Laurie began to stir as the sunlight streaming through the window grew brighter. Dante heard his parents on the stairs, and he knew he should get up before they went looking for him. However, he had a lot of trouble dragging himself out of bed these days. It was another half an hour before he finally made himself get up. Laurie was still asleep, so he kissed her forehead and crept to the bathroom. He changed clothes and went downstairs.

“Good morning!” His mother’s smile was so radiant. She looked like Christmas had come early, and she got the biggest gift.

“Morning.” He went straight for the coffee maker.

“I hope we didn’t wake you.” She disappeared into the pantry. “We get up pretty early to get a jump on the weeding.”

Dante smiled at the notion of his CIA father plucking weeds all day.

“No, I was up when I heard you come downstairs.” He joined his father at the kitchen table. Albert was reading a paper, his empty breakfast plate beside him. Dante’s coffee warmed him as he wrapped both hands around it, drinking deeply.

“What would you like for breakfast?” Emma asked him from the stove.

“Oh, whatever you two have is fine by me,” he said.

“How about some eggs and toast? I can make some sausage too.” Emma picked up a frying pan. “Is Laurie awake?”

“I don’t know.” He shrugged. “I don’t think so.”

Emma turned back to the stove, humming.

Dante smiled. He had never seen his mother so happy. Made him feel guilty for being away so long. He started thinking about the last time he had seen his parents. He was so lost in thought he didn’t notice his father studying him. Dante got to the bottom of his coffee mug, and looked up into his father’s eyes.

“What?” Dante felt his shoulders stiffen.

“Just wondering what’s on your mind, son.” Albert folded his newspaper.

Dante knit his brows together. He didn’t want to talk about what was really on his mind, so he got another cup of coffee instead.

“Nothing.” Dante sat back down. “I’ve just been thinking about how I can keep tabs on what’s going on in my department from here. I can’t bring Laurie back until it’s safe. I left them a note saying I would bring her back when the mole is caught. But I won’t know when that happens. I can’t keep track of whether Kaimi is caught, or whether they find the kidnapping victims. I can’t do much of anything here.”

His father nodded, taking a sip of his own coffee.

“Well, I don’t think you have to worry about all of that right now.” Emma glanced at him over her shoulder.

“I have to worry about it, Mom. Laurie and I won’t be safe until Kaimi and his mole are caught.” Dante looked from her to his father.

“You’ll be safe here. Don’t even think about it.” A hard edge entered her tone. “Now, sit back down. Your breakfast is ready.”

Dante nodded, deciding to drop the subject. He sat back down at the table and looked at his father, but Albert resumed reading the paper. Dante thanked his mom for breakfast. Then he heard footsteps coming down the stairs.

Dante turned to smile at Laurie as she walked in. She wore a sweatshirt and jeans. She looked like she had just come down from the shower. She went straight for the coffee. There was a chorus of good mornings all around.

“It’s cold here.” Laurie shivered as she sat down beside him, her hands buried in the sleeves of her sweatshirt.

“Oh, well the cold’s just getting started.” Emma set Laurie’s breakfast down in front of her. “I hope you have something warmer than that.”

“I don’t.” Laurie shook her head.

“We’ll pick you up some winter clothes. I’ll need some too. We’ll need some toiletries. I’ll have to pick them up the next time you go get groceries.” Dante got Laurie the milk and handed it to her.

“We don’t get groceries but once a month at most, so if you need something before that, we’ll have to make a special trip.” Albert folded his newspaper and set it down beside him.

“You don’t buy groceries?” Confusion passed over Laurie’s features.

“Don’t need to. We have plenty of vegetables from the farm, fruit from the orchard. The Kinney’s down the road raise and slaughter their own animals. They sell milk and eggs, too. We have to go into town to get flour and sugar and maybe a few other things, but that’s about it.” Albert looked quite pleased with the arrangement, and Dante saw his first genuine smile in years.

“Wow.” Laurie raised her eyebrows at that.

“We live off the land here.” Emma sat down beside Laurie. “Sometimes we’ll trade with the neighbors for this or that.”

“I’ll need your help in the barn today,” Albert said to Dante. “I have a leak I need to patch or we won’t be able to bring in the hay.”

Dante grimaced. He didn’t like his father volunteering him for manual labor. But he owed his parents now. He owed them big.

“I’ll be doing some weeding in the garden today if you want to help.” Emma smiled at Laurie.

“Oh, okay. Sure.” Laurie sipped her coffee, her mouth drawn into a frown.

“We should get started.” Albert nodded to Dante.

Dante said nothing. He begrudgingly moved toward the door with his father. He cast a parting glance at Laurie. She gave him a small wave. That cheered him. Knowing she was warm and safe made him feel content. He wondered at that. Dante knew he could put up with his father, so long as it was for Laurie. He wondered at that, too. His urge to protect a witness had never been so strong. Of course, Laurie was much more than a witness to him. Even with previous girlfriends, the need to keep them safe had never been so strong.

Dante got his first glimpse of the farm during daylight as he followed his father. The farmhouse was a light blue-grey, with dark grey shudders. Well-kept, modest flowerbeds stretched around the base of the house. Out back was an expansive garden, which had every manner of vegetable growing. Dante spotted ripe tomatoes, green beans, and peppers, just for starters. The barn towered over everything else, rising up behind the garden, casting long shadows in the morning sun.

Albert and Dante crossed the cut green field that bordered the garden. The rest of his parents’ land, as far as he could see, was corn. Dante took a deep breath. The cold, fresh air woke him up. The sky was brilliant, almost as bright as Laurie’s eyes. The thought made Dante smile.

When they reached the barn, Dante saw bins and bins of corn lined up on the left. Toward the right was a giant table. A bandsaw sat at one end, but the rest of the table was clear. On the far right side was another long table, this one full of tools, saws, and rope. His father turned to him.

“Dante, it would be best if you never brought up intelligence gathering in front of your mother ever again.” Albert rested his hands on his hips.

Taken aback, Dante looked at his father confused.

“What do you mean?” Dante crossed his arms over his chest.

“I mean, when you were talking about finding out information on Kaimi and the mole in the department. Now, I can help you with that, but your mother can’t know.”

“Is there a reason she can’t?”

“Well, let’s just say it’s been a little difficult giving up my old job.” Albert looked away, studying an old hay bale in the corner. “She just wants me to be retired and stay that way. It’s crazy, but I at least let her think I’ve lost touch with my old contacts.”

“Are you saying you’re lying to Mom?”

“Not lying, just not telling her everything. You’ll understand when you’re married.” Albert waved away his concerns.

Dante scowled.

“Do you want me to help you or not?”

“Fine, but I don’t like not telling Mom.”

“It just has to be between you and me, no one else.”

“Are you going to Hilton or the agency?”

“The agency. Hilton will know you’re here the moment I call him.” Albert went to the table and picked up a tool belt. “If I ask him about specifics he’ll just get dodgy anyway. He was never one to give away anything. I suppose he’ll be calling me any day, once he gets wind of you being gone.”