“Before it’s too late for what?” Lucas asked.

“Before they’re all dead. One of them will know something. As soon as we end this call I’ll be on my way to Seattle. I want to be sure I’m on the ground there so that I can move quickly once we have the information we need.”

“If you do find them in time, you’ll need North and his aura-stabilizing gadget,” Lucas said. “I’ll put him and a team on the Foundation jet as soon as possible. They will be in Seattle about the same time you get there.”

“What about Olivia?” Victor said.

“She stays here until we locate the island and have control over it,” Harlan said. He glanced at Dexter Rose.

Dexter nodded. “This is the safest place for Olivia for now. Fogg Lake is a fortress.”

—

Twenty minutes later Harlan and one member of the Fogg Lake security team were standing outside a Foundation SUV. Olivia and Harmony were there to say goodbye. They were not alone. Euclid Oaks, Dexter Rose and several local residents were present.

It was the biggest send-off of his career, Harlan thought. For a man who had always worked alone, it was a little disorienting.

It dawned on him that this would be the first time he had been separated from Olivia since he had met her. She was going to spend the night in the library with Harmony, so he didn’t have to worry about her sleeping in the back of her vehicle. The town was a fortress. She was safe.

He finally realized that his reluctance to leave had something to do with the fact that he was not sure how to say goodbye. Sure, they had become lovers during the night, but the circumstances were not exactly normal. On the other hand, what did he know about normal relationships? He had never actually had one.

This morning Olivia had been mortified by the fact that her neighbors had seen her wrapped in his arms in the back of her SUV. Would she be embarrassed if he kissed her goodbye in front of everyone now? What was she expecting him to do? Wave? Social skills, dumbass.

But whatever he had in the way of social skills deserted him in his moment of need. He froze.

Olivia walked toward him. Stood on tiptoe and brushed her mouth against his. Before he could unfreeze and return the kiss she was already stepping back out of reach.

“Be careful,” she said.

He jerked his head once in a nod that was supposed to acknowledge her words, yanked open the passenger side door and got into the SUV. The security agent assigned to accompany him got behind the wheel. His name was Andrews. He fired up the big engine and put the vehicle in gear.

Harlan focused on the side mirror, watching Olivia until she and the others disappeared around a curve in the road.