Six-foot fencing topped with razor wire—seriously? Talk about unfriendly. A gate barred the way, and inside the fence, a small shack stood next to the road. Somehow, she doubted it was a bus stop, more like a guard hut.

Up the slope, the cleared forest still lay under snow. High tunnel greenhouses dotted the fields. Farther away, log houses mixed with prefabs in an unsightly mess. The buildings were too distant to see the people. Are you there, Kit? Is Aric?

At the gate, Frankie turned off her car and stepped out, avoiding a patch of ice. Brrr. The cold, damp air smelled like evergreens and snow with a hint of wood smoke—and was so clean her city lungs might go into shock.

As she approached the gate, she heard barking. Two dogs jumped out of the hut, followed by a man who held a rifle. Frankie knew Obadiah was a Christian fundamentalist fanatic, but this place felt like a third-world prison camp.

Her plan to loudly demand to see Kit was a bust. The isolation here and the guard’s rifle wiped out that strategy. In fact, telling these people she knew Kit would be a mistake. She needed more information first.

Wearing a black winter jacket, jeans, and black boots, the scruffy-bearded guard scowled at the big black dogs. “Shut up. Sit.” After the dogs obeyed, he turned his attention to Frankie in a long, leering study. When his gaze lingered on her mouth, she was glad her coat covered her curves.

To her relief, he angled the rifle so it didn’t point directly at her. “Are you lost?”

“I don’t think so.” Frankie gave him a wide smile—something she rarely had to force, but everything about this place was creepy. “Is this where the Patriot Zealots live?”

His face went cold. “Yeah, who wants to know?”

“Uh, I do.” Duh. Am I not standing right here in front of you? “I heard my aunt joined and was here, and I thought I’d pop in for a visit. She’s getting old and—”

“No visitors allowed.” He moved the rifle to cover her again. Cavolo, that was a big gun. Didn’t they have any laws in this state?

She widened her eyes, all girly shock. “No visitors? Like, at all? How am I going to say hi?”

He shook his head. “If yer aunt wanted to be around the modern world, she’d be out there. She wants to be here with no contact with the outside. No contamination, just peace.”

“Huh. But what if she gets sick? She’s not young anymore.”

“We care for our own.”

“Can I leave a messa—”

“You can fuckin’ leave.” He gestured with the rifle—such an unsafe move.

“Okay, right.” She huffed out a breath and lifted her lips into another brainless smile. “Sorry I bothered you. You have a good day.”

Followed by the dogs, he swaggered back to the guard shack.