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“I told her to Natalia never fails She will be in the cabin, with the door locked She will shoot anyone who tries to harm them”

“Will they know I’m safe?”

“Natalia knows you are with me, so yes She trusts me as I trust her”

“Quite a relationship you two have”

“We’ve been through a lot together”

Elsa downed the water and slu in her ears and a painful throbbing in the back of her head She touched it gingerly Her fingertips came back bloodied “What happened?”

“One of their thugs hit you”

Elsa saw the bloody, scraped ridge of Jack’s knuckles “You punched him?”

“And then so it out, and placed it on her forehead

The coolness soothed “How long ago?”

“An hour, ot what they wanted: people are scared to strike”

“They were scared before, Jack, but they showed up Was anyone besides me hurt?”

“Several A feere arrested They burned down the barn Took all our raph machines and typewriters”

Elsa glanced around the small room, saw the spartan décor: an old dresse