“Mags! Maggie! Maggeroo!” Squirrel was overly excited, shouting through the speaker, and the Magpie had to pull the phone away to protect his hearing.

“Don’t call me Maggeroo.”

His friend giggled cheerfully on the other end. “You’re such a grump! How’s it going up there? I miss you. Get settled in okay? I already know you did. I can see your check-in on my screen.”

There was only one purpose for this phone call as far as he was concerned and it wasn’t to chitchat. “Any movement?”

“Mags,” Squirrel replied, his persistent, humorless attitude calming even their enthusiasm. “Take a five minute break. You don’t have to be on the job every second.”

He groaned, wishing that was true. “You know I do. It’s not a job anymore.”

But I still treat it like a job, he thought, and let out a short huff. No matter what he did, his life was a constant game of cat and mouse. There was a soft hum in his ear in response.

“The owner was giving us a tour. He said it seemed like I was casing the house.”

Jack had said it as a joke – it was a bit ridiculous, actually believing a thief would plan to come to this random bed and breakfast in the middle of nowhere – but the observation was still spot on. The Magpie definitely wasn’t acting like Sam Miller, the regular, not-at-all suspicious guest he was supposed to be.

“See? Relax a little, before you give yourself away. You’re supposed to be a normie now.” Their cheery tone had a hint of worry and he walked further toward the road to stay out of earshot.

“Yeah.” Although he said it, he wasn’t sure it was possible. “So, any movement?”

Squirrel giggled, knowing they wouldn’t be able to change his nature. “Nothing you need to worry about yet. Some nervous chatter has spread through the Suns that the Boss is missing something, and there are rumors you took it. But I haven’t heard anything about the girl.”

He grunted, not expecting them to move very fast. Squirrel was efficient, and as they said before, it would be a week before anyone discovered her. Knowing the Magpie had been at the scene and killed those men meant little. He was only a name - a ghost the organization had been chasing for years. They might be more motivated now, if this thing was as important as it seemed, but he would still be difficult to track.

His eyes drifted back toward the house, feeling a strange tightness in his chest not having Ellie by his side. “I left the girl inside, so I should go.”

There was more giggling in his ear. “Big softie. I’ll keep you updated. I’m going to call you every day anyway, because I miss my Maggie!”

With another grunt, he hung up and headed back inside. There was a knot in his stomach, knowing he left Ellie with a stranger. He didn’t know why. It wasn’t something he’d ever felt before and he couldn’t describe it, but it made him uneasy. The knot disappeared, instantly replaced with relief as he approached the sitting room. Jack was on the floor beside Ellie, the two staring out over the lawn.

As he came close, Jack turned and smiled, then put a finger to his lips. “We’re looking at the bunnies,” he whispered.

The Magpie quietly crouched at Ellie’s side and glanced out the window. Two large rabbits were hopping around, nibbling at the grass, and when his gaze moved to her, a breath caught in his throat. Her eyes were wide and sparkling, with two palms pressed firm against the glass and lips slightly parted as she watched. Every part of her was stiff, her breathing soft and shallow. He wondered if Jack had told her to stay still or if she was just that captivated by the creatures outside. She appeared expressionless, but he could tell this was different.

He let out the trapped breath and turned to Jack. “Sorry. For before.”

“Huh?” Jack looked up, confused but still wearing his cheerful smile.

“The questions.” He received a nod and Jack continued to stare, expecting more of an explanation, so he cleared his throat. “I was a bodyguard. It’s a bad habit.”

Jack nodded again and turned back to the window with a chuckle. “My sister thought you were intimidating. I guess that explains why.”

It could have continued into a conversation, but the Magpie purposely turned toward the window as well. There was no need to clarify any further and a tug on his sleeve cut off any other thoughts about Sam and his past. Ellie was staring at him and pointing out to the yard. The rabbits were gone, spooked away, and he lifted her into his arms.

“They went home,” he told her. She slowly lowered her hand, looking back out the window. Her gaze didn’t change, but there was less sparkle in her eyes, almost as if she was disappointed. “Do you want to go play outside?” Over the past two days, she had never once seemed interested in playing. It seemed like something all children did naturally, but he wasn’t sure she even knew how. “I need to talk to Jack, so let’s go play on the lawn, okay?” 

She gave him the faintest nod to agree, whether she knew what she was agreeing to or not. Putting her down, her little hand grabbed at his pants, always clinging when she could. Like that, they slowly made their way through the room and out the back door. On the short, wooden deck, there were a few café tables and stools, then a line of Adirondack chairs. A thin strip of lawn separated them from the creek ahead. Leaning back in a low chair, Jack motioned for him to sit, and Ellie shuffled over, crawling onto her fake father’s lap.

“You can go run around if you want,” Jack told her in an encouraging tone. She only stared motionless at him in response, then turned her attention back out toward the creek. He chuckled, eyes darting between his guests. “You two are definitely related.”