Page 25 of Into the Storm

“Cohen was in here alone?” she asked.

He nodded. “Besides me, there are five others. Cohen in HQ, and four playing tangos. Two in the woods, two in the lodge. I’d just finished my final inspection and was headed back here when Cohen saw you on camera pulling up in front of the lodge. He radioed me to intercept you.”

She heard what he didn’t say—if it weren’t for her, he’d have been here. Watching Cohen’s back. If she hadn’t shown up, he might’ve been able to stop this from happening. Jeb would still be alive. Cohen would still have ten fingers.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. Her throat had turned dry again. She took another shaking sip of water.

“This isn’t your fault, Audrey.”

“I pulled you away. Maybe—”

“Don’t go there. We don’t know what would have happened. Hell, for all we know, it could be my finger on the table and Cohen with the butchered neck. Or vice versa.”

“What do we do now?” she asked.

He picked up the phone handset on the desk. An old-fashioned corded phone in keeping with the seventies architecture. It was one of the few items on the tables that hadn’t been smashed. “No dial tone,” he said. He pointed to the kitchen to the right of the main room. “None of the digital clocks are lit. I tried a switch in the utility room because it doesn’t have windows, and the light didn’t go on. I’m guessing they cut cable, phone, and power lines at the road. No electricity and no communications for the entire complex.”

“Several buildings, including the main lodge, have generators.”

He nodded. “Phone is what we need more than anything, though, and a generator won’t help there.” He cleared his throat. “We’re going to finish searching this house, we’ll grab any functional supplies we can get our hands on, then we’re heading to your SUV and getting you out of here.”

She nodded. She was terrified at the idea of leaving him, but she could call for help once she was out of range of the signal blocker and in range of a cell tower—which, unfortunately, was at the other end of the eighteen-mile road.

“Do you have a vehicle?” Audrey asked. “That might be easier than backtracking through the woods to mine.”

He shook his head. “They’re in the garage of an inholding cabin on the far side of the lake.”

“Which one?” She couldn’t think of anyone who would give the Navy access to their cabin.

“The one owned by the Kalahwamish tribe. A tribal member is Army Special Forces. He’s worked with a SEAL lieutenant I know. We went through channels and cut a deal.”

“You’re talking about Bastian Ford.”

“You know him?”

“We’ve met—through George. George is part Kalahwamish, and he was in the Army once upon a time. Served in Vietnam. Bastian and George have hung out in the lodge a few times.”

“I wish we could pack you off in one of our vehicles,” Xavier said, “but yours is much closer.”

She looked toward the windows. The pounding rain would make the trek to her car difficult, but at least the noise would cover their passage through the woods. And maybe they’d encounter some friendly SEALs on the way.

A girl could hope.

They searched the main and upper floor of the yurt quickly, finding no other trace of Cohen and no useful weapons. They were limited to what he had in his tactical vest and she carried in her pack.

There was a magnetic waistband gun holster that was salvageable, and Xavier showed Audrey how to hook it over her pants or the lip of a pocket to secure the Simunition Glock within easy reach.

“I think it’s a good idea to keep the round chambered,” he said. “You comfortable with that?”

She nodded as she tried to decide where to wear it. Finally, she tucked it in front of her left hipbone for easy reach with her right hand, if her raincoat had two buttons open. “I’ll be careful.”

“If someone comes at you, aim for the face if they aren’t wearing eye protection. It’s your best shot at doing real damage, and we know they won’t hesitate to hurt you.”

Her stomach churned at the idea of deliberately shooting someone in the face. She thought of poor Jeb and steeled her resolve. She pressed a hand to her belly.

She’d do whatever it took to get out of here alive.

The hike back through the woods to Audrey’s car took far too long in the frigid rain and darkness. First, they had to head in the opposite direction to a culvert so they could cross the road without exposing themselves. After that, they trekked through the woods paralleling the road until it became the gravel track that ran behind the lodge complex.