Hopelessly Broken Read Online Free PDF Page A

had no idea how to find him. Would he be willing to lie to the authorities? Was she crazy for even thinking about this?
    Crazy? Maybe. But she was desperate. Desperate enough to at least try.
    At three-thirty, she dressed and set off for Logan’s school to pick him up. She didn’t run into Aeron on the way there. That was disappointing.
    When Logan spied her waiting outside his classroom at the end of the day, he came bouncing up to her, his eyes all happy and sparkly. “Jenny, what’re you doing here?”
    “I thought I’d walk with you today. Is that okay?”
    “Sure.” They headed down the sidewalk, following the pack of children trudging ahead of them.
    Jenn waited until they were within a block of home before asking, “ Logan, have you spoken with Aeron recently?”
    “Um...” He slid her a guilty look.
    “Do you know where he lives?”
    Logan shook his head. “Noooo.” His gaze dropped to the ground.
    He was lying. Her brother was lying. To her.
    Of course he was lying. He’d watched her lie over and over. What a great example I am. Feeling almost physically ill, she stopped walking, grabbed Logan’s arm and bent to look him straight in the eye. “Logan. It makes me so sad that you’re lying to me.”
    “I’m not lying!”
    “Tell me where he lives.”
    “No.”
    “This is important, Logan. I need to talk to him.”
    “You’re going to tell him I can’t walk Cojack anymore.”
    She released his arm and tried not to sound so angry. “I swear, this has nothing to do with Cojack. I need to talk to him about something else.”
    Logan stared down at the ground. He kicked a stone and chewed on his lower lip. “Do you promise you’re not going to yell at him?”
    “I promise.”
    “Okay.” Logan motioned back toward the school. “His house is this way.” He led her back the way they’d come, stopping in front of a white vinyl-sided bungalow that looked very similar to theirs. “This is it.”
    “Come on.” Jenn led him up the front steps then knocked on the door.
    A minute or so later, Aeron was opening the door for them and ushering them inside. “Hey there, Logan. Are you here to walk Cojack again?”
    Again ?
    Again. Before today, Jenn hadn’t been aware of Logan coming to walk Cojack at all. She slid her brother a questioning look.
    Logan ’s face paled. “My sister needs to talk to you.” Logan searched the tiny living room. “Where’s Cojack?”
    “I n the backyard,” Aeron said.
    “Can I go play with him?” Logan asked Jenn.
    “Sure,” Jenn said. “Just don’t leave the yard, okay?”
    “Yeah, okay.” Logan dashed through the house like he lived there. Within seconds a distant thump signaled his exit out a back door somewhere.
    Aeron motioned to the overstuffed couch that was way too big for the miniscule room. “What’s up?”
    Jenn motioned to her wet boots.
    He shrugged. “You saw Logan. These old floors aren’t going to get any uglier.”
    She sat , crossed her arms over her chest, and bit her tongue. She wanted to say something about Logan’s visits, but she didn’t. She needed this guy’s help. It wasn’t going to be easy convincing him to help her as it was. If she angered or insulted him, it would be that much harder. “I’m here to ask a favor. A big one.”
    “Yeah? What is it?”
    Jenn fiddled with her coat as she glanced nervously around the room. “I wish I didn’t have to ask this. It’s a big deal. But I don’t know what else to do...”
    “What?” Aeron sat on the couch’s arm, too close. “You know I like your little brother. He’s a good kid. Reminds me of someone I knew once.”
    Jenn sighed. “I guess I might as well tell you the whole story. Our parents died. You knew that part, I think. What you didn’t know is that I’m not old enough to be Logan’s legal guardian. After our parents’ death the state tracked down an aunt we’d never met before. She showed up, stayed for a little while and then disappeared. It was