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“I don’t know.”

“What do you mean you don’t know? You’re one of them.”

“They keep us in the dark.”

“That seems inefficient. Why would they do that?”

“Just in case.”

“In case what?”

“In case this happens.”

“What happens?”

Another pause.

“In case I fall in love with you.”

My breath, my pulse, and my heart all conspired to do a dizzying thing in my chest.

I didn’t say anything. I just stared at the stupid peony.

“Let me come over. Let me take care of you.”

I wanted to say yes. Immediately yes. Every cell in my body wanted him. To lie against his chest with his arms folding around me. To let that be the loudest thing in the room instead of the peony. And I almost did.

I don’t know where the resistance came from. Probably that I didn’t want him to see me so afraid and helpless. That I wasn’t ready to run to the rescue of a man who kept the company of emotional terrorists. Not yet.

“I need to see myself through this. I’ll be okay.”

I heard him inhale.

“Call me the moment you need me. For anything.”

“I will.”

“Are you free tomorrow?”

“Yes, after five.”

“I want you to meet my grandmother. Things are moving quickly, and we need to move, too.”

“Okay?”

“But we need to be careful. If anyone tails us there, she’ll be in danger.”

“So what do we do?”

“Drive home, park, and go inside as usual tomorrow. Wait thirty minutes. Then walk out the back door and two blocks east. I’ll be waiting in a white pickup. I can borrow it from a guy at work who owes me a favor. I can’t bring the jeep.”

“Okay,” I said, with the urge to close every curtain before the call ended.

“Take care, Marlowe.”

I drew the curtains, and with a burst of paranoia, I moved a dresser to block the front door. I made sure every window was locked, checked again, then checked that the shadow token was still safe in my purse. I glanced at the salt shaker.

I had a little debate with myself about superstition and witchcraft, then divided the salt from the shaker into five jars and threw in a few rusted nails from a cabinet drawer. I placed one in every corner of the house.