Martin said he needed the house for some business, sending Matt and Sheridan outside until he was finished.

"You want to take a walk?"

"Where?"

"There are some nice little spots around the island. Through there," she said, pointing, "you can see a wedge of swans - beautiful birds."

"A what? You mean a flock?"

"If you prefer . . . or a bevy. Anyway, you want to have a look?"

"Sure." He followed after her across the open space around the house into the thin line of trees.

"Have you been here a lot? On the island?"

"Only when necessary."

He smiled at the non answer. "Sheridan I'm not trying to pry, but if I want to make conversation, what can I ask?"

She pushed through some branches onto a grassy bank, and stopped. "How about telling instead of asking."

"Okay, what do you want to know?"

"What made the military security choose you to work at Beatty and Spiers?"

"I thought we weren't talking shop." He moved up beside her and they both stayed quiet as they watched half a dozen swans sail majestically on the far side of the waterway.

She turned to speak, and her foot slipped on the wet grass. Matt grabbed her by one arm, pulling her around into his other, and up against his chest. For a moment their faces were inches apart, breathing into each other's space, as they regained their balance in slow motion.

"You okay," his voice rasped.

"Thanks. I wouldn't want to have to change and have wet clothes for back up."

"Martin doesn't provide that, eh?" He realized he was still holding one arm, and she hadn't pulled away. He stopped talking and just looked at her face. Her brown eyes were jumping from one of his to the other, and her tongue rested against her upper lip. The move was impulsive. He leaned down and kissed her, pulling back, expecting a tough reaction.

Sheridan moved around him and started back to the house. "We should get back."

Martin was out front when they came out of the trees, and right away he sensed something in the body language. Sheridan went straight into the house, giving him a weak smile.

"Things okay?"

Matt adopted an innocent face and nodded. "Yeah we uh- we went to see the swans. Quite something."

"Uh, huh."

"So, anything from Devon?"

"Inside. We need to talk," Martin turned away.

Sheridan looked up from the table as they came in. Her eyes flicked over Matt then fastened on Martin.

"We may have a problem." Martin said, pulling out a chair and sitting down. Devon's check-in signal never came, and there's been no recognition code either. In forty minutes, he'll be overdue."

"So, what do you do? What do we do?" Matt finally sat down, across from Sheridan.

Martin wet his lips. "When I asked you to leave earlier, I messaged control and reported that he didn't check in."

Matt's eyes flicked to Sheridan and away. "What's the protocol now?"

"In . . . thirty-five minutes now, I have been ordered to clean house. That means you two have to go."

"How do we do that with no boat?"

Martin stood and went to a cupboard, bringing a box back to the table. He lifted the lid and handed Sheridan a phone and a sealed envelope.

"The phone is to be left in the lake after you reach shore. You can't come back here. None of us can. Not until the entire place has been scrubbed."

"Understood." Sheridan said. "I'll get our stuff together." She touched his hand. "I'm sorry, Martin."

"Wait a minute, what are we doing? Am I a pumpkin here?"

"Sheridan is a member of our group, you are not. Simple as that, Mr. Constable. She will run your exit operation, and you will follow her orders. Any more questions?"

"I guess not."

The deadline came, and Martin said a few private words to Sheridan before seeing them off. He was back in the house and the lights went out, leaving them in the approaching dusk. Sheridan started off through the trees again in a slightly different direction. Matt hurried to catch up.

"Where are we going? Don't tell me we're riding swans back to land." He got a look, but not a laugh. "Look, Sheridan, about earlier--"

"Past is past." Her tone was firm and flat.

"Okay." He followed a little farther. "What happens to Martin now?"

"He's finished on the island, for now anyway. At least until they find out what happened to Devon. A cleaning crew will come and remove every trace he was ever here."

"So you've lost this haven."

"There's always that risk."

She stopped when they came out of the trees, and opened the envelope. She read it then looked about getting her bearing. Then she tucked it in her jacket and turned on a small flashlight.

"What did it say?"

"Two addresses. Safe houses."

"And how do we get across the water to reach them?" Matt watched her closely. "In that." She pointed as she walked toward a small bush, pulling it aside and dragging out a bundle, he estimated to be about two, by three, by one foot. "What is it?"

Fifteen minutes later Matt stood gawking at what Sheridan described as, a 380x Explorer Inflatable Tandem Kayak.

"We're both going in that! In the dark!"

"Yes. I don't think we can miss our objective." She waved a hand before the maze of city lights and skyline, across the water. "And if you paddle correctly, we should be across in about twenty minutes." She stowed the satchel with the arms and her clothes then grabbed a carry handle, and tilted her head, waiting.

"There's a motor mount for this."

"Which we won't be using. Now grab hold and help me get it in the water"

"I should warn you, I've never been in a kayak before, let alone one you blow up."

"And I should warn you, if you impede my progress, you won't be in this one very long."

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