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Alex’s heart kicked against his ribs. She was still talking about him. He needed to focus, but the question was already out before he could leash it. “Did she say anything else? Like… recently?”

Ken frowned, then scoffed. “Even if she did, I wouldn’t tell you.”

“What the hell are you two bitching about?” Kana’s voice rang from the doorway.

The two of them turned towards her, her usual emo getup back in full force. She marched over with a phone in her meshed, gloved hand.

Alex stepped away from Ken and nodded at her coolly. “Just having some guy talk.” He cleared his throat when she shot him a look that she was clearly not having it. “Discussing how to get the most out of the interrogation.”

Kana rolled her eyes, shifting her weight to one hip. “Really? From you?”

“Well, it ain’t gonna be from him,” said Alex, jerking his chin at Ken. Ken glared at him, but Alex ignored it. “This one here lost his chill earlier. So since he can’t keep it in his pants, Imma do it.”

“Will you cut that out?” Ken snapped at him. “You are the least qualified person in this room to do any type of interrogation, so I will handle it.”

“Shut the fuck up!” Kana’s voice cracked through the garage like a whip.

Alex’s mouth snapped shut. Ken blinked like he’d been slapped.

She stepped between them. “You’re both clearly losing it, so I’ll handle this.”

Ken adjusted his glasses and frowned down at her. “You think you can handle something like this?”

Kana scoffed. “You think she’s going to listen to some ex or a psycho hoodrat?” Alex flinched at that, but before he could respond, her voice shrank. “Besides, it’s not going to be just me. I mean, not entirely.” She darted her eyes away from him. “Robin was the one that was going to talk to her, right?”

Assuming the question was directed at him, Alex answered, “That’s what the boss said on the phone.”

“Then let me handle it.” She put her hands on her hips, settling her eyes on Alex, as if challenging him to say something. He stepped back. Who knows how long before she would tear him to pieces with just her dark eyeliner alone. “She doesn’t need any more stress than what we are putting her under.”

Alex kept his mouth shut. This might be good for Kana—a chance to see how she handled someone she’d known her entire life under real pressure. Ever since she’d walked into his world asking for help, everything had turned into chaos. He still couldn’t decide if that was a blessing or a curse. He’d pray for a blessing. For now.

“You got it, princess,” he teased with a wide grin.

***

The garage smelled like motor oil and the ghost of last week’s hot pot. Alex leaned against the workbench, arms crossed, watching Snowy settle into the white chair like she was about to film a press junket. Back straight, legs crossed, chin up, even handcuffed and sweating, the woman looked like she’d been professionally lit. It pissed him off.

“So,” she said, scanning the room, “this is how you do your interrogations? In a garage?”

Alex crossed his arms. “Did you expect to be in a five-star hotel with comfy sofas and instant coffee?” He gestured his hand around the room, showcasing the tools and supplies of the garage scattered on the metal racks or hanging on the walls. “What you’re sitting on is the fanciest chair on this side of town. Consider yourself lucky.”

The fluorescent shop light above them buzzed and flickered. Between the Honda Civic and the Vanquish, they’d carved out a sad little interrogation zone in the middle bay—two chairs, a phone, and five people who had no business doing this. They’d faked worse.

Kana’s phone rang on speaker before Snowy could fire back.

“Hello?” Robin’s synthetic voice filled the hollow space, bouncing off the concrete walls.

“You’re on speaker,” said Kana. “Snowy’s here.”

“Great. Snowy, I know this is a strange situation, so we’ll try to make it quick. You cooperate, you go home. Simple as that.”

Snowy licked her lower lip, trying to figure out the phone in Kana’s hand. “And if I don’t?” she challenged.

“Then that photo of you holding two vials of an illegal substance goes everywhere,” Robin said, pleasant as ever. “Your call.”

Alex cleared his throat into his fist. “I told ya.”

Snowy groaned loudly. “God, I’m in a room full of fucking psychos.”