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. Stop talking about Nate or I willput you back out on the street. Right. Riley zipped two fingers across his lips. Hey. He pointed down at Logan s hand. What s up with the pillow? Shut up. Logan folded the pillow and tried to hide it under his arm. You ask questions, youalso don t get to stay. Got it. After that, Riley very wisely closed his mouth entirely& leaving Logan lots of quiet time to stewabout the one person he ached to share his apartment with tonight.Who also happened to be spendingthe night with someone else.Logan told himself over and over again that having Wes around as abuffer between himself and Nate was for the best.At about two in the morning, without a wink of sleep achieved, Logan switched to callinghimself a liar. Chapter Seven Yeah, that s definitely her. Jamie, one of the runaways staying at Haven, nodded her shavedhead. You re sure? Nate asked the tattooed girl.While the other girls he d spoken with had givenhim a halfhearted yea or nay, Jamie had taken her time. And her name was definitely Tracy. Jamie handed the photocopy of Mya s sketch back to Nate. Well, she could have lied, but that swhat she called herself when she was here.After Tracy left, Daria showed me a photo of this girl,and this sketch is close to what Tracy really looks like.Daria asked me if Tracy mentioned if she wasplanning to leave the shelter and why.I told her we overlapped a couple of nights together at Haven,but we didn t really talk. Jamie looked down at herself, raised a pierced brow, and studied therendition of a smiling, blonde, all-American Tracy. Different kinds of people. She shrugged. Youknow? Tempering his excitement, Nate nonetheless looked over his shoulder at the office behind himand saw Logan still in conversation with one of the shelter employees.He just wanted to make eyecontact, something to show his success, and hopefully see pride in Logan s eyes.Right then, Loganrubbed at his neck, once, then again.As if that didn t satisfy or take away the tickle, he then shiftedand looked right up at Nate.Nate didn t do anything; he just held Logan s gaze and let the sensation ofsuccess well inside him.After a moment, Logan gave him an almost imperceptible nod, but definitelya real acknowledgment, and went back to his interview.Stupidly, childishly satisfied, Nate returned his attention to Jamie. Did Daria say anything else?Did she tell you why she was asking about Tracy? Nope. Jamie pushed from leaning against the wall to shoving her hands into her cargo pantspockets. She did once ask me if I noticed anyone new volunteering or hanging around the shelter thatdidn t seem like it was where they should be, or maybe seemed like they were watching the girlsstaying here.A man, woman, young, old& anyone.I told her no.But there are new kids in and out ofthis place all the time, so new faces don t really stand out. Thank you for your time. Nate shook Jamie s hand and found himself surprised by the powerin the grip of such a petite young woman. You ve been very helpful. No problem. She started to walk into a lounge area but abruptly paused and spun back to lookat Nate. Hey. Hands back in her pockets, her shoulders rolled protectively, she said, Can I ask youa question? Sure. Do you do okay for yourself? she asked, looking him up and down. I mean, you re wearing adecent-looking suit and coat. She took a step closer, and her big, deep green eyes took over her face. You like what you do? It s a cool gig? I can t complain. Nate had to curl his hands so he didn t draw this young woman into aprotective embrace. Why do you ask? No reason. The girl s shoulders folded into a deeper hunch. Just curious.Seems like it mightbe cool, so I asked.No big deal.It don t matter. Don t do it, man.You don t have any right. How old are you, Jamie? Nate asked anyway,knowing he had just stepped way over the boundaries of his position at Quinn. Seventeen. Do you have a job? No.Haven has helped me go out on a couple of interviews, but nothing has happened yet. Is that because you come and go a lot? Nate prodded gently. Do you disappear into the city asmuch as you stay here? Defensive lines took over Jamie s frame. Maybe.So what if I do? Nate took his position at Quinn in his hands and leaped right into uncharted waters. I m going tomake a suggestion, and it s up to you if you want to take it.I want you to go to Quinn Security and askto speak with a woman named Kasey about a job.Tell her Nate sent you.If you make a goodimpression on her, and you prove you can be reliable by committing to Haven, I d bet Quinn Securitywould be happy to have you as part of their team.You ll start low on the ladder doing grunt workthat s what I did.You don t start out with the security, bodyguard, or investigative detail.Certainlynot when you re still seventeen.But if you prove your worth to management, and you show you havean aptitude for the work, you can rise within the company.You might not like it.You might discoverit s not for you, but you ll have it on your résumé in the future, and that ain t a bad thing. Seriously? Jamie s mouth gaped, giving Nate a good view of her tongue ring. You don t evenknow me. I m working from my gut. Nate had never heard such a solemn, adult tone in his voice. Don tmake me wrong. He thought he might remind her to eat her veggies next. Thank you. Jamie pumped Nate s hand hard enough to make his wrist crack. Can I go talk tothis Kasey person today? Give me a chance to talk to her first.How about tomorrow? I ll be there.Thank you.Bye! Jamie ran into the lounge and bounced onto the couch next toanother girl, where she clearly shared her news.Nate leaned against the doorjamb and watched Jamie s new vibrancy spill onto her friend.Observing put a silly smile on his face and lightness in his shoulders, making him feel tall enough totouch the clouds.The wonderful mixture of earth and man tickled Nate s nose with titillating familiarity, and amoment later, Logan stepped to Nate s side.Their shoulders almost touched, and Nate steeledhimself not to lean in for the contact.But God, as much as Nate had no idea where he stood with thisman, he ached to link arms or hold Logan s hand. That was generous of you. Logan s deep voice pulled Nate back to the shelter. Come on,we re done here. With a nudge from his elbow, Logan got them moving. Risky too.Giving thatyoung woman a recommendation puts your reputation on the line. Nate winced. You heard that, huh? His sister would certainly agree to interview Jamie, butNate really should have cleared it with her first. I heard most of the second half as I was coming out of the office
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