[ Philip makes a mild exasperated noise in the back of his throat that neither of them need telepathy to understand. (More often, he thinks, the telepathy is more than they really needed to know about each other.) She's right, of course; they don't need anyone, the others will get in their way. That isn't the point. ]

There are three dozen of them. [ A few who are more than civilians, sure, but none like them. His elbows seesaw as he works the top button of his collar in the mirror. ] And it's their necks on the line, too. They're not all going to just sit back and let us handle everything.