Stacey brushed at her long auburn locks. She swallowed hard. “That . . . that’s awful, Jason. I hate men who abuse women. Absolutely hate them. I’ll do whatever I can. Don’t worry about me, I can take care of myself. I take martial-arts classes.”

Jason looked at his watch. Satisfied that he still had time on his lunch hour, he started to lay out his plan. “You have to go get them in your car. I’ll write you a note to give them. Even though Rosalee knows you, she might not want to leave with you. The note will reassure her and once you explain, it should be okay. Pack up the gear and keep it in your car. Take them to a hotel. I’m thinking hiding in plain sight is better than skulking around and hiding. Draws too much unwanted attention. I took some money out of my tuition fund, but I made a serious dent in it when I bought the camping equipment. I’ll have to take out some more tonight on my way home.” He fished around in his pocket and pulled out a roll of bills. “This will have to do for now until I can get more. So, you’ll do it?”

“Of course I’ll go get them, but they don’t need a hotel. I’m house-sitting for some people I know. I have the house till August 15. That’s almost a whole month. We can hide them out there. No one will know. It’s a big old house that was refurbished in the Columbia Heights neighborhood. Three blocks from where I live with my roommate. It’s just a hop, skip, and a jump from ritzy Adams Morgan. Actually, the more I think about it, the more I like the idea. And get this, it’s less than a mile from the White House. It will be like hiding them like you said, in plain sight, so to speak.” At Jason’s blank look, she said, “You know that old adage, keep your friends close, your enemies closer? Same kind of thing. No one expects to find what they’re looking for right under their nose. For now it is a plan. You okay with that?”

Jason continued to roll the cold Pepsi can, which wasn’t so cold anymore, all over his neck and up and down his cheeks. “Yeah, yeah, I’m okay with that. I’m going to draw you a map. Whatever you do, do not call them. Do not use your phone at all. Better yet, take the batteries out till you get back. Don’t call me either. This break room is the only place we can meet and talk. I appreciate your helping me, Stacey.”

“Hey, what are friends for? And besides, I owe you. You introduced me to Jackson. We are becoming good friends. Almost as good as you and Rosalee.” What she didn’t say was she would like it a lot better if Jason and Jackson switched places, but she didn’t. “Hey, you want half my sandwich. It’s turkey and roast beef,” Stacey said, taking her lunch bag out of the fridge.