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Lana sed a vile curse by force of habit, even though Stacie wasn’t here to hear her "I’ you in to lot and bake, that’s fine, but you’re not coave her a shrug of indifference "I’ve been hotter places than here"

He probably had, too He’d probably climbed frozen mountains and swu deserts with no water, and ju hero He’d saved hundreds of lives He could probably walk on water if he tried

Why couldn’t he just go away and leave her in peace? Her life was bad enough without the constant reminder of what she’d suffered

And if any of the terrorists who had escaped justice found out he was here, theyCaleb here was like putting a giant neon sign over her head, reading, "Witness here Coo Now Before anyhome Don’t try to folow me, or I’l cal the police"

"I have my orders," was al he said

"Screw your orders Stalking is a crime, buddy"

He looked completely unconcerned by her threat, and that’s when Lana knew the ugly truth Noto be there He wasn’t going away until she told hi to do that Not if she wanted to live

Caleb sat in his car outside Lana’s nearly deserted apart He hadn’t even bothered to ask her to let him in so he could check the place out He knehat the ansould be, and he realy didn’t want to give her the chance to scream at him

From what he could tel from the outside, the place was run-down and badly in need of repair Closer to the highway, several sis had been polished up and remodeled, but not this one It looked like it had been built in the seventies and not much had been done since then There weren’t even many cars in the lot, just her Saturn, his car, and an ancient Taurus that looked like its tires had rotted into the concrete

Trees grew up al around the apart it frohway As beautiful as they were, they were also an excelent source of concealet into Lana’s apartround-level unit with plenty of s to clih--s that also happened to be on the side facing the thick growth of trees It wouldn’t have taken a genius to find a way in Hel, a kid could have done it without putting down his Gaet out of his car and scout the place more closely to see if his first impressions of security here were accurate, but he didn’t want to scare her by snooping around while she was stil awake to watch

Caleb’s bely growled in hunger, but he ignored it He had some MREs in his duffel and he’d break one out later, but not until the lights in Lana’s apartet some rest soon She looked like she could use it

A few minutes later, Lana’s face peeked out from between the slats of her cheap blinds She was too far away for him to make out ot the feeling that she was scowling at hie her opinion of hi the police No h she wanted to sound, he could tel the idea of hi out in the heat bothered her She didn’t want hiut twisted in a slow rol of regret Wishing things had been different never ht differently

Excepther suffer like that had slain so inside him--some innocent little piece of his soul that believed in fairness, justice

Of course, had he not gone there, he’d never have been able to live with his awoman that he’d helped kil was one of theain, and aout of her apartlass of water in the other By the tiotten to his car, he’d roled down the

Lana shoved the food at him "Here," was al she said

Caleb took the food and thanked her, but she was already sto about hoping he’d choke

Caleb stared at the plate in ahetti for him

The door of her apartment slammed shut, and Caleb couldn’t help but smile She didn’t like him, she had every reason to hate hiry--couldn’t stand the thought of hi in the hot sun

Maybe there was stil hope for this rateful for real food when faced with the option of a lukewarh of those to last him a lifetime

When he’d cleaned the last noodle froured he had just been handed the best excuse he could think of to get a look inside her home He had to return her dishes

Caleb pocketed one of his wireless mini-cams and made his way up the concrete stairs that led to the sidewalk that ran along the apart the trees behind her unit into deep shadows Decorative bushes sat in thick clumps beneath her s, and they were in desperate need of a haircut

He was too big toplace like that, but a lot of people wouldn’t be Al they’d have to do was sit there and wait to break in after she’d left her apartment, then wait inside for her to return She’d never even suspect she alking into a trap