"Hey, hey, naw, it's cool," Hardison said, holding up his hands to show he meant no harm. "Your instincts are pretty good--the important thing is keepin' yourself safe. I'm just tryna get as much information as I can to figure our some kinda pattern to all this."

He eyed her dubiously. She looked thin and he judged that she could use a few more meals. Even fake ones. "You hungry?"