"Unknown. Could be a mole in my organization, could be they're tracking something you're carrying. Change vehicles, dump everything electronic except the secure phone."
Walker's mind raced. "Where do we go? We've burned through our options."
"I've arranged extraction. Sending coordinates now. Get there by dawn."
The phone buzzed with incoming data—coordinates for a location two hours north.
"We'll be there," Walker confirmed, ending the call.
He glanced at Sabrina in the rearview mirror. Despite everything, she looked calm, determined. Their eyes met in the mirror, and something passed between them—a silent acknowledgment of the danger.
"What's the plan?" she asked, her voice steady.
"Ditch this vehicle after twenty miles, find another. Head to extraction coordinates. Reed's sending a team to get us out."
Henry nodded. "I know a place we can swap vehicles without questions. Old contact of mine."
Walker drove with careful precision, avoiding main roads while maintaining speed. His senses remained on high alert, constantly scanning for pursuit or ambush.
After forty minutes of tense driving, Henry directed them to a small auto repair shop tucked away on a side street in a rural town. Despite the late hour, lights burned inside.
"Wait here," Henry said, getting out.
Walker kept the engine running, gun resting on his thigh. "If anything happens," he told Sabrina, “Slide down to the floorboard. Stay low."
"Okay. We'll make it through this," she said softly. "Together."
Walker's free hand came up to cover hers, squeezing gently.
Henry returned with a scruffy man in overalls. After a brief exchange and the passing of what looked like a significant amount of cash, the man nodded toward a garage bay.
"We've got a replacement," Henry confirmed, sliding back into the passenger seat. "Navy buddy of mine. No questions asked."
Walker drove into the garage, where a nondescript pickup truck waited. They transferred quickly, leaving the SUV behind.
Back on the road, they maintained silence.
Walker navigated toward the extraction point. The landscape changed around them—civilization giving way to wilderness as they climbed higher into mountain terrain.
Dawn was just beginning to lighten the eastern sky when Walker finally turned onto an unmarked forest road that matched Reed's coordinates.
"This is it," he said, driving slowly now, eyes scanning the dense trees on either side.
The road ended at a small clearing. No vehicles, no people—just silence.
"Are we early?" Sabrina asked.
Walker checked his watch. "Right on time."
Henry was already out of the truck, weapon ready as he surveyed the area. "I don't like this. Too exposed."
Walker nodded, his instincts similarly alert. "Stay in the truck," he told Sabrina. "If you hear shooting, get down and stay down."
Before he could exit, she caught his arm. "Walker."
He turned back to her, struck by the intensity in her green eyes.
"Be careful," she said simply, but the words carried weight. Her fingers tightened briefly on his arm before releasing him.
