“That was fast,” Anna finally said. “What’s she like? Does she remember you? How did you convince her to trust you? Wait,” she cut in. “I already know the answer to that.”

“I didn’t sleep with her, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

She laughed. “No, that’s not what I was thinking. But really, what’s she like?”

I went to the windows again and glanced at the main house. I scanned the second-story windows, hoping for a glimpse of her.

“She’s… nice.”

“Nice?” Another laugh. “That’s all you can give me?”

“She’s pretty,” I added. “And quiet.” I recalled all the shit the librarian had told me. That Elizabeth had had several public meltdowns since she’d been rescued. I didn’t tell Anna that part. It wasn’t my story to tell. Hell, it wasn’t the librarian’s, either.

“So,” Anna said, “anything else?”

I debated telling her my doubts about Elizabeth, that I’d caught her in a lie about the injuries she’d had the night I’d taken her to the ER, but I knew what those suspicions implied, and I wasn’t ready to put them out there yet.

“That’s all I got,” I said. “Stop pumping me for information.”

Anna laughed again. “Glad to see you’re still yourself.”

“Yeah, me, too.” I turned away from the main house and let the curtains fall back over the windows. “I need to ask you a favor and I need you to swear you won’t tell Sam yet.”

I could hear the shuffling of feet on the other end as Anna walked into another room. “I think that depends on what the favor is.”

“I need to call Trev.”

“What?” she screeched.

“Shh!” I said, knowing that the second she sounded alarmed, Sam would come running.

“Why would you”—she lowered her voice to a whisper—“call Trev? You hate him.”

“He knows things about the Branch that we don’t. And trust me, if I had another option, I’d take it, but he’s the best I’ve got. Just give me his number.”

Anna thought for a second. “Fine. But when Sam finds out about this, I’m going to be in so much trouble. You better back me up.”

I snorted. “Sam’s going to be more pissed at me than at you. You better back me up.”

She rattled off the number, and I wrote it down on a piece of scrap paper I found shoved in a kitchen drawer.

“Thanks,” I said.

“Yeah. I know. Just be careful, okay?”

“Aren’t I always?”

“No.” She sighed. “Anyway, in the meantime, I’ll keep digging through your files and let you know if I find anything useful.”

We hung up. I considered catching some sleep before going back into town, but I was still feeling restless, and being without the truck made it worse. I needed to have a quick escape, just in case.

When I left the apartment, I felt eyes on me as I walked down the driveway. I looked up at the house and saw a shadow pass across the front window. I thought about asking Elizabeth if she wanted to come with me, but decided maybe it was too soon.

I didn’t want to run into Evan again at Merv’s Bar & Grill, so I kept walking down Washington until I ran into another bar. Inside, the place was still and dark.

As much as I wanted another drink, I hadn’t eaten in a while, and I still had to drive back to Elizabeth’s. I ordered a sandwich along with a beer and picked at the food while I thought.

Anna was right. I hated Trev, but he was the only one of us who still had a line to the Branch. He’d helped us wipe them out, including leveling several of their buildings, but was he still a part of it? Whatever part remained of it, that was.

Maybe he knew about the place nearby that the Branch used to operate out of.

I bristled at the thought of calling him.

Every time I saw the guy, I wanted to punch him.

I drained my beer and ordered another. By the bottom of the second, I was feeling a lot better. And more than that, I was feeling a little looser with the forgiveness.

I pulled the cell from my pocket, punched in Trev’s number, and waited for it to ring.

“Anna?”

That was the first thing Trev said when he picked up.

“Sorry to disappoint you,” I replied.

Trev cursed. “What the hell do you want? Where’s Anna?”

“She’s home.”

“Is she okay?”

“Yes. Is there anything else you want to know about her? You want to know what she was wearing yesterday? You want to know what she had for breakfast? You want to know how often I stumble on her and Sam going at it?”

The last one was a lie, but twisting the knife always felt good. Anna would smack me for it if she ever found out. A little sliver of guilt wedged in my chest.

“I’m hanging up now.”

“Wait,” I said. “I’m sorry. Mostly for Anna’s sake. Not yours.”

“What do you want, Nick?”

“I need your help.”

“And I’m just supposed to jump?”

“There’s a girl,” I started, looking over my shoulder. It was always good to know who was within earshot. A couple sat at a table a good ten feet away. No one on either side of me at the bar.

“‘There’s a girl,’” Trev echoed. “Oh no! Not a girl.”