Thomas exhaled slowly through his nose.
So. The Ranger hadn’t chased blindly.
He’d followedher.
That shifted the math.
Thomas stood and walked to the wall where a satellite image glowed faintly. He studied the terrain—the ravine, the tree lines, the natural choke points.
“She chose this place to slow us,” he said. “And to draw him in.”
“Yes.”
Thomas’s jaw tightened just enough to notice.
“Then we change the axis.”
He tapped the screen farther south.
“Activate secondary pressure,” he ordered. “Now.”
The runner blinked. “That’s… aggressive.”
“Yes,” Thomas replied softly. “That’s the point.”
He turned, eyes cold now. Focused.
“If I can’t separate them physically,” he continued, “I’ll force separation emotionally.”
He picked up his phone and typed one message.
Not to Rylie.
To someone else.
The call cameinto Eagle River less than five minutes later.
Not a threat.
Areport.
Suspicious activity near a residence. Possible armed individuals. Possible connection to recent events involving known Rangers.
The address?
Wolf’s.
Thomas watched the confirmation come through.
Good.
He hadn’t ordered violence.
Not yet.
He’d orderedmovement.
Because nothing fractured a team faster than choosing between the mission and the people you loved.
