Bodie moved in beside Rowan. “So, you’ll take us?”
Tier snorted. “You should probably look over my maps. See what you’re getting yourselves into before you fully commit, but if you’re determined to go…”
Bodie frowned, glanced at Rowan. “Aren’t we gonna do that here?”
“Do you see any maps? This is my home. We need to go to the war room.”
Nick coughed. “You have a war room?”
Tierney merely rolled her eyes, then struck off. Disappeared off to the left.
Buck stopped them as they rushed the door. “Remember to stay on the path.”
Nick shook his head, mumbling under his breath, as he rounded the corner, followed the stone pathway as it snaked through the forest. Another structure appeared amidst the trees, the metal walls barely discernible between the massive spruce. An old wooden door hung open, light from inside spilling out.
Rowan stepped across the threshold, stopped. The room smelled like cedar and gun oil, with a hint of vanilla layered on top. Charts covered the walls — coastal cliff contours, prevailing wind patterns, along with handwritten notes in oddly legible block print. A few photos had been pinned along a red route outlined on one of the maps, men and weaponry practically jumping off the prints.
Tier glanced at them over her shoulder, then pointed to the route. “Have a look.”
Rowan moved in with the rest of her team, traced the route with her finger before focusing on Tierney. “Is this even a trail?”
“More like a suggestion of one.”
“And the part where it obviously goes vertical for fifty feet?”
Tier merely smiled. “There’s a reason they don’t patrol most of this section. Aside from the insanity of attempting the trek, the entire area’s been wired for sight and sound. We’ll avoid where we can. Hope this incoming storm masks the rest.”
“There’re other trails on here that look larger, safer. Why not take one of them?”
“Because they’re just bait.” She cut off Rowan with a wave of her hand. “You’ll see. But if you’re still determined to try, gear up.”
“Already got everything we need in the trucks. And Foster’s on standby for the extraction. All we need is to get there in one piece.”
Tierney’s eye twitched. “That’s always the catch.” She waved them toward the door.
“That’s it?” Bodie glanced at all of them. “Nothing else?”
“I do have three rules.” Tier held up a single finger. “One, you follow my directions. Don’t get creative and don’t venture off the route.” She raised another. “Two, no chatter unless necessary. If one of us sounds the alarm, we all pay the price.”
Bodie arched a brow when she stopped. “And three?”
She sighed, lips pressed tight, a lifetime’s worth of tension in her muscles. “Don’t die. Same reasoning as number two. We leave in five.”
Chapter Eighteen
Bodie stared at the unforgiving cliffs as the sun sank beneath the distant horizon. Clouds rolled across the ocean in unchecked fury, misting against the rocks before curling across the landscape. The wind sliced through his clothing, the extra layers he’d donned beneath his black tactical gear virtually useless.
They’d woven their way through a maze of giant ferns and moss-draped spruce, finally emerging at what could only be described as a bottleneck of rock and waves, where the shoreline folded in on itself. The tight formation funneled the wind and the surf up the rock face, the salty spray stinging his eyes.
He followed the path winding along the immediate section of stone. Tierney hadn’t been exaggerating. In fact, calling it a suggestion of a trail had been generous with the route stopping and starting at several sections. He didn’t know if they’d go up or down, not that it mattered. Either looked like they’d be courting death, nothing but a hundred feet of air between them and the jagged rocks rising out of the punishing surf.
Tierney sidled up beside him, gaze focused on the storm bearing down on them. “That front’s moving in quicker than they predicted.”
He nodded. “Might help with masking our sound.”
“It might.” She slapped the back of her hand across his chest. “Might get us all killed, too. You ready?”
She didn’t wait for an answer, just headed for the opening of the path along the rocks. Buck followed, flashed Bodie the all-clear sign with his left hand, then continued down the line. Avery went next, Nick close on her heels, looking as if he’d catch her if she so much as twitched, Sloane’s last statement echoing around them.
