Off in the distance they could hear the sound of a car approaching.

The white van came to a stop next to the little group. Donovan hopped out with a clipboard in one hand, a stack of white envelopes in the other. His face expressionless, his voice neutral-sounding, he said, “I’m to pick up twelve passengers and one dog and take all of you to the airport where a helicopter will return you to Washington, DC.”

“Eleven passengers and one dog,” Olivia said coldly.

“Twelve,” Donovan said, as he pointed to the cable car. They all watched as Kate hopped out. She ran to Sam and hugged her. Stunned, Sam cried harder.

“Full house,” Hawkins whispered in her ear. “That should make you feel good, Sam.”

Donovan walked around to the driver’s side of the van. He carefully avoided Sam’s gaze when she climbed on board with Alpha and walked to the back, where she sat down next to Slick, Alpha at her feet. For obvious reasons, no one spoke a word on the way to the airport.

It was four thirty in the afternoon when Sam led her team to the rental car agency, where she signed up for a Ford Explorer. While they waited for their vehicle, they shook hands all around with Team Five. They were about to separate when the woman who had originally taken them to the helicopter almost a year ago appeared, her hands full of folders. She waited a moment until she had their attention. One by one, she called their names and handed each of them an envelope. “The short version is, you all signed a contract, and you will be held to that contract. Twenty-eight days from now, you are all to appear right here at the entrance to this airport at 0800. Except for Samantha Rainford. If you do not appear, you will be hunted down. Is that clear? Enjoy your R&R, ladies and gentlemen.”

A lot of blustering and cursing followed, but in the end they had to accept the outcome. Sam allowed herself to be hugged again before Team Five set off to go their separate ways.

“Joey can help us all disappear,” Kayla said. “He knows people who know people if you know what I mean.”

“Not the kind of people who are associated with the mountain, Kayla,” Sam said quietly. “You have to go back, that’s the bottom line. Come on, let’s go to my house and call your brother. First, though, we have to stop at the grocery store so I can buy Alpha some food.”

At six o’clock, they were eating Chinese, pizza, and hoagies—food that Sam liked but only played with now—and swigging on beer as Alpha sniffed every inch of his new home.