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Lucille squeezed her hand again "Love and trust are earned, Amy"

No one knew this better than she Unfortunately, she’d just blown any hope of either of those things with Matt, which made her sick to her stomach She knew that, in his eyes, she’d chosen Riley over hi couldn’t be undone

Sawyer turned to leave, and Matt was right on his heels A Matt just outside the diner with a hand on his araze

"Two ave Alance of sympathy "I’ll be in the truck," he said

When they were alone, Matt just looked at her

"I’m sorry," she said in a low voice "I couldn’t break my word to Riley"

"But you could break your word to ave you ly final "You sure as hell were careful not to do that"

She felt like he’d slapped her "What’s that supposed toat all"

"Look, I said I was sorry, but I had to do this for her She needed me"

"I understand," he said "After all, all you and I ever had was sex, right?" And with that, he turned and walked to Sawyer’s truck

Chapter 22

Love’s a fad Chocolate’s the real thing

In the end, Matt drove up to Squaw Flats by hi Matt alone to search for Riley

That she’d been caainst the law--drove hi, which really fried his ass He understood that Amy’s loyalty to Riley had a lot to do with Auidance, but darounds and headed into the forest where he’d first found Riley, all too happy to have so concrete to do rather than think about Amy and what had just happened

She’d lied to hiood and pissed off about that Except it hadn’t been an out-and-out lie, more like an oht process He kne badly she wanted, needed to believe in Riley

Just as he knew that Riley had taken the da out one way or the other, but heto be the final nail in the coffin of… whatever the hell they had going Which was fine His life had been fine before A fine

As he walked, he couldn’t help but reo, and let out a reluctant smile She’d been so out of her element

And noas out of his

Ten al cas into the backpack that Aht her When he stepped closer, she spun around and ju in her hand

A knife

The istered him, the knife vanished, tossed behind her She shoved her hands into her ratty pockets, shoulders hunched

"Expecting so?"

She shrugged and didn’t "

"Well, you told o," he said "And you’ve been staying out here anyway"

Nothing

He blew out a breath and walked up to her backpack

"That’s mine," Riley said, but before she could snatch it, he pointed at her

"Stay," he said, and crouched at the bag

"Hey, you can’t just look in there--" She broke off when he reached inside

And pulled out the charity jar

"Da The money was still in it Furious, sick, he sat back on his heels and regarded her

She was studying so on her battered sneakers

"You have any idea what this is going to do to her?" he asked

At that, Riley’s head snapped up She’d paled to a pasty white "You can’t tell her!"

Matt stood "No?"

"No!" Riley’s cry was fierce She nearly deflated with it, her entire body sagging as if the only thing holding her up had been Aed in relief

"I’ to tell her," Matt said quietly "Because you are"

She went fro brilliantly "I can’t do that"

"If you can steal it, you sure as hell can give it back"

Riley’s lip quivered, but she bucked up and shook her head "No"

So she was going to be difficult Shock "Let’s go"

"You going to arrest me?" she asked

Matt would rather be just about anywhere other than here, facing this Give hi other than this But that’s not how his day was going so far "Your knife"

"Huh?"

"Give oddamn knife"

She bent and picked up the knife she’d tossed behind her and handed it over

He took it and then held out his hand "And the other one"

Riley stared at hih of aa Swiss Army Knife from her sock

"What else do you have on you?" he asked

"Nothing"

He picked up the backpack and shouldered it "Get your other stuff"