CHAPTER 51
Kori’s mindwouldn’t slow.
She watched the road ahead. The trees pressed in on both sides. Finally, the pavement gave way to gravel as they turned onto the old logging road.
As they traveled, she tried to organize her thoughts into something useful.
It wasn’t working. All she could do was worry about Mackenzie. About how she was probably a liability to these people.
Her throat tightened.
“Do you think my sister is okay?” Her voice sounded raw with emotion.
Wyatt broke from his focus for just a moment. “We’ve got to believe she is.”
Silence settled between them.
“I’m not comfortable with you being out here with me,” Wyatt said. “But I don’t have time to take you anywhere else.”
“I’ll be careful. I’ll follow your directions. Whatever you need.”
He nodded once, his eyes staying on the road. “My team is headed to the wrong location, and I can’t get hold of any of them.”
“You suspected the map was wrong from the beginning too, didn’t you?”
“I knew something was off. A group that careful doesn’t leave things behind.”
“It was all misdirection,” Kori murmured.
“And it worked.” His jaw tightened. “They bought themselves time and sent law enforcement to the wrong side of the mountain. That was probably by design too. It’s harder to coordinate a response when your team is on the other side of a ridge.”
Kori stared out the window at the passing trees. “What do we do when we get there?”
“We observe. There’s no way the two of us can take this group down alone. I’m going to keep trying to reach Graham, but until I do . . .”
She understood. They were on their own for now.
As she turned that over in her mind, a rush of anxiety swept through her.
She thought about Mackenzie. About the trail camera footage. About what Wren had told them.
Please, Lord . . . let her be alive.Let her be okay. Let Pete be okay. Let us find them in time.
Wyatt ran through various scenarios as he drove.
Best case: The Remnant hadn’t reached the property yet. Max’s aunt and uncle were safe inside, and he and Kori could get them out before anyone arrived.
Second best: The Remnant was already there but hadn’t made a move.
Any other scenarios he pushed aside. Not because they weren’t possible, but because dwelling on them wouldn’t help anyone.
The logging road narrowed. It was little more than two tire tracks pressed into the snow, with the forest crowding in tight on both sides. He slowed as he got closer to Herb and Billie’s place.
A mile away, he stopped the truck and cut the engine.
He turned toward Kori. “We go the rest of the way on foot.”
She nodded. “Smart thinking.”
