Page 147 of Dream On, Liar

“Fair.”

There had been email waiting for her that told her about a declined payment when she’d logged in.

Then her thumb moved again, faster now, almost mechanical, switching between apps on her phone in the mirrored screen on my laptop. She double-checked numbers twice before letting me input anything, like if she didn’t verify it enough times, something worse might slip through.

I noticed the bruise on her wrist again.

Darker now than it had been earlier. Angry against her skin.

I looked away before she could catch me staring.

Once that was done, we drove for forty minutes before we arrived on the motor way, the road opening into a cluster of service stations and restaurants, the kind that always looked the same no matter which one you stopped at. Fluorescent lights. Wet tarmac. The smell of fuel and fried food mixing in the air.

I glanced at the sign, one shop in particular catching my eye, making me switch lanes.

“You hungry?”

She nodded, as I pulled in. The engine ticked as it cooled, the silence inside the car suddenly louder than the road had been.

I looked over at her. “Want to come in, or want me to grab something?”

She hesitated, eyes flicking briefly to the window, then back to me. “I’ll come. I need to freshen up.”

“Okay, let’s go.”

We stepped inside together, and instantly the warmth hit us like a wall.

Too bright. Too clean. Too many people moving in too many directions, none of them aware of anything that had just happened in the world outside this building.

Maeve paused just inside the door, blinking slightly as if she had to re-calibrate to the noise.

She pointed towards the corridor. “I’ll meet you in the café.”

I took out my wallet. “Get whatever you want, I’ll pick up some snacks for the road and extra bits.”

She looked at the card I held out.

“I have my own.”

“Your cards are currently being frozen.”

That made her pause. Like just for a second, she’d forgotten all about it.

She took it silently. Her fingers brushed mine briefly, and I felt it—how cold she still was, even in this heat.

I watched the corner of her mouth lift. “What?”

“Nothing.”

“You looked pleased.”

“I was wondering what stupid thing I could spend your money on, and get away with it.”

“Please don’t buy a private jet.”

“No promises.”

And then she was gone, disappearing down the corridor toward the bathrooms, shoulders slightly hunched like she was trying to make herself smaller in a place that didn’t care whether she existed or not.