Page 95 of Twilight Tactics

“I just found out you were there. Iris saw you at the post office.”

“I saw her too.”

“She said you called out to her, but she couldn’t be seen talking to you.”

“I thought about that.”

“So you see? It’s not safe anymore. For Iris or me.” He stepped forward and took her hands. “You’ll help us?”

“Of course.” But something was wrong. Her gut was screaming at her.

Elena took another step back and noticed someone in the trees bordering the clearing, on the other side of the firepit. “Who’s that?”

“No one,” he said, looking over his shoulder. “Where?”

“In the trees.”

He tensed, then touched her arm. “Eleanor—Elena—we don’t have much time.”

“Time for what?”

“To explain.” He reached into his pocket. “I brought something for you.”

Elena tensed, but he pulled out a small wooden carving—a bird in flight. Her throat tightened. “You kept making them?” She took the carving, running her thumb over the smooth wings.

“Of course. I have a whole stash of them to give you.” He cleared his throat. “I never stopped thinking about you.”

The lump in her throat grew. “Dad—”

“I’m sorry.” His voice dropped to a whisper. “For everything.”

The shadowy figure moved closer. Elena looked up, the wooden bird clutched in her hand.

“We need to move,” the figure said, voice muffled by a scarf wrapped around the lower half of their face.

“In a minute,” her father replied. He turned back to Elena. “There’s so much to tell you.”

“Then tell me.” Elena slipped the carving into her pocket but kept an eye on the newcomer. “Why are you working with these people? The ones who attacked us?”

“It’s complicated.” He ran a hand through his beard. “LaVoy has connections. Resources. He promised protection.”

“From what?”

“The government. The collapse.” He shook his head. “You know what we believe.”

“I know what you taught me.” Elena crossed her arms. “I also know that shooting innocent people isn’t protection.”

“LaVoy brought in outsiders. Things got out of control.”

The figure moved again, restless. “We’re exposed here. This was not the smartest place to meet.”

“Just a few more minutes,” her father said. He turned back to Elena. “We want out. But we need help.”

“What kind of help?”

“A place to go. Money to start over.” His eyes pleaded.

The figure stepped forward again. “We need to go. Now.”