Flynn brushes the back of his hand down my arm. “You sure you want to do this?”
I nod. “You’ll wait here?”
“I’ll walk you to the house.”
“You need to stay out of sight.”
Flynn’s dark brows lifts. “Worried about me, Lilac?”
I cut him a look. “Pretty sure you can handle yourself,” I say, but an image of him getting taken away in handcuffs flashes through my mind and I bite my cheek. No one ever tells you when you fall for a criminal that you’ll be constantly worried they’ll get arrested, but then maybe I should have figured that one out for myself.
Flynn takes my hand and we stroll down the street. It’s such a picturesque scene with the sun out, morning frost sparkling on the bushes, and I can almost imagine we’re just a normal couple out for a walk. My heart hurts with how much I want that to be true, but I don’t know how this ends for us.
We reach Ana’s white clad house and I let go of Flynn’s hand. I look up at the blue trim on the windows and take a breath. “Here goes nothing.”
My palms turn clammy as I walk up the steps to the front door and my finger leaves a print against the video doorbell. A musical sound chimes inside the house. I hear footsteps and then the door cracks open. Ana looks at me, dyed blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail, cat ear headphones hanging around her neck. “Can I help you?”
I twist my fingers together. “Maybe. This is going to sound strange but I’m a reporter. I’m investigating Senator Christian Claren and I was hoping I could ask you a few questions.”
Ana’s already closing the door before I finish speaking. “I can’t talk to you.”
I press my hand against the door, holding it open and panic flares in her eyes. I snatch my hand back. “I’m sorry, you’re totally within your rights to slam the door on me but it’s really important I talk to you. Please.”
Ana puffs air between her lips and the loose strands of hair around her face flutter. She cups one hand around her headphones, ready to put them back on. “Look, you should keep investigating. That’s all I can say.”
She goes to close the door again but her answer only makes me want to talk to her more. She knows something and I’ll be damned if I leave here without finding out what. So I take a risk. “I know about the Kings Society,” I blurt out.
The door stops closing. It stays open just a crack and I hold my breath. My lungs are starting to burn by the time Ana opensit farther, her eyes shifting to the street behind me. “You better come in,” she says.
I let go of my breath and follow Ana inside her house. “I’m Hazel, by the way,” I say, my gaze skating over the bare walls of the corridor. There’s not a single photo or decoration anywhere. The living room is the same, bare bones furniture and no personal touches.
I look away from the moving boxes stacked in the corner of the room to find Ana’s steel eyes on me. “I’m Ana, but then you already knew that.”
My gaze drifts back to the boxes, trying to work out why this house feels so empty when Flynn said she’s been living here for almost a year.
“I move around a lot,” Ana explains. She eyes the living room windows and keeps walking. “Come on, we can talk in my den. Fewer eyes.”
I don’t say anything. Two weeks ago, I’d have thought she was being paranoid but in a world with secret societies and corrupt politicians her precautions seem every bit appropriate.
I follow Ana into a small office at the back of the house. A large poster covers what must be the window and black foam sound proofing darkens the walls. The only light comes from colorful LED strips and the three screens set up on the desk. Ana is a gamer.
She leans against the desk, her nails tapping on the underside of the glass. “I signed an NDA,” she says.
“I know.”
Ana twists her lips and stares at the Balder’s Gate poster. “How did you hear about that damned society?”
“My college boyfriend wanted to join. I was supposed to be his sacrifice.”
Ana goes still and I wince, hating that I’m doing this to her. “Supposed to be?” she asks.
“I stood him up.”
Ana smiles at that but it’s a fiery thing. “Wish I’d been that smart.”
“Not smart. Just lucky. And I think you were smart, I think you found evidence against Claren and that’s why he got you to sign an NDA. Why he paid you off.”
Ana’s smile fades away, leaving just a bitter trace. “I can’t tell you anything. The motherfucker’s made it very clear how big his reach is. If I broke the NDA, he’d know. He’d come for me.” Sharp gray eyes hit mine. “And I don’t mean legally.”
