Read Don't Let Go for Free Online Page B

windows. Noa frowned; what didn’t he want her to see? She got up and peered over his shoulder: nothing there but a local news website, which seemed innocuous enough. “You’re not surfing porn sites, are you?”
    The computers were set in a circle, with each workstation facing in toward the others. A middle-aged woman on the computer opposite scowled at them.
    “What? No!” Peter protested.
    “You look guilty.”
    “I was checking email, okay?”
    Noa eyed him; the tips of his ears had gone bright red, a clear sign that he was lying. “Bull. But hey, you don’t have to be embarrassed about it,” she teased. “It’s totally normal for a boy your age.”
    The woman was doing a terrible job of pretending not to eavesdrop. In deference to her, Peter lowered his voice to a barely audible whisper and said, “I was just handling a personal thing. Okay?”
    Noa wondered what kind of personal thing he’d handle on a public computer; she definitely didn’t like the look in his eyes, like she’d caught him doing something wrong. But his face had shuttered. She sighed. “They’re kicking us out in ten minutes.”
    “Well, I found a place.” He gestured to the news report on-screen. “The South Lincoln Homes Housing Development. They’ve been demolishing it in stages, so most of the units should be cleared out. Work stalled because the money ran out, so no construction crews should be there.”
    “Great,” Noa said, trying to muster up enthusiasm for yet another dilapidated housing project. With any luck, it would have just as many rats as the last one. “Nice work.”
    Peter executed a small bow. “At your service. Maybe someday I could become a real estate agent who specializes in really, really terrible properties.”
    Noa managed a weak smile. “Big market for that. Hopefully we can stay for at least a few days. We could use the rest.”
    “Sure,” Peter said. “Or maybe we’ll find a better place.”
    Noa frowned. “Like where?”
    “I don’t know. Somewhere.”
    She examined him; the flush had spread all the way down his neck, and he was avoiding her eyes. “You’re being really weird tonight.”
    “No, I’m not.”
    “Yes, you are.”
    “Shh!” the woman hissed.
    “Don’t worry, ma’am. We’re leaving.” Peter staggered slightly against the weight of the pack as he got to his feet. He was probably going to develop permanent indentations in his shoulders from never taking it off. As they strode toward the front door, he raised a fist. “South Lincoln awaits!”
    “You’re really not going to tell me what you were doing back there?” she asked, pushing open the door. The curb in front of the library was empty, no sign of Daisy and Teo. Hopefully they made it to the store, and didn’t just go somewhere to make out again , Noa thought with a sigh. Honestly, she didn’t know how they managed it. Apparently teenage hormones were more than a match for constant terror.
    “Porn,” Peter said resolutely. “You were right.”
    Noa rolled her eyes. “All right, fine. Don’t tell me. But you’re taking first watch tonight.”
    Daisy hummed along to the radio as Teo drove them back to the library to pick up Peter and Noa. She didn’t mind making the food runs; it was one of the few chances they got to be alone. And besides, being trapped in a stuffy library made her twitchy.
    Not that prowling the aisles of a supermarket was much better. At least in Denver, her dyed hair drew fewer horrified looks than in some of the backwaters they’d holed up in. She held out a few strands and frowned, examining the tips. She really needed to touch up the color, it had faded to the point where it looked more gray than blue. Of course, that meant finding a bathroom with actual running water, and a few hours when she wasn’t being chased. She imagined running away from Pike’s men in a shower cap and cheap plastic gloves, streaks of blue dye flying out behind her.
    As she dissolved in giggles, Teo