Page 53 of Mountain Void

“Lorenz?” She took a step towards him. “What are you doing here?” Suddenly, she remembered the graffiti. That might be why he was here. “Is it about the—“

He shook his head, cutting her off gently. “Nothing yet. Vincent and his team have spoken to all your neighbors. Nobody saw anything. But they’re checking nearby street cameras. We might get something from that.” He paused for an instant, then spoke faster. “I’m here because I wanted to see you.”

“You did?”

“I did. I … I’ve missed you all day,” he said, his tone almost shy, when Lorenz was never shy. “And I was hoping you’d join me for dinner. The team’s getting together tonight—Damien’s hosting a barbecue for Tess’s birthday. Everybody will be there. Partners, kids.”

Charlie blinked.

“That sounds—“

Serious. Too much.

“Fun?” he asked, and he looked so hopeful, she couldn’t turn him down.

“Fun,” she agreed. “Yes. I’d like that.” She looked down at the striped shirt and jeans she’d worn to school. “Do I need to change?”

“You look perfect,” Lorenz said.

17

Charlie

Before tonight, Charlie would have said she was good with names.

Give me a group of twenty kids sitting on the rug, and I can remember all their names after hearing them just once.

But there were way more than twenty people here, and they weren’t sitting on a rug.

They were moving all around the small backyard.

Names came at her from all directions—Val, Yvette, Isla, Diana—she was pretty sure she’d already introduced herself to the same people twice without realizing. Hopefully, they would forgive her.

Kat pulled her away from the group and pressed a drink into her hand.

“White wine,” she said. “Or would you prefer red?”

Either would do, at this point. Charlie settled for, “White is perfect, thank you,” and took a sip of the cool, crisp drink.

“Overwhelming?” Kat asked, one eyebrow raised in amusement.

“More like overwhelmed,” she said, smiling. “Just a little. But it’s better now.”

“Relax, it’s a crazy group, and growing crazier by the minute,” Kat said, giving Charlie a long look.

Charlie’s gaze drifted, searching for something, or—who was she kidding—someone.

She found Lorenz at the far end of the garden. He stood with Beau, Alex, and a huge man she hadn’t met yet.

“That’s Drake,” Kat said, helpfully. “He’s second-in-command on Damien’s team.”

Charlie nodded. She’d met Damien and Tess, their hosts, when she’d arrived.

“But maybe it’s not Drake you were staring at,” Kat laughed. “It’s okay to stare at Lorenz, you know?”

Charlie felt herself blush. “I … it’s not what you think.”

“Charlie.” Charlie turned, almost spilling her wine, to face a beautiful woman in a bright orange jumpsuit. It was a hard color to pull off, but she certainly managed. Charlie hunted in her mind for the woman’s name.