The café was mostly empty, save for the quiet hum of refrigerators and the occasional clink of a spoon behind the counter. Harper had dragged Alex inside, pressed a steaming cup of tea into his trembling hands, and forced him into a booth. The light was soft, but it couldn't mask the exhaustion carved into Alex's face.
He sat curled forward, eyes fixed on the dark surface of the tea, as if answers might float up from it. Harper didn't rush him. She just stirred her own coffee, patient, her gaze sharp but not unkind.
Finally, Alex croaked, "Explain it to me again. Please. All of it."
Harper set her spoon down with a faint clink. "All right. Listen closely."
She leaned forward, folding her arms on the table.
