Using his rear-view mirror, Tony had scanned the area and then reversed. Shifting into park, he leapt out, leaving the truck idling. ‘Stay here while I check.’ When he climbed back in, there was an edge of excitement in his voice. ‘Hop out.’ While he hid his truck in brush so thick even she had trouble believing there was a vehicle there, she studied the terrain, proud that she’d picked up on some of the little things just by observing Tony. She also annoyed him with endless questions, such as why he always camouflaged his truck. ‘In case anyone’s lurking about’ had been his flat response. By anyone, she knew he meant her and Emerson’s kidnappers.

Without conscious thought, her feet guided her toward the path. The closer she got, the faster her heart pumped. She hadn’t even realized she’d veered off and away until she heard a crashing behind her. Her mouth went dirt dry as Tony came hurtling around the corner, face so beet red he looked to be on the verge of a cardiac arrest, hissing, ‘What the hell do you think you’re doing! Are you trying to give me a freaking heart attack?’

She couldn’t stop it; she buried her head in her hands and fell to pieces, not because he was berating her, but because he reminded her of her father the time she’d gone off exploring on her own at an outdoor market.

She’d been six, and he’d turned his back for a moment to speak with a vendor about some classic records or cars or something. She’d spotted a man walking the cutest puppy, and without thinking, she’d followed, wanting so badly to pet the dog. But then that man had rounded a corner, and a huge playhouse caught her eye. Before she knew it, she was darting in and out of that. One thing led to another, and she’d been having quite the adventure, never realizing her father had been searching for her for nearly thirty minutes.

Unlike that day in the market with her father, who’d scolded her all the way back to the car and all the way home, Tony stopped mid-rant. ‘Shit. Don’t cry. Damn it. You scared me, that’s all. I’m not going to hurt you. Damn it! I didn’t… please stop crying.’

Addis wiped her arm across her runny nose and mumbled, ‘Sorry.’ Then she pointed down to the soft, worn patch of red and orange leaves scattered on the ground, lifting her finger and rotating it in a slow circle. ‘Em and I always joke that she’s so directionally challenged that she could get lost going around the block. I guess this forest is a little different, but—’