JACK DIDN’T like walking back home by himself after his shift at the diner, though it had nothing to do with the threat that still hung in the air.
He missed Leo.
He had quickly gotten used to hanging out as though they were just average teenagers enjoying the long summer days. After seven hours of slinging hash, it was fun to meander the streets side by side, to stop at the store and pick up an ice-cream cone or a can of soda, to just enjoy the feel of the sun on his face and the warm breeze ruffling his hair without having to plot and plan and consider every thought or move.
Leo was funny and easy to be with, and every day when they got back to the house, they took the stairs two at a time, slammed the bedroom door shut, and tried to make it to the bed without ravaging each other first.
Leo was sometimes gone by the time Sean and Clare came back from work, slipping out from beneath Jack’s arm, placing a soft kiss on his slack mouth, and then pulling on his clothes and walking out with a wave. Often, though, he stuck around, helping Jack start dinner or do a few chores around the house, making Clare laugh and Sean unbend for a few precious hours.
Now there was just a lonely walk from the diner, with JD always hovering on the periphery, and a quiet, empty house.
The third day Jack walked home by himself, Sean took pity on him. Or at least that’s how it initially appeared. He’d come home to find Jack sitting at the kitchen counter, staring blankly into space. Although Jack had lived most of his life without any of the gadgets most teens took for granted, his days had been programmed down to the last second with lessons and training modules. Now that he had so much free time on his hands, he found he wasn’t sure what to do with himself when all his electronics were off-limits.
“I guess you can consider yourself ungrounded,” Sean said. “You can have your computer and TV back.”
“Thanks, Sean,” Jack said gratefully. A moment later he wondered whether he’d spoken too soon.
Sean shook his head. “Not so fast, kiddo. If it were up to me, you wouldn’t be getting off so lightly. But JD said we have to put ourselves out there. The easier the target, the more likely we’ll be able to flush out the perps. From now on we make ourselves a lot more visible. And that means ramping up suburban life.”
Jack had a horrible feeling he knew where this was going.
“With that in mind, it’s time to step it up a notch,” Sean continued. “To start with, you can get your ass outside and mow the front lawn. After that you can wash the car, and then I want you to go with Clare when she hits the grocery store. Time to show the neighborhood what a typical small-town family we are.”
“Jesus, it sounds more like a prison work detail,” Jack grumbled. He was almost beginning to wish Sean had left him grounded when he heard the silver lining.
“I want you and Leo to step things up on the social side too.”
Jack didn’t bother to hide his grin. “What do you want us to do?”
Sean arched an eyebrow. “I’ll leave that to Leo to figure out. Just make sure you keep it legal and you don’t get into any trouble. And I want to know every plan well in advance. Are we clear?”
“Yes, sir,” Jack said.
“And no goofing off.”
“Absolutely not. I promise I won’t have any fun at all,” Jack said, ducking the swipe Sean aimed at his head.
He couldn’t wait to tell Leo. Although Sean would still be keeping tabs on him, he’d never been allowed this kind of freedom before on an assignment. For a few weeks, he’d be able to pretend he wasn’t just the Center’s mindless puppet. For a few weeks, he was going to be a normal teenage boy.
RONNIE HAD always been kind and friendly, but when she believed Jack had broken up with his girlfriend, her attentiveness went into overdrive.
“Don’t worry, sweetheart. I’ll find you the prettiest, smartest girl in town. I know everybody.” She grinned unabashedly. “If I were only ten years younger….”
Jack thought twenty might be closer to the mark, but he wisely held his tongue.
When he told Leo about it later, Jack couldn’t stop himself from complaining. “She’s going to have me married off before this assignment is over.”
Leo laughed. “It’s good for your cover story.”
He’d been in a happy mood since Jack had glanced up from pushing the lawn mower backward and forward to find Leo leaning against the gate, grinning broadly.
“This is why Martin and I rent apartments.”
“I see the attraction,” Jack grumbled. “A little help?”
“And spoil the view? No chance!”
Jack looked down at the flecks of grass sticking to his sweat-soaked, shirtless skin, and gave Leo the finger.
In the end Leo relented and helped Jack wash the car, mostly because Sean ordered him to. He’d been just as thrilled as Jack when Sean told him they needed to be more openly social.
