Pulling the hat low over his eyes, Gibson walked out to the road. He didn’t see anyone, but that didn’t make him feel safe. How long could he wait, though? Billy needed a surgeon.

He took out his phone. It was a risk; the phone might be how Jenn and Hendricks had tracked him to the lake house, but he saw no alternative. He powered it up—one bar. He moved across the parking lot, hunting for a better signal. He settled for three bars. Hendricks would have simply known, but Gibson needed to search for the nearest hospital. He found one eight miles from here, memorized the route, and made the call he’d been dreading. He didn’t want to scare her unnecessarily, but he couldn’t avoid it now.

“You wouldn’t believe how hot it is here,” he said when she answered.

“Say that again?” Nicole asked.

“You wouldn’t believe how hot it is here.”

“How hot is it?”

“One hundred and ten.”

“What’s the heat advisory?” she asked.

“Find shade.”

She was quiet for a moment, then, “Well, try to stay cool.”

“Tell her I love her.”

Nicole hung up without another word.

It was their old code from when he’d been in the service. It meant there was a legitimate terrorist threat to DC, and she needed to get to safety. Calls home were monitored for key words and phrases, so a lot of guys had a way to warn family.

Nicole would take Ellie to her uncle’s hunting lodge in West Virginia. She’d be on the road in less than fifteen minutes and would stay off the grid until she heard from him. He’d never had to use it while he was in the service. He was grateful now that she still respected him enough to trust him and not ask questions. Although if he survived all this, he knew he would have many to answer.

The road was still deserted in both directions, so he made another call. It was a number he hadn’t dialed in over a decade; he couldn’t recite it, but his fingers knew it. He just prayed it was still good.

A young boy answered. Gibson asked for his aunt. The boy set the phone down roughly and ran off, yelling “Mom.”

A woman picked up. She sounded just the same.

“Hello, Miranda.”

“Gibson? Is that you?”

They talked for a few minutes. He told her what he needed. She wasn’t sure if she still had it but promised to look.

“If I have it, there’s only one place it would be,” she said.