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    Brock totally bought it. Without a second thought, he leapt straight from the


    second floor,nding with a heavy thud.


    "If it really is some wild mountain man, I''ll strike it rich! Let''s go!"


    With his words, the whole crew swaggered out of the old ranch house and headed


    past the white picket fence. But after a few steps, Brock remembered Elysia and


    the others. He turned and barked,


    "Leave this chick for me! Nobody touches her until I get back, you hear me?"


    "Yeah, yeah, Brock, don''t worry! She''s all yours."


    Brock shot Elysia a sleazy grin before turning away, barely sparing a nce for


    Tarquin or the kids.


    To him, they were nothing-just harmless pests. Guns made all the difference,


    after all. What could a few children and an old man do against that?


    Once Brock and his men left, the little family of seven were herded into a bare,


    musty room. Before the door mmed shut, one of the goons threw out a


    warning:


    "Sit tight and wait for Brock. Don''t try anything stupid. This ce is crawling with


    our boys. If you think you can run, you''re dead wrong. Don''t make us use these."


    The man waved his shotgun for emphasis and locked the door behind them with a


    heavy clunk.


    Evan rushed to the door, tugging at it, but it was sealed tight. No way out.


    "White, go! Find Great-Grandpa and Great-Grandma!"


    White, their clever old sheepdog, understood right away. He gave Evan''s hand a


    lick, then wriggled his way through a gap by the floorboards and was gone.


    Elysia was wringing her hands, her voice trembling with worry.


    "This is Grandpa and Grandma''s


    home! Why would these people be


    here? They must be gone-if they


    were here, they''d havee out to


    greet us as soon as we arrived!"


    "But this is their only ce up in the mountains," Evan said quietly. "If they''re not


    here, where else could they have gone?"


    Tarquin squeezed Elysia''s hand gently. "Maybe... maybe they moved somewhere


    else?"


    Elysia shook her head fiercely.


    "No way! Did you see the vegetable


    garden out front? All those tomatoes


    and zhini are thriving-Grandpa


    and Grandma must be taking care of


    them. When we left, they promised


    they''d stay here. They said we could


    alwayse back and find them!”


    Her voice cracked, and she blinked back tears, worry etched deep on her face.


    "I''m scared something''s happened. There are so many of them, and they have


    guns..."


    Elliot and Evan looked worried too, but they shared a knowing nce.


    "Don''t worry, Mom,” Evan said.


    "Great-Grandpa and Great-Grandma


    have lived in these woods their


    whole lives. They''ve handled wild


    bears and coyotes, for heaven''s


    sake-these thugs are nothing."


    "The worst that could''ve happened is they saw troubleing and slipped out


    early," Elliot added.


    "Or maybe they just went into town for supplies and haven''te back yet.


    Maybe these guys broke in while they were gone."


    Elijah, the youngest, piped up, "This is deep wilderness. If they couldn''t take care


    of themselves, they''d never have chosen to live here. Don''t worry, Mom."


    Their reassurances helped a little, but Elysia was still on edge. She forced herself


    to nod so she wouldn''t frighten the kids.


    Time dragged by. Then, finally, White squeezed back into the room, tail wagging.


    Everyone looked at him anxiously. Evan knelt down. "Well? Did you find them,


    boy? Are Great-Grandpa and Great-Grandma safe?"


    ```