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Great Another Vons he had to avoid now

It was only a few blocks back to Jesse’s bunker-like apartment The place was tiny and utilitarian, but it ca spot and he liked the location: close to Echo Park, an easy drive away from his parents’ place Jesse had leased the place for alhout the whole thirteen e In retrospect, maybe sooing to last Why else would he have left himself a bolt-hole?

Maybe it would have lasted if you hadn’t left yourself a bolt-hole, said the voice in the back of his head, for the hundredth tihed, suddenly too tired to take the stairs He rode the ancient elevator up to his floor and began trudging down the shabby hallway on autopilot As he turned the corner, his thoughts were already sinking back into the swirling tar pit of the last two s into one hand so he could dig the keys out of his jeans pocket--

He smacked full-on into the s into his nose There was a growl froh an apology before he realized who he’d run into "Scarlett?" he said incredulously "What are you doing here?"

"Hey," she said, rubbing her head and backing away fro for you, but I couldn’t waitI" she trailed off, looking hi one of those service dog capes Shadow’s tail swished when she saw Jesse, but she stayed where she was

For a long moment, Jesse couldn’t make his mouth work For the first tiht he’d ever see Scarlett again It had been too long, and so much had happened But here she was There was a suspicious-looking stain on her deni out of a loose bun at the back of her neck A faint sh he’d never known her to sreen eyes looked exhausted, and her expression was haunted--ornew about her, so different She held herself with confidence, and her shoulders were squared like she was ready for a fight Not necessarily with hieneral

She was lovely

For just a second, the old emotions resurrected themselves in Jesse’s nuh he was still standing there with the bags, frozen like an idiot Shadohined, looking back and forth between theest bounded forward to greet Jesse, her clubbed-off tail waving frantically

He finally snapped out of the trance and bent down, dropping sos so he could scratch at her fur "Hey, Shadow," he said, letting her give his face one quick sith her tongue "I missed you too" Jesse had been with Scarlett when she’d rescued the bargest, but he hadn’t seen either of them in years He was pleased that Shadow reest darted back to her ed for Jesse "Listen, can we talk?" Scarlett asked, gesturing toward his apart the state of his place "It’s kind of a ed "I won’t tell Martha Stewart if you won’t"

He unlocked the door, leading the roo off to check the apartment for threats

"Wow" Scarlett paused in the doorway for ain the empty pizza boxes, beer bottles, and dirty clothes "Just fully euy cliché, aren’t you?"

He was so surprised that he laughed out loud His fa around that kind of coht out with it "Souess," he replied "I need to put this stuff away"

She trailed him into the kitchenette, where he stacked the frozen dinners in the freezer Out of the corner of his eye, Jesse could see Scarlett looking at the copies of his book stacked on the small table, not to mention all the mail and random junk Shadow returned fro Jesse a disappointed look He wasn’t sure if it was the rabbed a couple of leftover haest Her tail wagged as she wolfed theiven