Page 71 of North

Then she looked at Selah. And that’s when Selah spotted the Glock in RJ’s hand. “You follow Hana and don’t look back.” She picked up her son and kissed his cheek. “You hold on to this nice lady, okay, J-man?”

His chin started to tremble.

RJ kissed him, then set him on Selah’s back, moving his legs around her, his arms around her neck.

Selah gripped his arms.

“Don’t drop my son.”

Selah’s eyes widened as she looked at RJ. “No, never—I would⁠—”

“Good.” RJ keyed in another code, then opened the door. The air hinted at smoke. The woman looked out, then drew back in. Met Hana’s eyes. “Follow me. And don’t look back.”

Hana nodded.

“Go.”

RJ took off, Hana with her, and Selah leaped out after her.

And then she ran.

Now, they cut across the yard, right toward the dark water.

Oh God, please save us!

RJ stopped and directed Hana to a path through the woods, well-worn but hidden in the foliage.

Behind Selah, glass shattered from the house, and she glanced back right before disappearing into the forest. Flames licked out the kitchen window.

What have you done?

RJ reached out for her. “Keep going. Follow Hana.” Then she stepped behind her, and Selah guessed she was checking for followers.

“Go! Go!”

So Selah ran. Sticks and twigs broke beneath her grimy sneakers, and Hana pushed away tree branches that snapped back and smacked Selah across the face. She slowed, put distance between them, and that helped.

Maybe a hundred or more yards from the house, Hana emerged into another yard. A smaller house—a cabin, really, made of cedar, with a wraparound porch and a firepit circled by Adirondack chairs.

Hana ran up the stairs and pounded on the sliding glass door. “Mr. Jethro! Mr. Jethro!”

By the time Selah got to the porch, a man had opened the door, caught Hana by the shoulders. “Are you okay?”

Then he looked past her, and his gaze must have landed on RJ. “What’s going on?”

Selah would put him in his late sixties, maybe early seventies, lean, strong, dressed in a flannel shirt and jeans. He had a sort of cop confidence in his green eyes.

“Martin,” RJ gasped. “He found us.”

“Get inside.” Jethro stood at the sliding door, gestured for Selah to follow Hana. She stepped inside, into a kitchen with yellow Formica counters, a small round table, and a cozy living room with a sofa and a couple overstuffed chairs. The place had a feeling of home and safety, and as she set Josh down, Selah grabbed the back of a chair, trying to right herself.

What have you done?

RJ came in, closed the sliding door, and breathed out, hard. Met Selah’s eyes, her jaw clenched.

Then she bent and scooped up Josh, holding him close.

“You okay?” said Jethro.