Page 82 of Twilight Tactics

He nodded, checking his weapon. “Let’s go.”

They plunged into the dark forest, flashlight beams sweeping across the undergrowth. “There,” Elena said. “That branch was broken recently and there are footprints in those leaves.”

“How on earth did you spot that?”

“I was trained to. If I wanted to eat, I learned to track.”

“Elena...” His soft shock reached her.

“It’s okay, Sully. You don’t have to feel bad for me. I may have had to go through all of that as a child to be able to do what I’m doing now. Save Ollie.”

“That’s one way to look at it.”

It was the only way to look at it. “Looks like she’s running hard, possibly in a panic. I pray she has her meds with her.” She continued to watch the trail. “And there’s a print even you can see. A bigger one that looks like a loafer. I hope his feet are freezing.”

“Probably didn’t expect a chase through the woods.”

“Probably not. Good job, Ollie. This way,” she said, leading Sully to the left. “She’s smart, but I’m not sure if she’ll try to reach the ranch or find a place to hide.”

“My guess is hide. At least until she’s sure no one is around to grab her.”

“Yeah. Maybe.”

The forest closed around them, thick and silent except for their soft footsteps and the occasional night creature. Elena strained her ears for any sound not belonging to nature—either Ollie’s movements or the men who’d tried to take her. “Ollie doesn’t know these woods,” she murmured, “but I caught her studying maps of the property and the town.”

“Sounds like her,” Sully said.

“She loves to learn. Between the books and the maps, I think she knows where she is. If she keeps going in this direction, she’ll hit the creek that runs near the southern property line of the ranch. She can see the ranch from there. A little farther and she can cross at Highway 14’s bridge, head back to the ranch entrance, and be at the house shortly after that.”

“Let’s hope she remembers that,” Sully said.

“I think she will. As long as they don’t catch up to her first, I think she’ll be okay.”

“From your lips to God’s ears.”

“Amen to that.”

Ollie pushedforward through thedarkness, trying to be quiet, but the forest floor crunched and snapped beneath her boots. Even the moon betrayed her, staying hidden behind clouds. But every step sent her deeper into the woods and farther from the men who wanted her dead. Tears clouded her vision while her lungs burned and she slowed a fraction.

The map she’d studied earlier flashed in her mind—if she kept going west and north, she’d hit the creek that ran along the highway near the ranch. And she thought there was a bridge somewhere not too far down.

Just keep moving. Don’t stop.

Voices echoed behind her. Closer now. The men had gained ground.

Math. She needed math to stay calm. Twenty-three times seventeen. Three hundred ninety-one. Her feet pounded the dirt in rhythm with the numbers that scrolled through her mind as she put some distance between her and the voices.

Then her boot caught on an exposed root, and she stumbled forward, catching herself against a tree trunk. The gloves protected her hands, but she needed to pay attention.

She pushed off and stood still for a moment, listening. She thought she heard the voices again. Faint, but there. Somehow the city slickers were staying on her trail. A beam of light cut behind her and she stifled a yelp. They were coming.

“Ollie!”

She froze. That was the agent’s voice. The new guy. Agent ... what’s his face. Gowen. He’d somehow picked up her trail and followed. Then she’d gotten into the truck with Charlie and then they’d wrecked and she’d run. How had he gotten so close to her?

“Ollie! Come on, please. I just want to protect you.”

Right. No way.