“Stay here,” I whisper to Hannah.
She nods and presses herself up against a row of hedges at the edge of the yard.
I creep up to the side of the house and look in the window but see nothing. I head around to the back and find the remnants of a cooking fire, but it’s cold.
“They aren’t here,” I tell Hannah. “No one else appears to be here either, so let’s go look inside.”
Once inside the house, I go straight for the desk in the living room. There’s a notepad in the middle of it, and I pick it up to page through it. About a third of the way inside, I find a single page with numbers on it.
I grab the paper Katrina had given me with the formula on it and recalculate the coordinates.
“All right,” I tell Hannah, “I know where they went.”
“Are we going to go now?”
I look outside. It’s not dark yet, but there are only about two hours left of daylight. I don’t like the idea of traveling at night, and the location Katrina left me is about two miles away. Hannah isn’t very fast in her condition, and there’s no way we’d make it there before nightfall.
There’s also a reason they left this location.
“I don’t like it,” I finally say. “We should leave. Do you think you’re up for it?”
“How far?”
“Not far.”
“Every time you say that, we end up walking for hours.” She sighs and leans against the couch with one arm wrapped around the underside of her belly and the other pressed against her back. “Couldn’t we just stay here for the night?”
My stomach is all knotted up. They must have gotten out safely since they left the note, but it still doesn’t feel right.
“I’ll carry your pack,” I tell her. “I know you need the rest, so we’ll take a few minutes, but I’m not comfortable staying here.”
For a moment, it looks like she’s going to argue with me, but she looks closely at my face and nods instead.
“Just give me a little time,” she says softly.
Hannah sits on the couch. She looks exhausted, and I consider changing my mind for her sake, thinking I am just being paranoid.
Always trust your gut.
I drop down on my knees in front of her and take her shoes off. She leans back and practically purrs as I rub her feet.
“God, Falk, that feels so good!”
“That’s the same thing you said last night.” I grin.
“I’m not sure if you’re better with your hands or your cock.”
“I’m not sure if I should be insulted or not.”
“Not.” She smiles down at me. “I think you should keep doing that. Maybe I’ll come.”
“Don’t tempt me.” I release her feet and slide her shoes back on. “We need to go.”
I grab both her pack and mine and hoist them onto my shoulders. Hers is much lighter, and it’s left me off balance, but it will still be more comfortable for her if she’s not carrying anything.
“I’m anxious to see everyone again,” Hannah says as we walk. “It feels like it’s been forever since I’ve had someone else to talk to.”
“Do I bore you?” I grin and adjust my speed yet again as she slows. I’m trying to get a couple of steps behind her, but she seems to want to walk at my side.