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She follows me reluctantly.

Taylor and Will return through the front door as we reach the kitchen. Both men look at me, but neither asks a question.

I pull out a chair for Sage.

She keeps her backpack on.

“You can set that down,” I tell her.

“I’d rather keep it.”

“All right.”

Arthur places a steak in front of her, along with potatoes and grilled vegetables. She stares at the food.

“Is something wrong?” he asks.

“No.”

“Then eat.”

She cuts the steak into small pieces. After the first bite, her eyes close.

I have to look away.

Taylor brings another plate to the table. “We haven’t been introduced.”

Sage stiffens.

“This is Taylor Bradley,” I tell her. “That’s William Bennett, but we call him Will. The cook is Arthur Dexter.”

“Are they your friends?”

“My Delta Special Force brothers.”

All three men go quiet.

Sage looks from one to the next. Some of the tension leaves her shoulders.

“Were you in the military together?”

“For eighteen years,” Will says.

“Are you still soldiers?”

“No,” I answer. “Now we help people.”

“What kind of people?”

“The kind who need protecting.”

Her fork stops halfway to her mouth.

I lean forward. “Sage, are you in trouble?”

The color drains from her face.

She looks toward the windows.