Erin had her hand on the front doorknob and jumped at the sound of his voice. “Dammit, Sokolov. Don’t sneak up on me.”

“I should wear a bell,” he said placidly. “I thought you were going home last night. Please tell me that you didn’t sleep in your car all night.”

Erin winced a little. “No, I didn’t sleep in my car last night.” Then she hopped out of the way when the front door shoved open.

“I think I should use the bathroom, too,” Sasha said, then saw Rafe staring. “Shit. Why are you awake?”

“Why are you awake?” Rafe shot back.

“We’re going to breakfast,” Sasha said, more as a question than a statement. “We just finished a morning run. We both drank a lot of water and . . .” She waved at nothing, but her cheeks were uncharacteristically pink.

“Breakf—” Oh. Oh. Rafe’s lips twitched. “Okay.”

“Smart move,” Sasha snapped. “Especially since Mercy didn’t come back last night.”

“She fell asleep on the sofa,” Rafe said. Not a lie.

Sasha wasn’t buying it. “Why are you awake, Rafe?”

“We’re going for a drive.”

“Before eight A.M.,” Erin said dryly, not even bothering to hide her suspicion. “Alone.”

“I’m ready,” Mercy said from the second-floor landing. “Sorry I took so long. Needed to give Jack and Rory some love.” She stopped on the bottom step, eyes widening at the sight of both Sasha and Erin.

Rafe blinked, then blinked again. She looked so different. Her hair was up in some kind of bun-thing and a pair of thick glasses dominated her face, making her green eyes look owlish. Her cheeks were hollowed out, her cheekbones too sharp. And there was a black beauty mark above her lip. He leaned forward, squinting, to be sure it was actually Mercy. She was still stunning, but not the woman with whom he’d shared pancakes and bacon. “What the hell did you do to your face?”

She chuckled. “Just some makeup. I took out my contacts, so I could wear my glasses.” Her smile faded. “It’s my best attempt at a disguise. I’m not ready to deal with the fallout from that video. Not yet.”

His heart felt sore. “I get it. And I have to say, you did an amazing job. I didn’t even recognize you.”

Erin was watching them. “That’s a lot of trouble for a little drive. And is that a pair of mittens in your hand?”

Sasha pushed past Rafe, into the garage, where she stood next to the open hatch of the Subaru, hands on her hips. “They’re going into the mountains,” she told Erin. “He’s got blankets and tire chains.” She frowned. “And my parka?”

“You guys planning a run for the Canadian border?” Erin asked, not joking.

Mercy aimed a wary glance in his direction but said nothing.

“Nope.” Rafe might have asked Erin to go with them since Gideon hadn’t answered any of his texts, but her overbearing interrogation was pissing him off. “Just a drive.”