Page 77 of Jay Bird

“That sounds ominous.”

“It's supposed to look like this.”

“Like it’s condemned?”

“Exactly.”

Willow stared at him.

Jay Bird shifted Lily higher on his hip as the little girl squirmed excitedly in his arms.

“Arianna’s dad designed it this way years ago. It keeps tourists moving toward the nicer-looking places.”

“You’re serious?”

“Mostly locals come here. A lot of military and first responders. People who know about it.”

Willow shook her head. “That might be the strangest marketing strategy I’ve ever heard.”

“It works.”

Lily bounced against him. “Down, Jay!”

“Nope.”

“Down!”

“You’ll make a run for the road.”

“No.”

“That’s exactly what someone planning to run for the road would say.”

Willow smiled as Lily gave him her pouty lip. She had been excited from the moment Jay Bird told her they were going out for dinner. Apparently, three weeks of buses, trains, hiding, and hotel rooms hadn't diminished Lily’s enthusiasm for going places now that she no longer had to be afraid every time they left the house.

Willow wished she could say the same, because ever since they’d pulled out of Jay Bird’s driveway, her stomach had been knotted tight in a way she couldn’t quite shake.

A restaurant meant people, noise, and strangers moving constantly behind her.

She knew everyone they were meeting tonight was connected to Jay Bird and the teams. She had even spent part of the week looking at pictures while Jay Bird patiently tried to help her remember names.

Still, knowing that didn’t completely silence the part of her that searched every crowded space for danger.

Jay Bird seemed to pick up on it without her having to say a word, and a moment later his hand found the small of her back, brushing there lightly in a quiet, steadying touch that grounded her more than she expected.

“You good?”

Willow looked up at him. He had promised before they left that he would stay beside her all night if she needed him to.

“Yeah.”

“If that changes, tell me.”

“I will.”

He nodded toward the door. “Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be.”