SEALs of Honor: Markus Read Online Free PDF Page B

greeting.”
    Barry nodded. Markus cut a strip of his t-shirt and gagged him. Then he replaced the boards, pounding the nails back into place easily. With a final look, he melted into the woods and worked his way around to the front of the cabin.

Chapter 5

    B ree lifted her head. For the last ten minutes she’d been going back and forth mentally. Keep going. No, turn around and find her way to the road. Then…or stay still and hope someone found her. Although hidden as she was that was most unlikely. She wanted to be found, but she wanted to be found by the good guys. Whoever they were.
    And what about the other women? Should she have stayed? Not likely. This way she had the chance to get them help. She had to wonder if she’d only imagined seeing Mary’s father. What if no one knew? What if they were stuck here at the whim of these men?
    She’d had to run. The opportunity had presented itself and she’d taken it.
    And maybe she was a hell of a lot worse off now.
    No, she was free. Alone maybe but she was free of the machinations of men. That worked for her.
    She slid out from under the bough and looked back the way she’d come. Maybe if she returned to where she’d lost her sweater she could reassess the danger level at that point. Undecided, she stood unmoving. Since waking up from her nap, she didn’t seem to be able to make a decision. Or rather she was pulling back from the edge of panic, and reason was slowly making itself known. She’d gotten away. Miles away. And apparently no one followed her.
    Carefully, she walked a few feet ahead. She hadn’t heard anything in a long time and nothing was moving out here. She could see the direction she’d traveled. Taking a deep breath she slowly walked back. A chill had settled on her soul. She rubbed her arms. The sweater would be nice. Only she couldn’t remember how long ago she’d lost it. How far away she’d been. Her journey had gone crazy at that point. She’d panicked more than ever. What was the chance she’d be able to return to that place?
    She had to try.
    Ten minutes later she still wasn’t sure. She was no woodsman. And it was damn hard to see her paths. A few of the stumps and trees she recognized. And other than that…nothing. She had one thing going for her. She was stubborn as all hell. She kept walking.
    And walking.
    Her footsteps slowed finally.
    “Please let me find my way to safety,” she whispered.
    She kept up a quiet litany as she forced herself to keep moving. She knew the theory about staying put in one place if you got lost so that a search party could find you, but they didn’t say what to do in the case of no one looking for you.
    A fallen tree lay up ahead. She stopped then grinned. She knew that tree. She’d crossed it. She remembered trying to clamber over it. Up close she could see the scuffed ground on the other side of the tree from her attempts. Rejuvenated now, she made her way over the tree once again and could see the path that she’d found through the woods. She picked up the pace and kept walking. How close should she go? She needed to stay the hell away from the cabin but still find her way around to the other side where the driveway was. Why couldn’t she have run down the road?
    Idiot.
    What the hell was she thinking? Still, she was free. As long as she remembered that she’d do fine. And keep her brain engaged. No letting emotions rule.
    Tired and feeling the ever-increasing sense of danger, she retraced her steps. Dear God, she didn’t want to be caught. So what the hell was she doing?
    Finally her common sense took over, and she leaned against a tree and tried to talk herself out of the encroaching panic. Nothing had changed. Except for a dark angry looking sky. It was late afternoon and anywhere else in the US, dark would be setting in soon. But she was in Alaska, land of the short nights at this time of year. Still, with the storm and late hour, it was creepy out here alone in the encroaching darkness.