“If we wait,” I say, “we lose the trail.”
Orien shakes his head. “If we rush, we light ourselves up. This needs prep.”
“We're not rushing this. We'll do it the right way.” Rowan gestures in a circling motion to the rest of his men. “Time to leave.”
Disappointment fills me as I lead the way back to our entry point, disabling the bridge I created earlier and restoring the system to its original state. No alarms, no evidence of our presence beyond whatever digital footprints Rowan intended to leave.
Outside, the winter air cuts through my black turtleneck and jeans as we move toward the waiting vehicles.
Saint pauses beside me before climbing into the lead SUV. “Good work today. Sorry, we didn't find what we came here for.”
I accept the words without comment.
As our SUV pulls away, Rowan’s hand finds mine, fingers intertwining. “We'll figure out what happened.”
“Yeah,” I say as the building recedes in the side mirror.
“You were amazing in there.” His thumb traces circles on my wrist. “You were wasted on residential locks and community centers.”
“Too bad it was for nothing,” I say.
Rowan's hand tightens around mine. “Let me worry about that. I said I'd protect you and Lena, and I meant it.”
And despite the failed outcome of this job, I believe him.
The high school parking lot overflows with idling cars and clusters of teenagers wrapped in winter coats. I lean against Rowan’s car, breath fogging in the frigid air as students stream through the front doors.
It's nice not to be rushing from a locksmith job, no frantic calculations about bus schedules or whether I can squeeze in grocery shopping before my night shift. Just me, waiting, with nothing beyond dinner plans needing my attention.
Lena spots me right away, and she breaks away from a group of girls. She navigates through the crowd with confident steps, her purple backpack slung over one shoulder. The pack is new, a gift from Rowan last month when her old one split at the seams after years of repairs.
“You didn’t have to pick me up,” she says, but herpleased smile contradicts her words. “I could have taken the car service.”
I push off from the vehicle. “Wanted to. Finished work early.”
She doesn’t need to know about the failed heist, the armed men, or what Rowan’s full operation involves. Some walls remain necessary, even in our new life.
She links her arm through mine. “Buy me a coffee before we go home? I have a big test to study for.”
“Sure, why not?”
We walk the three blocks to the nearest coffee shop, the winter wind whipping down the street, carrying automobile exhaust and the promise of snow, but unlike two months ago, we both have warm jackets now to keep the chill at bay.
Lena chatters about her chemistry test, animated in a way that she rarely was in our old apartment
“Ms. Chen says I have a shot at AP Chemistry next year,” she tells me, excitement flushing her cheeks. “And my guidance counselor gave me these.”
From her backpack, she extracts a stack of glossy brochures for Ashford University, State Tech, and Westlake, with its prestigious science program. My throat tightens at the implications, at the future now within her reach.
“She thinks I could get scholarships,” Lena continues, flipping through the pages. “Full rides at some places, if my SAT scores are high enough.”
“You’ll nail it,” I tell her, confident in her intelligence.
The coffee shop welcomes us with warmth and the rich aroma of espresso. Two months ago, stopping for drinks would have been an unthinkable extravagance. Now, I order her favorite caramel concoction without checking the price.
“How’s the security consultant business?” she asks, warming her hands around the paper cup.
I sip my black coffee. “Good. Steady.”
