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ChapterSix
It was dark by the time Jae made it to the Lake Olympus Road gate. Audrey’s vehicle wasn’t parked in or outside the gate as he’d instructed. His headlights shined on the heavy-duty lock designed to defy bolt cutters. Locked tight as it should be. But then, Audrey had a key. As did Jae.
The lock on the inholding entrance had been changed two days ago, but the park gate had the same master lock used for all gates. The Navy had requested the lock be changed, but ONP had remained firm—they were not to be locked out of their own facilities. Emergencies happened, and hikers could need rescue outside the training zone in other areas along the eighteen-mile road.
Had Audrey used her key? Surely she knew a training was set to begin tonight, making the area off-limits?
The splatter of rain on Jae’s white and green law enforcement park ranger SUV increased in tempo. The front edge of the promised storm had arrived.
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.
At the time, it didn’t seem like a big deal. After all, he’d trust Xavier with his life. He was a good man and a very old friend. He’d warned Audrey that Xavier wasn’t the relationship sort because he knew she was still hurting from a bad breakup and didn’t want to see her hurt again, not because he had any misgivings about the two of them hooking up if that was what they both wanted.
He’d never dreamed Xavier would hurt her more than even Audrey’s ex ever had.
None of it made sense. For Audrey to have denied the permit because she’d been rejected after a one-night stand, she’d have had to have known why Xavier was at the lodge. Which meant Xavier must have spilled the beans after all. But Audrey claimed she didn’t know anything about his role in the compliance process.
None of it sounded like something Xavier would do.
The end result was an ugly tangle Jae had managed to avoid for the last month. Now he feared his neutral stance between two close friends was about to be tested.
If Audrey had entered the park and interrupted the training, she could be in serious trouble. Sure, the cameras gave her a legitimate reason for concern, but if Xavier or the other trainers believed she’d spoiled the training for revenge, she could end up in jail.
How badly did I fail her as a friend?
His call went straight to voicemail. Again.
He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. It was possible she’d made it to the site, taken photos, and was back on the road and out of cellular range again. But wouldn’t she have called him? Cell coverage was decent in the meadow.
Jae tried Xavier’s number, knowing it was unlikely he would answer given that the training had probably started.
He looked out at the pounding rain, feeling sorry for the team that had to work in this. Xavier had said he hoped for a storm to kick off the training, but Jae figured he’d gotten more than he wished for. This rain would be brutal—not cold enough for snow, just heavy and miserable.
If Audrey had entered the park, she could be in trouble. If the training had been interrupted, the hundreds of thousands of dollars that had been poured into the setup and running of it could be wasted. Not to mention the national security implications. Jae had no idea what this training was about, but he figured it wasn’t generic as the Navy had claimed. There was a specific op they were preparing for, and it was big.
He wished he’d never introduced the archaeologist to the SEAL, because if Xavier had lied about Audrey…that was unforgivable. No way could he defend his friend. And if Audrey really had denied the permit simply because she’d been rejected, well, he couldn’t hold a grudge against Xavier for sidestepping her authority in this.
