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"Aht there in the hospital hallway, Matt sat her in a chair, then crouched in front of her, weight balanced easily on the balls of his feet "Where’s Riley?"

Conflicting eer lead the pack He’d walked away froht now, all warenuine concern It hurt It hurt

"Ary at all She was sad She ached to tell hi with her But how could she? The terrified teen was going through hell, and she’d trusted Aiven

If Amy told Matt the truth, he’d be forced by his job to act, and Riley would think she couldn’t trust anyone

But it was more than that No one had ever really trusted Amy, not like Riley had Not even Matt trusted her like that There was no way in hell that Amy would betray her

"Amy" Matt’s voice was low and calm, and also laced with steel

He wanted answers

"I don’t knohere she is exactly" She didn’t owe him more, she reminded herself "How can I? I’istered her defensive tone with an arched brow

"I’d like to go home now," she said "I’m tired" Tired of the both of them

Matt rose to his feet, wrapped his jacket around her, then led her outside to his truck They went to the pharmacy first for her antibiotics and pain killers, then Matt drove her horateful She was hurting, both physically and mentally She was also confused Historically, she’d made her most craptastic decisions while hurt and confused, which ht noas to be alone

Matt parked, and she ine She opened the door to hop out, but was snagged by the back of the jacket he’d loaned her

"I want to go with you and check things out," he said

No If he caet to be upset with him She’d also have to face her lie about Riley "Not necessary"

"Maybe not, but I’ it anyway"

"No," she said

He went still "Excuse me?"

He probably wasn’t told no very often He looked as if the word didn’t even compute "I’m fine," she said

His expression was carefully blank She suspected that he thought she was being an unfathomable pain in his ass "Look," she said "You don’t owe et insideto walk out on you like that"

"No," she said flatly "You weren’t"

"I was I had a shitastic day and took it out on you, and I’ies or people taking responsibility for their own mistakes, this set her back "It’s okay"

"No, it’s not," he said

Diversion, she thought desperately "Is that kid, the cli to be okay?"

A ht e, but he didn’t "Yeah," he finally answered "But his faence on the forestry’s part"

He’d spoken cal him some heavy stress She could see it in the fine lines around his eyes and the tightness to hishim so unhappy "It seens and broke the lock on the gate"

"We’re working on it"

She nodded and slipped out of his truck, but alround, he’d come around to help her

"Don’t brush it off," he said, and she instantly kneasn’t talking about his work, but about how he’d left her before, at his place "Don’t give me a free pass" Gently he pressed her back to the truck and cupped her face, stroking her bruised cheek He moved his head next to hers, and his lips traced over the line of her jaw "I’ain, softly

Her knees wobbled, and she locked theive hi in now"

He looked up at her place Dark "Riley say where she was going?"

"I’ to this, and short of telling hi more she could add

"Wait here," Matt said at the top of the stairs and left her on the doorstep while he pulled his gun and entered her place

He caun holstered

"Overkill ht, and he could have tailed you home"

She let out a breath as the truth of that hit her "I don’t think I was followed"

He nodded and gestured her in All the lights were on inside Matt followed her through the living roo her when she sank to her couch, leaned carefully back, and stared at the ceiling

"Can I get you anything?" he asked

"No, thank you"

He grimaced at her polite tone "A down to read his screen "Fuck"

"You have to go," she guessed

"Dispatch" His expression was grim when he came close and crouched at her side "Soht I don’t want to leave you alone but I have to get out there and--"

"I’ moment "You’ll call me if you have any problems"

"I won’t have any problems"

"A about hih and closed her eyes "Okay I’ll call you if there are any probleht shift, then the brush of his ainst her temple "Lock up behind , leaving her just as she’d told hi before Matt got done, and he made a drive-by past Amy’s place

It was dark

He stared up at her , hoping Riley was there now, and that both she and Aot two hours of sleep before his alarm went off On his way to the station, he made another drive-by, this one at the hospital He still hadn’t gotten to talk to Trevor Unfortunately, the kid was sleeping and not to be disturbed until visiting hours, when of course his attorney would be present

Mattin the hallway, looking down at his phone Josh’s five o’clock shadow had its own five o’clock shadow His eyes were dark with exhaustion He was either hungover as shit or hadn’t slept either Matt shook his head "Let ot hi to ruin your life"

Josh huffed out aa hand over the back of his neck He was in scrubs and a white doctor’s coat with a stethoscope hanging around his neck "No There was a gas leak in my house, had to evacuate Anna and Toby"

"Where are they?"