the phone line had been wiped out by the storm.

After all, phone and electrical lines to that old park complex weren’t buried. Every year, the cost of burying utility lines was slipped into the park budget, and every year, it was skipped over in favor of improving cellular service and satellite upgrades.

But satellites failed in the worst of weather, which Lake Olympus had in spades in the winter, and the same storm could take out a cell tower as easily as a telephone line. She and Luke had been stranded by such a storm a few years ago in Neah Bay. But in their case, the lack of contact with the outside world had been glorious.

If Chief Warrant Officer Xavier Rivera wasn’t such a prick—and in the middle of a job—she’d wish that luck for her friend, but as it was, she hoped to hell Audrey hadn’t come across the SEAL in her foray into the park.

She and Jae entered the house with Neah following them, her claws clicking on the hardwood floor. She led the park ranger into the study, where Luke was on the phone.

She met his gaze for a signal that they should give him privacy, but he waved them into the room. Gone was the special smile he’d had just for her ever since they learned she was pregnant. His eyes were now filled with concern.

“Thank you, Captain. I will.” He hung up the phone, then his gaze flicked from her to Jae. “Captain Barrett is going to go up the line to get authorization to share more information with me if he can. Everything about this training is highest level Top Secret.” His gaze met Jae’s. “You might have better luck. I understand Rivera had permission to share details with you from the beginning.”

Jae frowned. “Only the barest details, but yes, I knew about the planned exercise before anyone else affiliated with the park was notified, simply because I helped Xavier scout the location.”