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Lou showed up next to get Rachelle. She pulled me into a tight hug. “I’m so glad you came,” she whispered.

“Me, too,” I admitted.

I could tell there was more she wanted to say, but she gave me a warm smile instead.

“So,” I said to Rosa as they pulled away. “Where’s Luc?”

Her lips tipped up as she shrugged. “He’s not supposed to pick us up for a few more hours.” Looping her arm with mine, she turned us toward the busy city street. “First, we’re going to grab some dinner and more drinks. Then, we’re going to the movies. There’s the choice of hot guys in superhero spandex, hot guys in romance, and hot guys who make us laugh. My vote is for spandex.”

“Spandex it is.”

As we walked, talking about which superhero ranked highest for us, I realized I was genuinely enjoying myself.

So much so, in fact, I’d decided to not even bother peppering questions into my conversation with Rosa. As far as I was concerned, Theo was a done topic for the night.

That’s why I was surprised when she brought him up.

“He loves you, you know.” She glanced over. “And when he gets out, he’ll tell you everything.”

“So Luc said.” I rolled my eyes.

“Please don’t hate us. We were told not to say anything, and we gave our word we wouldn’t.”

I stopped walking and turned to face her. “Why?”

“Because Theo needs to be the one to tell you everything.”

“So Luc said,” I repeated.

Rosa began walking again. “Trust me, if Theo gave the okay, I’d run to your house to tell you. Even if it was the middle of the night, I’d show up in my pajamas with my face covered in cold cream. But I know you’ll want to talk to him about it all, not me. He’s the only one who can give youallthe answers, not just speculations and partials.”

I need to move us off this topic, I’m just getting frustrated.

“Are you hungry?” I asked.

“Very.”

As we discussed dinner options, I pushed Theo to the back of my mind and went back to enjoying myself.

Chapter Eighteen

Coal and Ash

Theo

Cazzo.

With the office phone pressed to my ear, I clicked through the pictures Luc had emailed.

“She looks tired,” I muttered, more to myself than Luc.

He answered anyway. “She is. She’s been having bad dreams.”

The knife in my gut twisted.

“How did the night with Rosa go?” I asked.

“She had fun. They were still drunk when I picked them up earlier, giggling and whispering in the backseat.”