“Wow! She really is good!” Aaron exclaimed, as him and Ashley watched Lenore do a few tricks on her skateboard to impress the people who decided who got into the competition.

“Yeah, and that’s with bruised ribs and a sprained wrist,” Ashley pointed out. “Just don’t tell the officials about her ribs, or they may not let her take part.”

“Hey, they’re her ribs. If she wants to kill them, then that’s her business,” Aaron replied. “But I still can’t believe she can skateboard like that, while all banged up.”

“I was pretty shocked too,” Ashley told him. “But then again, I was pretty shocked when she called me up outta nowhere and said she needed my Mom to book her a flight a.s.a.p.”

“What’s she running from?” Aaron wanted to know.

“Who said she’s running from anything?”

“Well, the way you guys keep talking, hints that she’s running from something.”

“You’d best ask her about it,” Ashley told him. “I don’t want to make my best friend mad, so soon after her arrival.”

“Understandable.”

The two of them watched and waited for Lenore to finish up what she was doing – they’d plans to go get ice cream once she was done. Soon enough, she came running over to them with a huge grin on her face.

“I’m in!” Lenore cried. “They said I may even be one of the top contenders!”

“Awesome!” Aaron and Ashley exclaimed, excited for their friend.

“Y’all ready to go get some ice cream now?” Lenore queried.

“You better believe it!” Aaron laughed, linking arms with the two girls – his skateboard in his one hand.

Lenore and Ashley laughed too, as they walked down the street arm-in-arm with Aaron, to the ice cream shop.

“Wow! This place is huge!” Lenore exclaimed. “Our ice cream shops are always so small!”

“Where do you live?” Aaron questioned.

“New York,” Lenore replied casually..

“City or the state?”

“Both,” Lenore answered, as she leaned up against the counter to peer in at all the ice cream flavours. “Well, we’re not right in the city – but that’s where the guy I live with works.”

“You live with someone?” Aaron repeated, looking surprised. “Aren’t you a little young for that?”

“He’s my guardian, dickwad,” Lenore stated, as she pointed to the Heavenly Hash ice cream. “Two scoops of that please.”

“Oh,” Aaron said, looking and sounding relieved.

Ashley giggled. “As if you thought she was living with some pedophile. Her guardian puts those losers away.”

“He’s a cop?!?”

“Shh!” Lenore hissed. “Not so loud! The last thing I need is for the world to know!”

“Why can’t they know? What’s so wrong with that?”

Lenore groaned and dragged her friends over to a booth, once they’d all gotten their ice cream – Heavenly Hash for her, and Cookies ‘n’ Cream for Aaron and Ashley.

“People can’t know, because I’m in a shitload of trouble right now,” she whispered, after glancing around to ensure no one was listening. “I did some stupid stuff, and almost got killed in the process. Stupid me told my guardian, and now he’s after me to explain everything; and the people who almost killed me are prolly after me, as they’ve prolly figured out by now that I’m still alive.”

“So you ran away?” Aaron exclaimed.

“Carter! If you keep shouting things out like that, I swear I’ma punch you so hard you’re nose’ll break into little pieces!” Lenore growled quietly.

“Sorry!” Aaron said, holding his hands up in defence. “You just don’t seem the type to be a runaway.”

“Oh, so they have a type now?”

“I don’t know. You live with the cop, not me,” Aaron replied.

“Aaron, don’t,” Ashley piped up. “People have been giving her a hard enough time as it is.”

“So what was it you were doing, to get these people after you?” Aaron wanted to know.

“She’s not going to tell you,” Ashley stated. “She doesn’t want anyone else involved anymore than they already are.”

“If I tell you, and someone nabs you, then you’ll be forced to blab everything to save your own hide. I don’t need people snitching. It’s not that I don’t trust you guys – despite the fact we just met you, Aaron – but, I’d much rather keep it to myself, to avoid anyone else overhearing.”

“Okay,” Aaron nodded, as did Ashley, though she’d already heard this speech before.

“Aaron Charles!” An angry voice exclaimed suddenly.

All three thirteen-year-olds turned to look where the voice had come from – the girls’ jaws dropping open in shock upon realization.

“Um….Hi Nick?” Aaron spoke quietly.

“Don’t you ‘hi’ me, Aaron!” Nick snapped. “You were supposed to wait for me at the skateboard park! And where are you right now? In an ice cream parlour!”

“Well, excuse me for being hungry.”

“You couldn’t at least called me to let me know about your change in plans!” Nick shouted somewhat. “I was worried sick when I couldn’t find you! I was just lucky enough that a couple people said they saw you headed in this direction!”

“Sorry,” Aaron muttered, looking away and rolling his eyes.

“Yeah, well, you’re just lucky I found you when I did,” Nick replied, taking a seat next to his brother. “I was about to call Mom and Dad to ask them if they’d heard from you.”

Aaron winced slightly. “That would’ve been bad.”

“Yeah, it would’ve been,” Nick stated. “They would’ve ordered me to ship your scrawny ass back home. And it’d be your fault our vacation got cut short.”

“Um…..Nick, this is Lenore and Ashley,” Aaron introduced finally, in hopes of getting his brother’s attention off him for a few moments.

“By the looks on their faces, I’m guessing they know who I am,” Nick smirked. “Hello ladies.”

Lenore and Ashley both stifled excited squeals, as they finished off their ice cream cones.

“So what brings you ladies here with my brother?” Nick questioned.

“The fact that he’s the one who paid for the ice cream,” Lenore answered, smiling widely at him – Ashley was in too much shock to answer, so she just nodded instead.

Nick chuckled. “Well, my bro knows how to pick the ladies up and win their hearts. I’ve taught him well.”

“Nick!” Aaron groaned, covering his face with his hands.

