Daisy counted heads for the third time. Six children tucked into makeshift beds arranged along the wall of what had once been some kind of conference room. The Anderson safe house had surprised her—less bunker and more underground compound, with the sterile efficiency of a place designed for function over comfort. Still, someone had thought to stock children's books, crayons, and a few stuffed animals. It wasn't home, but it would do.
Rosie sat cross-legged on her cot, fiercely braiding Katie's hair while the six-year-old clutched a worn teddy bear to her chest. Scott had his nose buried in a physics textbook that looked way too advanced for him, but Daisy had long ago stopped questioning the kid's weird obsession with quantum mechanics. Ashley and Matty had finally crashed after the adre
