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"Amy!" Jan yelled "Another call for you!"

Amy put the journal away This time when she picked up the kitchen phone and said "hello," there was a pause but not a hang-up "Hello?" she repeated

The voice was raspy and male "Tell Riley that she can run, but she can’t hide"

Adrenaline kicked in "Who is this?"

Nothing

"Hello?" A up--"

Click

And then a dial tone

Da for her and waved at Jan "Taking five"

"The hell you are"

"Okay, two then" Without waiting for approval that she wasn’t going to get, Aht at the hardware store half a block down the street, then stepped out the back door on a hunch

The hunch paid off

Riley was sitting on the stoop, under the protection of the overhang, watching the rain come down Amy sat next to her and set the backpack in the teen’s lap

"What’s this?" Riley asked

"Yours is all ripped up"

Riley ran her fingers over the tags still attached to the pack "So you bought me a new one?"

"Yeah"

Riley started to shake her head and push the backpack away, but A it in Riley’s lap "It was on sale, and Anderson--the shop owner--gavedeal I want you to have it"

Riley stared down at the backpack and then unzipped it Inside were the incidentals Aht, water bottle, beef jerky…

Riley sed hard and said nothing

A moment, not sure how to proceed When she’d been in Riley’s situation, showing e weakness, and there’d been no room for weakness and vulnerability in her life None Even if a person had uard down to show any vulnerability

Riley couldn’t either

A so badly to reach out and help, knowing that Riley wouldn’t easily let herself be helped "There’s a set of spare batteries in the inside pocket Being unprepared sucks beans, and trust me, I know it all too well"

"You didn’t have to do this"

"I know" Amy looked at her "And you could have coot a fully loaded club sandwich, fries, and a big fat glass of soda with your name on it"

Riley stared at her, clearly at war between her pride and her need for sustenance "How did you know I’d be out here?"

"Guessed" Amy didn’t have the heart to tell Riley that kids like her were creatures of hard-learned habits Along with Amy’s apartment, Riley had been fed here and taken care of here at the diner Sheer need would drive her back to the saed "Coestured with a jerk of her chin to the back door "I’ve got to get back in there before Jan blows a gasket Believe me, no one wants to see that"

A plate of food Lucille and her cronies were at a table close by, cackling it up over so one of them had on her smartphone Josh and Matt ca clothes and looking like extreh the diner, every female in the place watched Lucille even snapped a picture on her iPhone, which Aured would be on Facebook before she could serve their drinks

Not that she was iood, and this evening, even dusty and slightly sweaty, he looked like he could walk right onto the cover of Outside azine

But Aood, Matt looked a, and way too sexy

Why was he still so sexy to her?

He pushed his dark sunglasses to the top of his head and searched her out There was no other word for it His eyes roamed over the diner until he found her He looked her over, h his gaze wassure she was okay, though she had no idea why she wouldn’t be

Then he s niles loved that predatory ss to her, his smile just about undid her from the inside out

Then she realized Lucille had left her table and was talking to Riley, though the teen was backing away, shaking her head adah in time to hear Lucille say "all the newco you up on Facebook will help you make friends"

Riley looked horrified and not a little panic-stricken A Riley "No Facebook pictures of her"

"She says she’s eighteen," Lucille said "And she looks lonely I thought I could help--"

"You can help by not putting any information about her on Facebook at all," Amy said firmly

At A Riley’s sullen face "I understand," Lucille finally said, quite gently "If you need anything…"

"I’m fine," Riley said, and turned and fled for the door

Amy headed after her "Riley--Hey, wait up"

"Thanks for the food, but I’ve got to go"

"Just a second" She grabbed Riley’s wrist "I wanted to tell you--that guy called here again"

Riley went still for a beat and then turned abruptly toward the door again,much faster now

Amy followed her outside and stood still on the top step for a beat while her eyes adjusted froht "Riley?"

Footsteps A up with Riley just as she was leaving the lot Backpack slung over her shoulder, she was on the street, thu you hitchhike"

"This is Lucky Harbor, right? Nothing bad ever happens in Lucky Harbor"

A to you, and if you’d just tell led her thu by