“Can we catch pollywogs?” Sammy asked.

She cleared her throat. “We need to move camp first, then we’ll see about those pollywogs.”

“Why can’t we stay here?” Sammy asked.

“Once a good cloud cover descends, it could be days before the rain lets up. I doubt our shelter will stay dry.” Elise couldn’t tell him that playing hide-and-seek with a monster would take up the majority of their day—perhaps even longer if help did not arrive soon.

Sitting side by side on a large boulder, she and Sammy picked the pheasant’s carcass clean.

“Do you think my dad will find us today?” Sammy asked, licking his greasy fingers, then rubbing them on the moss beside him.

“Possibly.” Elise infused as much cheer into her voice as she could muster. No sense telling him that their being found depended entirely on Harry’s memory of a chance conversation they had held last summer.

If Harry didn’t locate them soon, she’d need to secure Sammy and go on the offensive with Gilmont. No one associated with her—not even those with a remote connection—was safe as long as she remained his target. The ex-professor had a sadistic way of retaliating against those he sought by harming those nearest and dearest to his intended victims.

Her throat constricted. If she and Sammy made it out of this alive, she had no intention of taking her parents for granted again. Caring for Sammy had woken her to the massive responsibilities parents carried when it came to raising bairns. She owed her own parents a debt of gratitude for all they had done on her behalf. Despite her stellar reputation, she had not been an easy child.

“I’m still hungry,” Sammy told her matter-of-factly.

“Let’s see what we can forage.” Elise rose to her feet and shifted her hips to a more comfortable position. “Do you like mushrooms?”

“They taste better than bugs.”

“I agree.”

Sammy flashed her a grin that reminded her of his father. It made her heart ache for Harry’s strong arms and comforting presence. Why was it that dire circumstances lent such clarity of perspective? She loved Harry and valued his presence.

“Let’s bury this carcass before we go; no sense leaving proof we were in the vicinity.”

With Sammy’s aid, Elise tipped a large rock to the side and shoved the pheasant’s remains underneath it. After reconstructing her makeshift rucksack, she lifted her bow, and they started off, abandoning their campsite to the elements.

“Will the bad guys find our shelter?” A wee furrow dented Sammy’s brow.

“Not unless they stumble upon it; it’s fairly well camouflaged. I don’t know about you, but I’m still hungry and looking forward to those mushrooms.”

“Where do we find them?” Sammy looked up at her.

His tummy growled, and his woebegone expression tore at her heart. Elise squeezed his shoulder.