Steven came back a few minutes later, looking a little embarrassed as he tucked his phone into his pocket.
Rex humored him with a couple of empty exchanges… pointless small talk about the weather, traffic, the price of coffee, stuff no one cared about but filled the air. Steven kept trying, careful, almost overly respectful now, as though every word had to be weighed before it left his mouth. Rex didn't pay him much attention.
Not long after, the girls returned. They were practically glowing with excitement, eyes sharp, steps light, like hunters coming back from a successful chase.
"We got everything," Hannah whispered to Rex, trying to contain her grin. "Actually, more than everything. And not the fluffy stuff people read in tabloids. I'm talking the real, ugly gears and pulleys. The kind that would blow the internet apart if we ever dared to leak it."
