Chapter 505

As Lieutenant Gregerson led his squad at a rapid walk to the north, the highway soon began climbing, and groves of trees started to fill in the land on the east side of the road just as Colonel Gallway had predicted,. The incline was gradual, and not exclusive by any means. There were plenty of places where the highway descended, but never for as long as the inclines. The result was a steady rise in the height of the cliffs above the ocean, as well as a hillier, more wooded landscape on the other side.

The lieutenant was in a bit of a quandary. The supremely fit Marines were capable of moving at a much more rapid pace than the one he had settled on. He knew that the faster he and his squad travelled, the more quickly they would overtake Leah if she was somewhere ahead of them. And the sooner they overtook her, the sooner they’d be able to protect her from any danger. But if they moved too rapidly, they risked missing any trace that Leah—or anyone else—might