He’d wasted hours with a group of unruly Russian tourists at Mora Campground. They’d harassed the camp host to the point of Jae being called in, but when it was time to evict, their RV had mysteriously broken down. It had taken two hours for a flatbed tow to arrive to haul the vehicle away. Jae hadn’t dared to leave the poor host alone with the campers.

There was something off about the whole ordeal, but not enough for Jae to make an arrest when expulsion from the park would do the trick. Getting them off park land with a heads-up to the chief of police in Forks—the nearest town that offered a repair shop and motel—had been the best he could do.

But it meant he was very late to his meeting with Audrey.

He’d checked with dispatch, and there was no word from her as to whether she’d entered the park or not. He called the security team that monitored all park cameras. “Has Audrey Kendrick reported in?”

The person he reached had just started their shift and checked the log before answering. “The last communication with Dr. Kendrick was at three thirty-seven p.m. She was en route to the Lake Olympus access road.”

“Thank you. Please call me if she gives you an update on the cameras.”

“Will do, Ranger Son.”

He tried Audrey’s cell again. Was it possible she didn’t know about the training? After what happened, she might have been taken off the contact list. Jae certainly hadn’t asked if she’d been kept in the loop. He’d avoided the subject altogether.

He still didn’t understand what had happened between her and Xavier. He couldn’t imagine his old friend would lie about something so important, but also didn’t believe Audrey would behave unprofessionally.

All he knew was she had tried to use Jae to contact Xavier right before the SEAL dropped his bombshell about her. Was that because Xavier had blocked her number when things soured between them?

Jae had never asked what happened when he left after introducing them. He’d seen the sparks flaring and had figured they’d spent the night together, but it was none of his business.

His role in Xavier and Audrey’s meeting was made even trickier because he’d known the SEAL couldn’t reveal the truth about his job—which also happened to be the reason he’d been at the lodge that night. Jae had vouched for Xavier when the man had essentially lied about his work.