I smiled and kept moving.
Halfway through my sector, a door creaked open.
I dropped into a crouch instantly, pulling Jolly with me into the shadow of a woodpile. My heart hammered against my ribs. Twenty feet away, an old woman stepped onto her porch, a shawl wrapped around her shoulders. She stood there for a long moment, staring up at the sky like she was looking for something.
Jolly was absolutely still beside me, his breath slow and controlled. He understood this game.Be invisible. Be patient. Wait.
The woman sighed, crossed herself, and went back inside. The door clicked shut.
I let out a slow breath. “Good boy,” I whispered.
We waited another thirty seconds, then continued.
Elena’s house was the last stop in my sector.
I recognized it from the photos Lauren had shown me—a small home with blue-painted shutters, a garden out front that had seen better days. This was where a nine-year-old girl had made a choice that most adults wouldn’t have the courage to make. She’d helped strangers when helping strangers could have gotten her killed.
I checked the intel sheet one last time.Household: 1 adult (grandmother), 1 child. Needs: food, medicine (arthritis), school supplies.
The canvas bag was heavier than some of the others—packed with everything Lauren knew they needed. I placed it on the porch, tucked against the wall where it would be protected.
Then the last item. A package larger than the others, wrapped in paper with snowflakes on it—clearly Lauren’s work. No tag. JustElenawritten directly on the paper in silver ink.
Prioritize that coordinate. Get it right.
The porch was the obvious spot, but obvious wasn’t good enough. Not for this one.
There—a window on the side of the house, lower than the others. A child’s room. I crept around the side of the building, moving through the garden on silent feet, and found a small ledge beneath the window. Just wide enough.
When Elena woke up tomorrow morning and opened her shutters, this would be the first thing she saw.
I placed it carefully, adjusting the angle so the snowflake paper caught what little moonlight filtered through the trees.
Keep practicing your English. Read everything you can find. You’re brilliant.
This was Lauren sayingI remember you. I haven’t forgotten. You matter.
Jolly pressed his nose against my hand.Time to go.
“Yeah,” I said softly. “I know.”
We made it back to the rally point with time to spare. The helicopter appeared over the tree line right on schedule, and we loaded up fast—Jolly hopping in beside me and immediately curling up on the deck like the mission was over and it was nap time.
As we lifted off, I looked down at the village one last time. Still dark. Still quiet. No one knew we’d been there.
Once we hit cruising altitude, Ty pulled off his headset and grinned. “Okay, I need to address something. Who assigned the call signs?”
Jace raised his hand, utterly unrepentant.
“Cupid.” Ty shook his head. “You made me Cupid.”
“It fits. You’re the one who’s all heart-eyes over Charlotte now.”
“I could’ve been Blitzen. Blitzen sounds cool. Blitzen sounds like someone whoblitzesthings.”
“Blitzen was already taken.” I scratched Jolly’s ears. “And Rudolph’s the one with the nose that saves the day, so that worked out.”
Jolly’s tail thumped against the deck.
