“It doesn’t matter,” he said, his eyes widening. “If it’s a modern smartphone, Julian’s security team can ping the GPS even if it’s powered down. They have military-grade tracking software.”

My heart stopped.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the device.

It was warm to the touch.

Suddenly, the screen lit up again in my hand.

It hadn’t just received a text.

The screen showed a local map, with a pulsing red dot centered directly over our cabin.

“Throw it away!” Alexander gasped, trying to stand.

His legs gave out, and he fell back onto the sofa.

I ran to the kitchen, opened the back door, and threw the phone as far as I could into the snowy brush.

I slammed the door and locked it.

“They’re coming,” Alexander whispered.

“We have to go,” I said, my voice shaking. “We have to leave right now.”

I grabbed my heavy coat and helped him back to his feet.

He leaned heavily on my shoulder, his breathing shallow and rapid.

Before we could reach the front door, a low, rumbling sound echoed through the quiet woods.