She’d called out Simon’s name on impulse. Almost as if her heart had known her little brother was near before her mind could fully comprehend it. Standing next to the main entrance, staring at her like she was a stranger, was her brother. Who she hadn’t seen in fifteen years. As she stood staring back at him, time seemed to stand still. Once again, she was sitting in a public park weeks after she’d run away, feeling as if she was completely alone in the world. For the most part, she was. After running away from home when she was fifteen, she’d endured three terrible months of living on the streets. Her older brother, Jeremy, who had run away before her, had gotten mixed up in a bad crowd. It only took one night with him and his friends for her to know that a second night in their company was a recipe for disaster. So, she’d left. Soon, she’d found refuge in public libraries and parks. She kept what little money she had hidden and talked to no one . . . until she met Jill, a police officer who became her foster mother and saved her life.
