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The idea of closing her eyes much less getting some sleep was too impossible. Every little noise made her wonder if the men who’d showed up at her door had somehow managed to track her to this ski resort.

A loneliness like never before sank down into her very being. All she wanted was for Ben to show up and assure her everything was going to be okay because right now, nothing seemed further from the truth.

With only a few pieces of wood left, Jen tossed them onto the dwindling fire. Daybreak was still several hours away. Would it be enough to get through? She couldn’t imagine spending the rest of her time here huddled in the darkness with the bitter cold piercing her bones.

Jen wrapped the blanket tighter around herself while her stomach growled—a reminder that she’d need more nourishment than a couple of energy bars. At first light, she’d search the rest of the cabins and the main lodge. Gather what supplies she could. If she wasn’t successful, she’d head to the small town close by and buy food.

Tears filled her eyes. She’d been so mixed up since she’d come to Colorado. So certain she was doing what was best for herself and her future. Now, she wasn’t nearly as positive. She loved Ben. Believed he loved her too despite his loyalty to his job. Why hadn’t she trusted him enough to tell him what she was going through instead of just leaving?

Her heart grew heavy with melancholy. She needed a distraction. Jen pulled out the Bible she carried with her always. “Please show me the right answers for now.” Since she’d left Ben, she’d prayed that same prayers dozens of times.

The Bible opened up to Isaiah 41. Her eyes lingered on verse ten. She read the words aloud several times.

“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”

Tears fell freely on the page. God’s words were just what she needed to hear. She wouldn’t fear. Jen would trust God to see them safely through.

“It’s going to be okay,” she said aloud and firmly believed it.

Jen stretched out on the sofa in front of the fire. A peace she hadn’t felt in a long time wrapped itself around her heart and she closed her eyes. She’d just stay like this for a little while. Rest in God’s promises and wait for Ben. Everything would be okay when he arrived; she was certain of it.

That final, heartbreaking scene between her and Ben played through her mind as it had a dozen times or more.

“Don’t go. Please don’t go.” He’d begged her to stay. His handsome wrenched with shock and despair.

For a second, she’d almost given in. “I have to go, Ben. I…I can’t do this anymore. Can’t live with so many secrets. Not knowing what you’re doing or if you’ll even come home alive.”

He’d crossed the room to where she stood by the door, and she’d instinctively stepped back. If he touched her, she’d lose her nerve.

Ben’s reaction was branded in her brain. “I love you, Jen. We can work through this. I know it’s hard, but soon, I’ll be able to tell you everything.”

Tears blurred him from her sight for a moment. She touched his face. Felt the stubbly beard growth there that she loved so much. Hated that she’d caused the hurt in his dark eyes.

“I’m so sorry—” She couldn’t finish. With a final stroke, she lifted her hand to his coal-black hair and ran her fingers through it one last time. She’d always loved her hero of a husband, but there was more to consider now. “Goodbye, Ben. Don’t try to contact me. I need space to think.” Her fingers shook as she grabbed the handle of her rolling suitcase and opened the door.

“Jen, don’t,” he called after her, shattering her heart. She didn’t stop. Couldn’t. Blinded by the tears, Jen hurried to her car. Somehow managed to get the door open. She dumped the suitcase in the backseat and climbed behind the wheel.

He’d stepped outside. Even from where she sat, she could see the tears in his eyes. She loved him but couldn’t stay married to him and remain in second place to whatever mission called Ben to action next.

He stood tall and handsome there. Every bit the hero she knew him to be. With a final glance, she put the car in reverse before she lost her nerve. He stepped from the porch as she entered the road.

“Jen, please!” A fractured tone she’d never associate with her strong and confident husband finished tearing her heart apart.

With a final wave, she drove away from the house they’d lived in in Washington D.C. for the past few months, but it had never really been a home. Moving there was just as much a surprise as was the change she’d seen in her husband. He’d been preoccupied. Distant. Closed off. Nothing like the man she married. She loved him with all her heart, and yet he’d let other things take more importance in his life and a little more of Ben disappeared with each new day.

She opened her eyes and brushed aside the tears that were always there whenever she thought about that time. Why did their life together have to be so difficult? It hadn’t started out that way. They’d been so happy for a long time, but those past few months of their life together hadn’t resembled a fairy tale.

A noise outside grabbed her attention, taking it away from the sadness in her heart. She listened carefully. A car was easing down the main road. Friend or foe? It was too soon for Ben. She didn’t like her odds that whoever approached was friendly.

Without hesitating, Jen slipped into her jacket and grabbed her bag before heading out into the bitter-cold night. If this was the enemy, they’d see the smoke from the fireplace and come to investigate. She had to reach the truck before they found it and took away her only means of escape.

Chapter Four

“We believe these men and women are responsible for the attacks and we are taking every necessary step to bring them in,” The vice president continued with his lies while Ben struggled to take it all in.

“I can’t believe it.” Cole’s shock came through the phone’s speaker. “In addition to Will’s, they’re showing your picture along with Tegan’s and Peter’s. With the exception of Tegan, they’ve connected the people who were with you in Anana Harbor, Alaska, and are blaming the attacks on all of you along with Sidney and Kaiden. The others.”

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