Page 13 of Hollow Moon

“You enjoy the outdoors, too,” she said.

“Yeah. I get away when I can.”

“You said you were a private detective?”

“Yes, I work for an outfit called Decorah Security. In Beltsville.”

“I haven’t heard of it.”

“We keep a low profile.”

She nodded.

Staying on the business track, he asked, “How far are you from your car?”

She thought for a moment. “About a quarter mile, I guess. I wasn’t pacing it off or anything. I was just following a trail and looking for a spot I liked.”

He drank a little more of the soup. “Well, speaking as a security professional, I suggest we should get out of here.”

“Speaking as a nurse, I would recommend your getting a little more rest. Before you walk that far.”

“I came a lot farther last night.”

“How do you know?”

“Nobody’s shown up to grab me.”

As that comment hung in the air, she shuddered.

###

Maggie might have said more, but she saw his fingers tighten on the mug handle. More telling was a flicker in Knox’s eye—a flicker she recognized from the last time. They had been in the middle of a perfectly normal conversation, and now he was wigging out again.

He was already looking wildly around the area.

“Christ! I thought you were one of the aliens. But you’re their captive.”

“No.”

“I hear them coming. Quick, into the fortress.”

“Knox, it’s okay. You’re having a hallucination.”

He was already on his feet. Throwing down the mug, he reached for her, wrapping her in his arms and starting to drag her toward the tent.

“Wait.” She picked up the bucket of water and tossed it onto the fire.

It was all the time she had to react. She could have struggled against Knox’s strong hold, but she didn’t think he was any danger to her—at least she hoped not. And what would he do if she resisted? Maybe he’d go back to thinking she was in on the plot.

He pulled her inside the tent, then turned to zip the opening closed.

“Where’s your gun?”

“We don’t need the gun.”

“Why not?”

She swallowed hard and made the split-second decision to go with the fantasy. “The fortress is magic. As long as we stay quiet in here, they won’t know where we are.”

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