"And what he wanted more than anything."
"I suppose so. But isn't that what we all wanted back then? We were in our late teens, looking at adulthood. We wanted to control our destinies, but we still needed money and school and opportunities." She turned her head, looking out at the city streets passing by. "Do you remember all those nights we used to just walk around? Especially in the summer when it was so hot? It seemed like we'd walk for miles, but we never got anywhere. It was like we'd run into those invisible fences that keep pets from leaving their yard. We couldn't step beyond a particular curb, go past a corner. The future was always just beyond where we could get to."
"That's a good way to describe it." He paused. "I know you don't think Johnny is part of this, but he would know how to get a kid to play a con like this. He used to do this kind of shit when he was a kid."
She frowned as she turned back to him. "I still don't think it's him. But I take your point."
"Just something to consider."
A moment passed, and then she said, "I feel like I should apologize again for what happened to you after I left, Nathan. I was caught up in my own problems, but I should have seen how much danger you put yourself in for me. I shouldn't have called in my debt."
"You kept Josie out of jail; I owed you. I paid up."
"Yes, you did. But you paid more than you owed. And I shouldn't have forced your hand like that."
"Well, maybe someday I'll need a favor, and you can pay me back."
"I would try, Nathan. You probably don't believe that, but I would."
He looked away from the road to meet her gaze once more. "Actually, I do believe you."
His words warmed her heart. "I'm glad."
Their gazes clung together for a long moment, and she felt as if whatever had been holding them apart suddenly fractured.
Then Nathan squared his jaw and turned his attention back to traffic.
Maybe there was still a wall between them after all.
As they neared Park Station, she realized how close they were getting to the old neighborhood. They weren't there yet, but it was only a mile or two away. She was quite sure the station had been picked for a particular reason, and perhaps that was it.
It took Nathan a few minutes to find a parking spot. Then they walked down the street and under the train tracks. As the train rumbled overhead, her mind went back to earlier that day. She could hear the girl's voice so clearly, see the question in her eyes, but then she was gone.
"I assume the café is the building with the bird on it," Nathan said, waving his hand toward the end of the block.
"Yes."
As they headed toward the restaurant, she wondered if someone was watching them, if someone was waiting, and she found herself moving closer to Nathan.
Or perhaps he was moving closer to her…
His hand suddenly covered hers, and she jumped, startled by the unexpected touch, by the surprising heat.
"I just want to keep us together," he said, in answer to her unspoken question.
She should let go, but her fingers seemed to have a mind of their own, curling around Nathan's. And it felt right…better than right, if she were being honest.
She was so used to being on her own but at this moment it felt really good to have Nathan with her.
When they reached the café, Nathan opened the door for her, and she stepped inside. Despite the fact that the restaurant was bright and charming, with a dozen or so tables and a glass display case by the register filled with cakes and cookies, she felt as if she were walking into a trap. She scanned the restaurant quickly. There were about fifteen people seated at various tables, but no girls of the right age.
She moved over to the counter, where a young woman in her early twenties greeted her.
"Can I help you?" the woman asked.
"Yes. I'm looking for this girl." She took out her phone where she'd captured a screenshot of the little girl. It was of her back, but she was hoping the woman might recognize her from her clothes. "She was in this café a few hours ago, between one and two o'clock. Were you working then?"
"Right. Yeah, I saw her. You're her mom? The FBI agent?"
Her pulse leapt at the question. "Who told you that?"
"The kid. She said you'd be in, and I should give you this." The woman reached underneath the counter and pulled out a piece of paper.
She took what appeared to be a flyer out of the woman's hand. "What's this?" she asked in confusion.
"Beats me. The kid gave me $20 and said to give it to her mom, the brown-haired FBI agent with the green eyes. The kid looked just like you." She paused. "If you don't mind, I have some other customers..."
Bree stared down at the flyer in confusion but stepped to the side as the clerk helped a young father and his son.
"Open Heart Refuge," she murmured, her stomach twisting into another painful knot. She felt hot, sweaty, dizzy, weak… "I have to sit down." She stumbled a few feet away to an empty table.
Nathan sat down across from her and took the paper out of her hand, a deep frown crossing his lips. Then he lifted his gaze and met hers. "He is pushing all your buttons. Someone is seriously screwing with you. Someone from your past—our past," he added, a hard light entering his light-brown eyes. "Open Heart Refuge is where we met."
"I know. I was twelve. I was there with my aunt. You were thirteen, and you were there with Josie and your mom."
"One of several times she tried to leave my stepfather," he said, a harsh note in his voice. "It just never lasted longer than a few weeks. She always went back, and she always took us with her. But for that short time…"
"Everything felt almost normal," she murmured, meeting his gaze. "We played cards after school—hearts and spades."
"And poker," he reminded her. "I taught you how to play seven card stud."
"And you made up stories to entertain Josie, so she wouldn't be scared. There were a lot of tales about soldiers and white knights and magical spells that would protect us."
"But they weren't real." He set the flyer down on the table, giving her a speculative look. "You know what you're supposed to do with this."
"I'm supposed to go to the shelter."
"Do you really want to walk through those doors again, Bree?"
She thought about his question for a long moment. "I really don't."
"But you're going to."
"It's the next move. I have to find that girl. Maybe she's there."
"She's not. That would be too easy. I think you should stop playing his game."
"I've had the same thought."
"I sense a but coming."
"But the Chicago office has a lot of manpower on Hayley's case, and if I follow these clues, maybe he'll make a mistake. Perhaps he'll reveal something that will lead us to Hayley."
"He doesn't seem like someone who is going to make an easy mistake."
"No, but if I don't go, I'm just going to spend all night wondering what I would have found there." She paused, glancing down the hall. "There's a back door. The little girl must have left through that door. Although, it appears to be locked now." She got up and went over to the counter, waiting for another opportunity to speak to the cashier. "Do you have a security camera off the back door?"
"We did, but it broke last year, and the owner hasn't gotten it fixed."
"You didn't see anyone with the little girl? She didn't meet up with someone here in the café?"
"Nope. As far as I know, she was alone. Sorry."
"Thanks."
Nathan got up as she returned to the table. "I'll drive you to the shelter."
"You don't have to do that. I can take a cab." She licked her lips, knowing she should send him away, but she wasn't quite feeling it. She liked having him around.
"You're not taking a cab, and you're not going there alone."
"You're not the one in charge," she said, feeling it necessary to remind him.
"You're not, either, Bree. The person in charge is the one sending you on this sick scavenger hunt."