Page 116 of Twilight Tactics

The man checked his watch. “Fifteen or so minutes now.”

Not long.

“Thank you, sir.” Sully returned to Donovan. “Can I see that map again?” Donovan handed it to him. The forest stretched for miles in all directions, but there was a small cluster of structures about two miles northwest.

“What’s this?” He pointed to the screen.

Donovan typed, then looked up. “Hunting cabins, according to the Forest Service database. Three of them are privately owned.”

Sully looked up at the sky. The moon illuminated the landscape, but clouds were moving in. If Elena needed shelter, those cabins would be her best bet. If she knew about them. But the preppers might as well. It was a long shot, but it was the only thing he had that made sense. The people after Elena weren’t too far ahead. He could only pray he and the others weren’t too far behind.

“Okay, I need your best trackers on these coordinates. And I’m going with them.”

Donovan nodded. “Johnson and Reyes. They’re both search and rescue certified.”

“Perfect. Let’s move.”

23

Elena’s lungs burned as she pushed deeper into the forest, her airbag injuries throbbing with each impact of her feet against the frozen ground. The temperature had dropped and her breath clouded in front of her face. It had to be almost three in the morning. She’d caught a glimpse of the clock on the wall in the confession room. She paused behind a massive oak, pressing her back against the rough bark, and struggled to control her breathing.

They’d seen her run into the woods. The pickups had stopped to let out men who were hunting her. Now, the sounds of vehicles had faded, but voices echoed through the trees—men shouting to each other as they combed the area. If she could just avoid them long enough, she could plan her next move. She stayed still, waiting. They should be coming at any moment now. She pulled the coat tighter around her and crouched low, listening. They expected her to keep running forward, deeper into the forest. And for a moment, she considered it. A branch snapped somewhere behind her and Elena lowered herself to the ground behind a fallen log.She controlled her breathing, making each inhale and exhale shallow and silent.

Two men passed within twenty feet of her position, flashlight beams sweeping across the forest floor. They carried rifles and held them like they knew how to use them. She had no doubt they did.

“She can’t have gotten far,” one said. “Iris wants her alive if possible.”

“After what she did to Owen? I’d rather bring her back in pieces.”

Elena remained motionless until their voices faded. The mention of Owen brought a grim satisfaction.

She thought about the hunting cabins. If she calculated correctly, they were maybe two miles from the store. But that far in these conditions, with Iris’s people hunting her? She’d be exposed and isolated, with no guarantee of finding a working phone.

No, she needed help now. Going back to the market was still her best chance.

When she was certain they were gone, she headed back the way she’d come but continued in a long arc, moving from shadow to shadow, that would bring her down the road from the store. Every muscle ached. Some more than others. But pain meant she was alive, so she’d take it.

She broke through the tree line and crossed the road into the woods in case her pursuers decided to backtrack. The wind carried the faint sound of voices and vehicles from the direction of the store, but as she went deeper into the forest, those faded.

It would take her more time to get there, but if it threw the preppers off her trail, it would be worth it. She angled right, continuing the wide path that would eventually bring her back toward the highway and the store. The old tracking lessons from childhood came flooding back—how to walkwithout leaving obvious signs despite the snow, how to use natural features to mask her trail, how to double back on pursuers. It wasn’t perfect, but it might buy her some time. Maybe.

Ironic that she and Iris had done those things as childhood games. Games she’d hated for the most part but that might now save her life.

After long minutes of careful navigation, Elena spotted the lights of the convenience store through the trees. She’d circled back with success, approaching from the opposite side of where she’d entered the forest. The parking lot was all but empty now—no trucks, no pursuers. Just the same truck that had been there when she’d tried to use the phone.

She crept closer, staying within the tree line. The market’s lights were still on, but she couldn’t see anyone moving inside. The pay phone stood at the edge of the lot, illuminated by a single overhead bulb.

Her first call had dropped. The second attempt hadn’t connected at all in her haste to run. She needed to try again, to reach Sully or the sheriff, but the exposed position of the phone made her hesitate.

Behind the building stood a storage shed and a dumpster—perfect cover where she could hide and watch for approaching vehicles. She’d wait for the right moment, then make another attempt at the phone.

She darted across the open space between the forest and the back of the building, staying low. The shed door was locked, but the space between it and the dumpster offered a narrow gap where she could wedge herself out of sight.

Elena settled into the hiding spot, her back against the cold metal of the dumpster. From here, she had a partial view of the highway in both directions. She could monitor approaching vehicles while remaining hidden.

Minutes stretched into an hour. Her body trembled fromcold and exhaustion, but she forced herself to stay alert. Just a little longer, then she’d risk the phone again.

“I knew you’d circle back.”