Ashley leaned over the table then and kissed Aaron’s cheek. “But you’re more charming than your brother right now – you didn’t come over yelling upon first meeting us.”

“Yeah, well, you’d be yelling too if you couldn’t find your baby brother,” Nick told them. “Nothing is worse than being worried sick about someone you love.”

Lenore looked down at her hands that were rested on the tabletop then. If Nick freaked over not knowing where Aaron was, and they were in the same state, then just how bad was Elliot freaking over not being able to find her? She sighed some, starting to feel bad about her decision to run off like she had. She was just trying to protect him – though, it was his job to protect her and not the other way around.

“You okay?” Nick asked, noticing the girl’s sudden look of sadness.

“Wha?” Lenore startled. “Oh…Yeah, I’m fine.”

“You sure? You don’t seem to be?”

“Nick, just leave her be,” Aaron cut in, not wanting his new friends to up and leave because of his brother’s annoying questions – even if his intentions were good.

Nick nodded and decided to let it drop – for now. But eventually, he would get to the bottom of this. He could tell there was more going on, than the young teenagers were letting on.

“You have the address still, right Liv?” Elliot questioned, as their plane neared the airport they’d be landing at, in Arizona.

“Yes, I have it El,” Olivia assured him. “Relax. I’m not going to lose it – though, nor am I going to give it to you. We don’t need you to saunter on over to Ashley’s earlier than necessary.”

“I never thought I’d hafta fly out here just to bring Lenore back home,” Elliot sighed heavily.

“Well, things happen,” Olivia reminded him. “Things that we can’t always control.”

“I just wish she’d have talked to me,” Elliot said, shaking his head.

“El, don’t beat yourself up over this. It’s not going to do anyone any good. It’s just going to drive your crazy in the end.”

“I know that, Olivia!” Elliot snapped somewhat, pounding his one fist down on the armrest of his seat. “But you’ve no idea what it’s like to have something like this happen right under your nose, and not even see it!”

“Yes, I do,” Olivia countered. “I’ve seen an F.B.I. Agent shoot herself right before my eyes, to keep herself from turning into a monster, after murdering a serial killer!”

Elliot glanced up at her then. “I forgot about that. How’re you doing?”

“Fine, all things considered,” Olivia replied. “But let’s just focus on the case and getting Lenore back home safely, okay? No more what ifs, and no more I’ve seen worse than you games.”

“Deal,” Elliot agreed. “No more what ifs, unless it’s something that may help solve this case.”

The plane landed a few minutes later, and the two detectives retrieved their luggage and headed out front to where their rental car would be awaiting them. Once they’d placed their bags in the car and got in, they drove off to the Hotel they’d be staying in while in Arizona – little did they know just who else was staying there.

Nathaniel gulped and looked around nervously. “I’m not ‘llowed to talk to you no more”

“Why not?” Fin demanded.

“Dad got mad,” Nathaniel replied softly. “Said if I blabbed things again, I’d be sorry. I don’t wanna be sorry!”

“Just answer us this one question, and we’ll leave you alone, okay?” Munch began, as the boy nodded. “Do you know why the cop’s kid was hanging around with the gang? Did she ever tell anybody why?”

Nathaniel’s eyes went wide and he immediately shook his head, though it was obvious he knew something.

Munch crouched down before him. “Nathaniel, you know it’s wrong to lie to a police officer, right?”

Nathaniel nodded quietly. “But I can’t tell you. Dad said.”

“Look Kid,” Fin started. “We need to know, so we can find her and put a stop to all this. What do you know? Was it her idea to hang with the gang?”

Nathaniel nodded his head yes, after making sure nobody was around and watching. “She said she was gonna help Elliot, an’ surprise him by catching perps for him. But then everything started to go wrong, an’ she got too close to the one guy. Momma says she’s a crush on him, an’ that’s what made her do such foolish things.”

“Thank-you for your time Nathaniel,” Munch told him. “You’ve been a big help.”

“Can I go play my gameboy now?” Nathaniel asked hopefully.

“Go ahead, Kid,” Fin replied. “We won’t be bothering you anymore.”

“Thank-you!” Nathaniel chirped, quickly closing the door on them and running back to his beloved gameboy.

“I don’t like this Munch,” Fin stated as they turned to head back to their car. “Lenore’s way in over her head, and still doing foolish things, because somehow she thinks she’s helping Elliot. But helping Elliot with what?”

“Didn’t Elliot say a while ago that he’d like to eventually catch the one gang on this side of town?” Munch asked. “Something about how they terrorized the residents into keeping things quiet for protection?”

“But what would that have to do with Lenore?”

“Elliot said himself that he mentions the odd case to her,” Munch answered. “And if he wanted to keep her away from this side of town, he’d have had to tell her why in order to get her to comply. You know how inquisitive she is when she wants to be.”

“And the stupid kid probably thought that by getting in with the gang, she’d be helping Elliot catch them,” Fin finished. “Dammit! Doesn’t she realize just how dangerous that is?”

“Maybe she does, but decided to go for it anyway,” Munch shrugged as they buckled up once in the car, and he began to drive off. “Especially if what Nathaniel’s mother said is true, about her having a crush on one of the members.”

“Kid’s gonna land herself in jail if we can’t get her out of this mess,” Fin muttered. “And then Elliot’s gonna have an even bigger conniption than he’s already going to have when he finds out what we’ve learned.”

“I say we only tell the Captain, and let Lenore explain herself to Elliot and Olivia,” Munch decided. “It might be safer that way. If we tell Elliot now, he may run in and throttle her before we’ve had the chance to collar the perps.”

“He’s not going to throttle her – ground her for life, maybe. Smack her ass a good one, maybe. But he’d never throttle her,” Fin said. “Though, he may come close to it this time.”