The playground buzzed with noise squeaking swings, bouncing balls, shrill laughter but Noah heard none of it. He stood near the fence, lips pressed tightly together, eyes fixed on the dirt beneath his shoes.
"Why does he never smile?"
The voice came from behind him.
Noah stiffened.
A group of kids clustered by the slide, their attention locked onto him now. One boy tilted his head, peering at Noah's face like he'd spotted something strange.
Elsewhere, Fiona had just completed the delivery when her phone buzzed in her hand.
She lifted it to her ear but the voice on the other end dissolved into static, broken and distant. Her brows knit together. Heart thudding, her gaze swept the busy street until it landed on a narrow corner wedged between two buildings.
Without hesitation, she headed for it.
