Page 44 of Run While You Can

She checked the screen, and her eyes widened. “What timing . . . it’s Emily.” She answered and put the phone to her ear. “Emily? Hi, thank you for calling me back.”

A pause filled the line.

Then Emily’s voice—thin and nervous—sounded. “I got your message. I—I can’t talk long. But I can meet you. Somewhere public.”

“That’s fine,” Andi said. “Name the place. We’re in Santa Clara right now, so it might take a few minutes to reach you.”

Emily named a coffeehouse halfway between San Francisco and Santa Clara, and they agreed to meet there in thirty minutes—that’s how long the GPS said it would take to get there.

Andi slipped the phone into her pocket and looked up at Duke. “We’ve got our opening.”

He nodded once. “Let’s go.”

The coffeehouse was too bright for Duke’s liking.

Sunlight poured through the front windows, glinting off chrome fixtures and chalkboard menus advertising seasonal drinks. The air smelled like roasted beans and steamed milk, comfort layered over noise—cups clinking, indie music humming, people talking too loudly about nothing important.

Andi sat across from him at a small round table near the wall, hands wrapped around a cup she hadn’t touched yet. Duke had ordered black coffee. He’d finished half of it already.

Emily was fifteen minutes late. He wasn’t sure exactly what she looked like, but her body language should indicate she was looking for someone.

He checked the entrance again, hoping to see her walk through.

“She might not come.” Andi frowned as her gaze drifted to the door again. “She sounded spooked.”

If she ghosted them, Duke wouldn’t blame her. The woman had to be extra cautious after everything that had happened.

Another minute passed.

Then the door opened, and a young woman stepped inside, pausing just long enough to scan the room like a skittish animal assessing danger.

Emily.

She looked thinner than Duke expected. Shoulders pulled in, coat zipped to her neck, dark hair twisted into a messy knot.

Her gaze snagged on everyone in the place before finally landing on Andi.

Quick and fragile relief flashed across her face.

She hesitantly approached the table. “Andi?”

Andi rose. “Yes, I’m Andi, and this is Duke. Thank you for meeting us.”

“I looked you up after the phone call. Recognized you two from the pictures online. You guys have done some impressive work.” Emily slid into the chair opposite Duke, dropping her bag at her feet like she might need to run. Her leg bounced under the table.

“Would you like us to order you some coffee?” Duke nodded toward the counter, indicating he’d get it for her.

Emily quickly shook her head. “No, I’m fine. I’m too jittery for caffeine right now anyway.”

Andi leaned forward, her gaze soft with compassion. “You do seem nervous.”

Emily let out a shaky laugh. “Is it that obvious?”

“Anyone in your shoes would be,” Andi said.

Emily’s eyes flicked to the windows then the door before landing on them again. “I know it doesn’t make sense. But ever since Gina disappeared, I keep wondering if I might be next.”

Duke’s spine tightened.