“You dragged her out of bed for this?” he asked Alois.
“She said she hadn’t seen the city.” Alois shrugged, like that was the entire explanation.
Like that was enough.
It shouldn’t have been.
And yet—No one questioned it.
Myla returned then, placing a mug in my hands before I could figure out where I was supposed to stand. The ceramic was warm, grounding, the faint scent of tea curling up with something herbal and soft.
“Careful,” she warned gently. “It’s hot.”
“Thank you,” I replied quickly, wrapping both hands around it like it might anchor me to something solid.
Conversation picked up around me again—easy for them, natural in a way that made it obvious I was the only one trying to keep up.
Names weren’t being said.
They didn’t need to be.
And that was when it started to click.
Not all at once.
Not cleanly.
But piece by piece, like something falling into place just slightly too late.
The photo in the entry. The way Gavin commanded a room. The way Alois didn’t introduce anyone with titles—because he shouldn’t have to.
My stomach tightened slightly.
I should have known who they are.
And the worst part? Alois had given me nothing. No warning. No context. No quiet,“Hey, this matters.”
Just dropped me into it like I was supposed to figure it out on my own.
I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye.
He stood there, mug in hand, shoulders relaxed,completely disengaged from the part of the conversation that felt like it should matter most.
Like this—all of this—wasn’t something he felt the need to guide me through.
I should have been annoyed.
I was.
But underneath that—something else settled in.
He didn’t think I needed it. He knew I would figure it out. Was he testing me?
Ezra huffed a quiet laugh, breaking through my thoughts as he stepped a little closer. “We go all the way back,” he explained, gesturing between himself and Gavin. “Rookie season.”
I turned slightly toward them, listening more carefully now, trying to catch every piece I could.
Gavin’s mouth twitched faintly. “Thomas here was a powerhouse back in his prime.”