As she followed him, she made every effort to move with the same degree of stealth he’d mastered. She’d never aimed for silence in the woods. The opposite, in fact. This was bear country, after all. With bears and cougars in the woods, silence was the enemy. It was better to warn animals of her presence than to stumble into their path, startling them both.

But she’d do as Xavier commanded, because at this point, it was clear anything they came across in these woods was far more dangerous than a hibernating bear.

Xavier wanted to break into a full run, but Audrey wouldn’t be able to keep up and be silent. There were people in these woods. He could feel them. They might not have eyes on him and Audrey, but they were nearby.

They reached the maintained path, wide enough for tourists to walk side by side, but in need of maintenance now that it was winter. But the trail was clear enough that he and Audrey could move faster without making noise.

He checked his watch. Dread ran down his spine.

If everything had gone according to plan with Naval Special Warfare Command, the team would be jumping any time now.

There was nothing like the adrenaline rush of a HALO jump. Nothing like landing in enemy territory, loaded with gear and ready for battle. But this was meant to be an exercise. The team didn’t know they were jumping into enemy-held territory for real. SEALs were the best of the best, but they’d be fighting real bullets with fucking paint pellets.

He needed to get to the landline phone in the yurt. Now.

He broke into a run. Forget stealth, it took too much time. He could hear Audrey behind him, keeping pace on the smooth trail. He saw the spire of the yurt through the trees and turned, leading her downslope, off the path.

He came to an abrupt halt when he reached the road. Shit. The nearest culvert to cross under the road was at least a half a klick away. The fastest route to the yurt and a working landline phone was across the two-lane forest road that dead-ended at the lodge complex.

They’d be exposed, but he was out of time.

He turned to Audrey and whispered, “I want you to stay here. Tuck down in the well of a tree. Hide. I need to cross, and I don’t want you exposed.”

She shook her head. “No. I don’t want to be alone out here. There’s a culvert—”

“I know. But it’s too far. We’re out of time.”

“Then let’s go.”

Without further argument, he did. Every second mattered.