She darted between trees, finding energy reserves that had been kindled by the hope she would find Xavier. She paused on the edge of the forest, looking over the cleared swath, when she heard a birdcall that sounded familiar.

She jolted and turned, searching the woods for the source of the sound.

She wasn’t skilled enough to make the return call, wasn’t even sure she remembered exactly the sound.

She raised her walking stick and hit it against the tree. Once. Pause. Two in a row. Pause. Then once again. The wood knocks carried through the woods, and a moment later, she heard the return knock: one, one, two.

The SEAL team knew the birdcall, and they even knew the first knock pattern, but only Xavier knew the reply.

Her vision blurred as she headed in the direction of the knocks and tweets.

She wanted to shout his name, but feared others might be in the vicinity. It would explain his caution in not calling out to her.

She raised her binoculars to her eyes and scanned the trees. Movement caught her attention. She adjusted the zoom. Three men. One seated, two standing.

Xavier slowly rose from the ground. His hair was thick with mud, but his clothes were not.

She dropped the binocs and ran toward him as he opened his arms. She stumbled slightly when her brain registered that the men with him were Jae and Luke. She’d figure out that part later.

She would have thrown herself into his arms, but she stopped short, seeing his battered face and pained expression even as his eyes burned with emotion.

“Is this real?” she asked as tears tracked down her face.

He closed the distance between them, and his arms encircled her. “It’s real, sweetheart. I’m here.”

Chapter Thirty-Nine

They debated heading down the hillside versus staying put, but in the end, Xavier passed out, making the decision for them. Audrey sat with her back to a log and Xavier’s head in her lap, as Jae attempted to reassure her that Xavier would be okay.

His face was ashen and his skin chilled. She guessed he was running a fever, which was a bad sign with a concussion.

The whir of helicopter blades cut through the air, and her heart leapt as it became clear rescue was at hand.

Audrey’s signal panel—the waterproof sheet with a forest-camouflage pattern that they’d used twice when taking shelter in tree roots—was put into use again, but this time, it was flipped over, revealing a neon-orange side. Jae secured it with rocks at the corners, laying it in a small clearing well away from the unstable mudslide perimeter. The clearing wasn’t large enough for the helicopter to land, but Luke assured her the Navy would be ready with a stretcher to be lowered down on a cable.