“Are you worried about…” Jim hesitated, no doubt trying to decide how much he wanted to say aloud. “Our friends?”
“Very much so.”
Dalen jerked his head toward the nearest intersection, urging the other man to follow. He turned around and began marching up the sidewalk at a brisk pace. He wanted to be far away before anyone came outside to see what all the commotion was about.
They rounded a corner onto a street very much like the one they had left behind: a narrow lane sandwiched between townhouses that stood three stories high. An old, gray cat came skulking out of the shadows, but other than that, he saw no one. He supposed it was safe enough to speak his mind.
Dusting his hands to ease his anxiety, Dalen kept his eyes fixed on the ground under his feet. “I should be with them,” he s