“You can count on me,” he said. “I’ve scoped out all the clubs and bars—”
“You take Jack into a bar and you’re a dead man,” Sean said mildly.
“Okay. So bars are out. We’ll still find plenty to do.” His eyes were lit with a mischievous gleam that soon had Sean frowning.
“Just so we are totally clear, if your idea of being social includes alcohol, tattoos, or piercings, you’ll both find yourselves on the wrong end of my belt.”
“I don’t know,” Leo said, smiling wickedly. “It might be worth a lick or two.”
Sean didn’t miss a beat. “It won’t just be a lick. Or two.”
Leo’s nose wrinkled. “Okay. So tats and piercings are out too.”
“In fact, anything illegal, immoral, permanently disfiguring, or just plain stupid is off-limits. I am going to be very unhappy if you do anything I disapprove of.”
“What if we don’t know you disapprove until after we’ve done it?” Leo said sweetly.
Sean’s gaze swiveled between them, his expression amused rather than his customary exasperation. “I’m pretty sure you can guess the answer to that. Let’s just say if I think you could have anticipated my reaction, the outcome will be just as grim.”
“We understand perfectly, sir,” Leo said, his smile transmuting to total innocence. “Anything with any potential for fun is out.”
Sean patted Leo on the back. “Now you’re getting it, son.”
Leo had suggested their first outing for later that evening—a burger and a movie—something so harmless even Sean couldn’t find fault. When she heard, Ronnie was determined to find them both dates.
“Honest, Ronnie. We’ll be fine by ourselves,” Leo pleaded.
“No way I’m letting two fine young men like you run around town unescorted,” Ronnie said firmly.
In the end Jack abandoned his principles and tugged on her heartstrings. “I’ve only just broken up with Amanda,” he said. “It’s too soon for me, Ronnie.”
He felt bad for playing her, even worse when she turned solemn eyes on him, filled with pity. “I know just how you feel. When I broke up with Peter Murphy….” Jack felt so guilty for the lie that he listened to the whole story, even though she had told it more than once.
The end of the shift finally came, and Jack waited anxiously while Leo ducked into Matt’s office to sign out. It was too much to hope Matt would just let them walk off without a last-minute lecture, so Jack hid his impatience behind a practiced mask and listened dutifully as Matt took them through the rules.
“Keep your eyes open. If you see anything suspicious, text Sean and Martin immediately. Do not engage. What time does the movie end?”
“Around nine thirty. But Sean gave us permission to grab a coffee afterward.”
Matt nodded, clearly already knowing that detail before Leo answered. “Straight back after that. Drop Jack at home first.”
“Yes, sir,” Leo said. Jack had to admire him; there wasn’t a hint of sarcasm in his voice, even though he’d received the exact same set of instructions from both Martin and Sean.
“You have enough money?”
“Yes, sir,” Jack replied, trying to copy Leo’s patient tone.
“Remember, this is an assignment,” Matt said sternly, although the effect was undermined when he winked and added, “Now go and enjoy yourselves.”
Leo had driven to work, and he led Jack to the parking lot behind the diner and waved him into the passenger seat of his Camaro.
“Buckle up,” he instructed. “We don’t want to get pulled over and have this night finish before it even begins.”
The thought was so horrible, Jack shivered. He pulled on his seat belt and turned his head when Leo called his name.
“We really do have to remember we’re on assignment,” Leo said. “This would be a perfect opportunity to hit you.”
“I know,” Jack said.
“Tell me if you spot anything.”
He turned the engine over and eased the car out of its parking space, ignoring Jack’s snort of disbelief. If Jack spotted anything, he was sure Leo would have seen it minutes before he did.
It only took twenty minutes to drive to the next town and park a block away from the burger joint. They chose a booth close to the door, automatically scanning the area before settling in. When the waitress approached, a girl of about Jack’s age who was chewing her way through a thick wad of pink bubble gum, Leo looked up and smiled. She immediately lost her bored look and did a double take.
“I know you.”
Jack’s blood turned to ice as the girl looked Leo up and down and then grinned in triumph.
“You’re Leo McCormack. The runner.”
Jack just about stifled the curse that leaped to his lips.
