Looking down at the girl on his lap, the Magpie compared their features in his mind. They looked nothing alike. He had dark brown hair and eyes, a heavy, tall build, and his face was sharp and angled. Everything about Ellie was light and soft – dusty blond hair and grey-blue eyes, and though her baby fat was gone, she still had a smooth, button nose, and round ears and cheeks. Their temperament seemed to match, but he had no idea who she was before all this.

“I’m her step-father.” He didn’t know why he felt compelled to explain. It didn’t really matter. He had a solid backstory and a paper trail to support it, but a forged identity was for answering questions, not making conversation. Still, he kept speaking, as if Jack deserved to know. As if he wanted to tell him. “Our last name is the same because I adopted her.”

Because Sam adopted her.

“Ah. I just figured she looked more like her mom.” It was a casual response. His eyes said he was interested, but his tone wasn’t pushy, suggesting he wouldn’t ask questions. It was on the Magpie now to keep this chat going.

“Yeah.”

There was awkward silence, and as expected, Jack was too polite to say anything more. Instead, he broke the tension by asking, “So, you wanted to talk about something?”

“Yeah.” The Magpie leaned back and Ellie crawled onto his stomach, curling up against him like a cat looking for a warm place to sleep. His hand automatically rested on her back. “I’m okay for now, but if I stay, I’ll need to find a job.”

Sam will need to find a job.

“Sure, that makes sense,” Jack agreed, followed by a soft hum. “We don’t really have many open positions around here though... outside of some seasonal, part-time things for teenagers. What are you looking for?”

The Magpie barely shrugged, knowing his skills weren’t really suited for regular employment. They definitely weren’t things he could put on a resume. Sam had at least graduated high school and worked a few random part time jobs, then became a bodyguard for a private company.

“I don’t know,” he answered honestly. “I guess no one here needs a bodyguard.”

With a light chuckle, Jack nodded. “Good guess. You seem pretty strong. The season officially opens in a few weeks. It can get busy, so what about an odd jobs business?”

He eyed the man, not understanding his meaning. Odd jobs were his specialty, but in his world, they were always illegal and often violent. It was highly unlikely Jack was referring to those.

“You know, helping people with things they can’t do, or are too busy for? Like moving heavy things, or watching their pets, or transporting stuff...”

“Watching pets?” He was sure he wouldn’t be good at that. It was difficult enough taking care of a toddler who didn’t speak. What was he going to do with someone’s dog? He was also sure Mirror Falls had a limited number of heavy things that needed moving.

With another chuckle, Jack sat up straight, swinging his legs off the side of the chair. “It was just an example. Maybe you’re not made for walking dogs.” His smile was bright and curious and he tilted his head, wondering what his guest thought of his suggestion. When there was no response, he sighed and stood, stretching his arms. “Anyway, it was just an idea. You could check at the sheriff’s and see if they have something. Since you have experience.”

The Magpie definitely could not do that, wanting to stay as far away from law enforcement as possible. “No, it’s a good idea. Odd jobs. I would prefer no one find out that I carried a gun for a living.”

“Oh?”

There was that curious stare again, so the Magpie pointed to himself. “I’m scary enough. I don’t need to add to it.”

Jack laughed, taking the comment as a joke. “Sorry, but you say everything so seriously, and with that straight face... I couldn’t help it.”

“I was being serious.” Did it come across as funny? He couldn’t remember a moment in his life where he hadn’t spoken seriously, so he wasn’t entirely sure what that would even sound like.

“But I don’t think you’re scary,” Jack said with a playful grin, and the Magpie wondered what that expression was supposed to mean. His words sounded honest, but his eyes seemed to tease him. “You’re probably an intimidating bodyguard.” Pointing down at Ellie, his grin softened into a smile. “But right now, you’re lying there with your adopted, three-year-old step-daughter asleep on your chest. A girl who obviously loves you. That person isn’t scary at all.”

He didn’t respond. What would Jack think if he knew who he really was? That "adopting" this child involved killing two men without hesitation, and that he had easily taken an uncountable number of lives before those. Would he be scared then?

Or if he knew he had been one of the elite for the most powerful crime syndicate on the east coast. That his only job was to create or eliminate threats, trained from the age of sixteen, with his first kill at eighteen. Would that scare him?

Or maybe if he knew his ‘adopted, three-year-old step-daughter’s’ real mother had been raped and murdered by his former brothers, and the two were here hiding from that same group of killers. Would that be scary enough?

“Sam?”

The name broke through his thoughts and he turned to see Jack’s head hanging above him, red hair loose in his face. How long had he been trying to get his attention with that foreign name?

Or, if you knew I had a knife hidden in my boot, and could end your life before you breathe your next breath...

“I should let Ellie nap in the room.” Sam, the Magpie, carefully lifted his fake daughter into his arms and stood. He was uncomfortable with the direction of this conversation, and of his own thoughts. Without saying another word, he turned and headed back into the house, leaving Jack standing alone on the back deck.