Plugging in his sat phone to ensure a full charge, Harry fired up the Land Rover and peeled out, heading for the main road. As he drove, he cycled over the facts. Thompson’s arrest had provided positive proof that Gilmont had reinstated his old network.

The brilliant and charismatic ex-professor had inveigled a slew of former students to join his underground league by stroking egos and promising unbridled wealth. With access to such unique skill sets, Gilmont’s force had proven almost unstoppable, until Elise and her former MI6 partner had blown the whistle on him.

If Gilmont was after Elise, his goal was revenge—a personal vendetta. The SIS profiler had assured Interpol that Gilmont’s sense of self was characterized by delusional fantasies of wealth, power, and omnipotence. Those very delusions might well play into Harry’s hands.

Acid pumped inside his gut. Normally, Elise could hold her own, but her injury gave her a strong deficit. And if she hadn’t managed to drop Sammy somewhere safe? Sammy would slow Elise down and place both of them in immediate danger. That’s what worried Harry the most.

He smashed the accelerator to the floorboard.

Twenty steps into the forest from their drop-off point, green gloom and the trickle and drip of water enveloped Elise and Sammy. Thick moss covered the forest floor and fallen trees. The two-mile trek to where she planned to set up camp would leave her and Sammy little time to construct a shelter before they lost light.

Elise set off, keeping to the springy moss to cushion her hips and hide her tracks. Birds twittered, their cries carrying oddly under the vast array of leaves.

Backpacking with an eight-year-old proved a unique experience. The dead pheasant did not bother Sammy. Every time a feather dropped, he picked it up and stuck it inside his quiver.

“You do realize those feathers are crawling with germs, don’t you?” Elise asked.

“I can wash my hands,” Sammy answered with apparent unconcern.

“What are you going to do with those feathers anyway?” The child obviously had a purpose for them.

“I’m going to make an Indian headdress and be a brave. If the bad guy finds us, I will shoot him with our bow and arrows.”

Elise hid a smile. Children could be so bloodthirsty, with little understanding of what their words actually entailed.

Despite the lateness of the day, they stopped often to rest and drink from the numerous burns. The lump on Sammy’s forehead must have hurt something fierce, but he never complained. The farther they journeyed, the greater her admiration and liking for the lad grew.

The long drive and hike had done a number on her hips, pushing her well past the doctor’s directives. Her physical issues couldn’t matter though, not at a time like this.