Sophie hovers in the doorway like she can feel it. “Is Margot coming too, Daddy?”
“You’ll see her again,” I promise, walking over to hug her. “Maybe this old house someday, too. This isn’t the end. I just need to make sure no one’s being targeted.”
“But who? Won’t you tell us anything?” Dan flings his clothes on the bed, and I fold them.
“Don’t know. Still working on that part,” I say.
“Sophie? Want some help packing?” Margot offers from the hallway.
“I just… I don’t want to go!” Her little face wilts. “Tell Dad you want us to stay.”
Margot throws me a wry look. Judging by the anguish in her face, I know she understands how serious this is.
“I wish I could, honey,” she says gently. “But this time, you’d better listen to your dad. He’s doing the right thing, even if it sucks a lot right now. Come on, let me help…”
Thank you.That’s the only thing I can mouth.
Then Margot takes my daughter and leads her off to help get her stuff sorted.
The entire time I’m packing up Dan’s belongings, my phone is out, lying on top of the bed. I keep my ears peeled for any notification dings from the camera app.
With this fucker decloaking with his direct threat, I can’t afford to let my guard down.
Not for a split second.
Dan stares at his packed luggage with a frown that cuts across his face.
“I still don’t get why you’re not coming if it’s sooo dangerous,” he whines.
“Because it’s my problem. This person, they’re angry at me, and that means I need to make sure there’s nobody else in the way if this guy wants to meet and the cops can’t find him first.”
He sighs, closing his eyes.
“Well… when you’re done, can we come back?”
“We’ll see. Probably not for now, but next year? It’s possible.” I ruffle his hair. “I’m proud of you for taking it in stride. Look after your sister and grandma, okay?”
He nods glumly.
Then there’s a knock at the door, and Sophie pokes her head around the corner, a packed suitcase trailing behind her and her pink backpack slung over her shoulder.
“Where’s Margot?” I ask.
“She said she had to grab something from her room,” she says. “But she told me to tell you she’s ready.”
I scroll through my travel app for available flights.
The airport in Bar Harbor is small, just puddle jumpers and a few private planes, but I know there’s a flight out to Portland later tonight. I’ll have my mother waiting to pick them up after she flies up to Maine.
It also means a slight wait at the airport to make sure they get on the plane, but better they’re out of the house ASAP. No one will target us there.
“Come on,” I say. “Let’s go downstairs and wait for her in the living room.”
“We’re not saying goodbye,” Dan tells Margot gently. “More like ‘smell ya later.’”
Sophie cracks the weakest smile.
“Margot said the same thing,” Sophie says, wiping at her face with her cuffs. “She says she’ll see us again no matter what.”
