Page 64 of When the Silence Breaks

Ryder leaned in. “But...”

“But I know exceptions happen. I just don’t think this is one of them.”

“I don’t know the agency like you do, but this is a high-stakes scenario, given what we now know, so there’s a chance this could be sanctioned. Even so, I’m with you. It feels off.” He was listening to his gut again, and this time, that might get them both killed.

“That first day, after the mudslide,” she whispered, “I thoughtI saw a former colleague, but I had to be seeing things because he could not be in Mercy Ridge.”

“Not officially,” Ryder said.

The door of the cabin burst open, and the three men marched out, guns ready to hunt.

“Time to go.” Ryder crawled with her, descending the hill near the lake, guiding her carefully around the edges to the other side where the undergrowth thickened. Only when they were deep enough in shadow to crouch safely did they finally break into a run. He couldn’t risk turning on his flashlight.

He slowed behind a massive stack of boulders, pressing a hand to Sarah’s shoulder as she caught her breath, her chest heaving in the cold night air.

“They know we’re out here,” he whispered, “so they’re not stopping. And if they have thermal imaging—FLIR, drones, scopes, whatever—we’re lit up like beacons out here, especially on this cold night.” He exhaled hard, glancing up through the black silhouette of trees. “Honestly, I’d be shocked if they weren’t geared up with it. It’s standard. Not sure how they missed us to begin with. They don’t have to see us, they just have to follow the heat. Maybe the over-stoked fire from the cabin just saved our lives.” His jaw clenched. “We’re outmatched, Sarah. No supplies, no shelter, and we can’t outrun tech like that.”

Her voice shook as she whispered, “How are we going to make it?”

Ryder glanced around the boulders, the slope, the tree line beyond. “We get under cover. Rocks, water, deep enough tree canopy, anything that breaks the heat signature. If we keep moving out in the open”—he shook his head grimly—“we won’t make it to dawn.”

“But we can’t survive without supplies. You’ve said to always carry survival gear.”

“And that hasn’t changed. We’re circling back around to the cabin. You can slip inside and grab everything and slip out while I stand guard,” he said.

“That sounds dangerous.”

“It’s a chance we’ll have to take,” he said.

“I don’t like this. Not one bit. How did they find us, even?”

“They somehow found out about the cabin. Someone could have told them.” The thought of how that information could have been extracted sickened him. He could count on his right hand how many people knew this place.

“Let’s go,” he said. “Time’s wasting.”

The ground shook with another slight tremor, as if to emphasize his words. He led her deep into the woods until they could see the cabin from the protection of the dense forest. He’d seen three go in and three come out.

Hiding in the shadows of the thick cover, he waited and listened. Ryder spotted two men searching out by the lake.

Where is the other one?“Change of plans. You stay hidden right here. Do not move, even if you see someone. Stay put. I’ll get in and out without anyone knowing.”

“No—”

“This ...thisis what I was trained to do.”

He didn’t wait for her to argue and slipped silently into the night, aiming for the side of the cabin, aware that one or all three could be on their way back there after someone finally realized that Ryder and Sarah could do exactly this—get their stuff and escape.

He made it to the cabin and pressed his back against the logs to catch his breath. To wait and listen. Then crept forward, avoiding the thin slice of moonlight that could reveal his presenceto anyone who wasn’t looking for a heat signature. For now. Though the cabin itself would block him from the men at the lake. If Sarah stayed hidden in the thick part of the woods, she would be safe for now too. The scent of woodsmoke filled the air, and he couldn’t help but wonder if that had been half the reason someone found them. They could have gone a different way with trying to stay warm.

Wasn’t his first mistake.

Their hunters probably had no plans to stay in the cabin tonight. He struggled to understand how they traversed the mountain at night without the right guide. Maybe they’d camped nearby, reasoning that Ryder would end up here. Maybe that shot on the mountain had been intended to herd him here. He was overthinking, and he could figure that out later.

The pursuit team was searching. He had minutes. Maybe less.

He reached the side window that he’d struggled to shut earlier, crouched to wait and listen before assuming the cabin was empty.

Boots scraped against floorboards. His breath caught. Someone had gone back inside. Not good.