“Oh, naturally, we’ll use our cons for good.”

“Phew.”

“When you get home, will you be able to tell me what all this was really about?”

The fact that she was already referring to her house as his home was an unexpected pleasure that almost eclipsed the second part of her question. “What do you mean?”

“It’s pretty obvious that if you were able to run the op to rescue the chemist, then halting that mission wasn’t the motive. No way in hell would a team of SEALs HALO jump into a compromised op two weeks after…everything we went through.”

Audrey knew the limitations of what they could say on FaceTime. They were always careful in their conversations.

“I’ll check with the brass and make sure I have clear parameters on what I can tell you. I’ll push for full disclosure, but can’t make promises.”

“Fair enough.”

He loved that he could trust she wouldn’t push for more than he could tell. But then, she knew in his heart of hearts, he’d give her every ugly detail.

Someday, he’d have to share the full truth about what had happened in Belarus.

Maybe if Chris had been able to tell his wife everything, they’d still be together.

The next day, the final package arrived from REI. Audrey had all the major items—clothing and camping gear—that they’d taken from the Baldwin cabin. Right down to the sports bras and long underwear.

She’d already spoken to Danielle, who’d been far more concerned about being reported for running a vacation rental when the easement with the park didn’t allow for that than with Audrey taking items they’d needed to survive.

But given that she couldn’t even tell Danielle the full story of why it had been so important, after assuring her she didn’t give a damn about the vacation rental setup, she’d been determined to replace each item.

She had everything—right down to a brick of gourmet cheddar cheese. She would admit to being a bit surprised at the cost, but it did explain why the cheese had been so damn good. She’d ordered a brick for herself and figured she had a new obsession.

Along with returning Danielle’s things, now that the lodge area had been cleared, she could finish recording the damage to the archaeological site and document the damage to the historic structures. Lake Olympus Lodge had survived a battle, but not without injury.

In addition to ordering replacements for the Baldwins, Audrey had put together a new dig go bag, having lost hers somewhere between the helicopter, hospital, and base.

The one item she didn’t replace in her dig kit was condoms. One way or another, she wouldn’t need those in her dig kit in the future. Although the last box had served her well in the strangest way.