“What the hell are you doing in a dump like this?” she said.
“I’m visiting a friend,” Leo said, lying effortlessly. “Are you a track fan?” The girl wouldn’t have recognized the tightness in Leo’s voice or the way his spine straightened, but Jack read it easily enough.
She shook her head vehemently. “Not me. My sister, Lindsay. She runs for North Valley High School. I’ve been to a couple of meets, though. I’ve watched you plenty. I’m Cheryl.” She suddenly seemed to notice that Jack existed and she turned her gaze on him. “Are you a runner too?”
Jack had to think fast. He had been a high school runner once, on the assignment that had first introduced him to Leo. If he denied it and she remembered seeing him at one of the meets, she’d be instantly suspicious of his lie. He pasted on a smile. “I ran some. I don’t do so much of it now.”
“Are you anybody my sister would know?”
“Not me,” Jack said hastily.
Her eyes narrowed as she looked at him more closely. “You look kind of familiar.”
Jack held his breath, praying she wouldn’t name the alias he had worked under during his previous assignment. He didn’t know what would happen if his cover was suddenly blown like that. In the end she just shrugged and turned back to Leo.
“You here long?” she asked, a little too excitedly.
“I’m going home tomorrow,” Leo said, and Jack had to admire him all over again. He actually sounded regretful.
“Shit. What are you doing later?” she asked hopefully. “I get off at ten.”
“That’s way past my curfew,” Leo said.
Cheryl took it as a joke and laughed a little louder and longer than was necessary.
“A couple of cheeseburger specials would be nice,” Leo said. “And maybe two chocolate shakes.”
Color flooded the girl’s cheeks. “Right. Lindsay will be sorry she missed you.” Her next question was directed at Jack and made him shudder. “What’s your name? I’ll see if my sister remembers you.”
Jack didn’t have a clue how to play this one. He was supposed to be Jack Elliot, there was no way he could cop to his previous identity.
“Lindsay wouldn’t know him,” Leo said, coming swiftly to his rescue. “He didn’t run our distance.”
Cheryl seemed to accept that answer without too much thought.
“Is Lindsay around tonight?” Leo asked.
Jack’s eyes widened. The last thing they needed was somebody showing up who could potentially recognize them both. But Leo shot him a warning look.
“Nah. She teaches at a summer camp a couple of hours north. She’ll be pretty pissed when I tell her you were here.”
“Well, say hello to her from me,” Leo said.
When Cheryl finally left to place their orders, Jack raised a questioning eyebrow.
“Just making sure Lindsay wouldn’t turn up tonight,” Leo said softly. “If she was anywhere close by, we would have to leave immediately. Can’t run the risk of anybody digging too deeply.”
Something in his tone made Jack’s heart stutter. The apologetic look on Leo’s face didn’t help.
“Sorry, Jack,” he said. “We’ll have to ditch the movie. If Lindsay and her sister know me, it stands to reason other kids in this town might too.”
Jack felt the disappointment keenly, but he knew Leo was right. They couldn’t put themselves out there, not when Leo’s cover was compromised, and maybe his too. He nodded, not trusting himself to speak.
Cheryl returned with their order and hovered so close that Jack wasn’t able to exchange a private word with Leo. He was polite with Cheryl and feigned interest, but he clearly wanted to get out as quickly as possible and they had barely been in their seats for twenty minutes before they were finishing up and throwing money on the table.
Cheryl waved them off loudly, drawing way too much attention to them, and though it spelled the end of their evening together, Jack was eager to climb back into the Camaro and head home. They peeled out of town, and Jack really only breathed normally when they pulled up outside his house. Leo didn’t say a single word until they stopped.
“Shit! Sean is going to fucking slaughter me,” he groaned.
He blanched when the front door to the house opened and Sean strode down the path with a fierce look on his face. Jack wound down his window as Sean leaned over.
“Trouble?” he asked sharply.
“Leo was recognized,” Jack replied.
He jumped when Sean banged the top of the car and ordered tersely, “Come into the house, boys.”
Jack climbed out and reluctantly followed Sean inside. He hadn’t let himself dwell on the implications of Leo’s cover almost being blown, but they were starting to occur to him now.
And none of them were good.