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> All Ryan could do was watch the door slam close, severing his chance to help the actual victim of tonight's patrol.  He'd allowed himself to get too distracted, too focused on catching Laurence, and too lax on those little warning signs that had been there from the beginning.  A younger Ryan would have cursed under his breath, or dared a sharp retort back at Laurence, but years on these gray streets had taught him when and where to spend his energy. 
> 
> The only silver lining in this instance was the reaction he'd caught from Javier before the old bronco had sped off.  The way the boy's gaze had abruptly broken away from his hardline stare, and the way he seemed to melt back into the seat, as if it make himself smaller despite the victory that Laurence was now reveling in.  Maybe the kid was just nervous about getting in trouble, or maybe the officer's warning [i]had[/i] hit a buried nerve.
> 
> Whether they had or not, Lanny seemed oblivious to it.  Officer Sohmers soon fell away into the distance, swallowed up by the darkness and flashing lights as Laurence weaved half on and half off the gravel road to get around the emergency vehicles.  He'd been too busy focusing on their success to pick up on the brief deflation of Javier's mood, and by the time the boy had shaken off that gut-punch of guilt and pulled his mask back up, the man had turned a still-grinning face to meet Javi's pointed remark.  "[b]Eh, consider that a test, and you passed with flying colors.[/b]" He leaned over, throwing an elbow towards Javi's arm.
> 
> As the boy went on to regale him with how he'd outfoxed the cop, Lanny was indeed offering Javi his near complete attention, when he wasn't otherwise glancing to the long stretch of dark highway that led back into the city.  A few hearty chuckles and nods were thrown in, with the kind of energy to suggest he was actually invested in the story, rather than simply feigning interest for the kid's sake.  "[b]Dude, that look was priceless; I don't think I've seem him that pissed in a good while![/b]"  Lanny shook his head, memories of past encounters with Ryan flashing through his mind, "[b]I can just imagine him bouncing from pier to pier, trying to find that body.[/b]"
> 
> His fingers drummed against the steering wheel, expressing the last fumes of adrenaline.  The city lights were washing over the car once more, more prominent now that the sun had fully set as they'd rolled back into Atroe. "[b]I suppose that means I owe you some more money?[/b]"  The bronco rolled onward, treating stop signs as suggestions and speed signs as decorations as he navigated the old roads towards the foster home. "[b]And maybe a small bonus, just for the look on his face when I rolled up.[/b]"  The grin came back again, lingering briefly before sobering away. "[b]But really kid, that was some top notch work. We could use skills like yours.[/b]" He offered, his tones leagues more open and friendly than they had been upon their initial encounter.  And yet... there was something in the tenure that carried a hint of gravity.  Or maybe it was the simple fact that Lanny's dimple-baring grin had finally gone away. Or, maybe it was nothing at all.