Leo kept pressing farther into the older part of town, toward streets lined with discount stores, church basements, and loading docks. He checked a bulletin board outside a mission hall, peered through the gate of a locked repair yard, and stood for nearly a full minute outside a cramped pharmacy as if trying to decide whether to go in. Sean stayed well back, close enough to intervene if traffic or strangers became a problem, but far enough not to trigger another sprint. He had dealt with frightened kids before. The quickest way to lose one was to make them feel cornered.
A light rain began to fall, thin at first, then steadier. Leo hunched his shoulders and kept going. Sean ducked into a coffee stand and bought a grilled cheese sandwich, then quietly asked the teenage cashier to tell the boy an extra order had been made by accident. Leo accepted it only after looking around twice, suspicious and proud at the same time. He ate while walking, taking small bites as if he was trying to make it last. Sean watched him limp slightly on his left foot and knew the child had been on the move longer than he’d first assumed. Whatever this was, it was bigger than a sudden impulse.