Jace wasted no time. My phone started to ring the next day, displaying a flurry of texts about where to meet for his research. After my last class, we met at a bar on campus, per my suggestion. Jace didn't question my absurd choice of location to do research. I figured I might be able to get something useful out of him if I got him drunk enough.

We dug through the Internet for more news stories about the vigilante only to come up with nothing new. Resigned, he shut off his laptop and questioned me instead. Whenever I tried to steer the subject away from the vigilante, he'd simply find a way to bring it up again. He fired questions at me the way a machine gun would bullets.

Jace raised his eyebrows at me in disbelief, chewing a mouthful of curly fries that a bartender had brought him, on the house. Probably courtesy of that accent of his. "Are you joking?" he snorted. "How long have the police been after her now?"

"A year," I said, plucking a fry off of his red tray.

"And she uses nothing but that bow and arrow?"

I could feel the bartender staring at me, her eyes searing into the back of my head. Jace had barely acknowledged her, even when she had come by. He had been too occupied with his questions. I threw the pretty bartender an apologetic look before answering him. "As far as I know."

"Why doesn't she use a gun?"

I shrugged, feigning a look of indifference. "I don't know. Arrows might be harder to track or something depending on how you get them."

He considered that for a moment. I could practically see the gears turning in his head. "And she can reuse the arrows. She won't run out."

"True." I checked my watch, trying not to look too eager to leave. "Maybe we should get something to drink."

He looked tempted. "I can't. I drove here." Finishing the last of his greasy fries, he slipped off his stool and grabbed his backpack. "Thanks, Lia. You've been loads of help."

"Anytime." I smiled, watching him leave. The bell on the door jingled as it shut behind him. When his car had pulled out the lot, I left too.

Getting into my Audi, I jammed in my keys and started the car, debating whether or not to follow him. The more knowledge I had on him, the better, right?

Flinging my bag into the backseat, I straightened up and adjusted my mirror. A hand clamped over my mouth and I was practically pulled out of my seat and over the console before I could realize what was going on. "Shh!" Logan hissed. "It's just me."

My windows may have been tinted, but somebody being dragged into the back of their car was probably noticeable. I pushed him away, gasping. "Are you insane?"

He suppressed a smile. "Sorry, did I scare you?"

"No!" I grumbled, trying to ease up. "I - What the hell were you thinking?"

"I was thinking we needed a chance to catch up. We haven't spoken in two days. I couldn't exactly walk into a bar filled with people we have classes with to talk to you."

"So you broke into my car?"

"In my defense, it took time. Some might even say it's a romantic gesture."

I shook my head, more hung up on how absurd he sounded. "Well, I say it's creepy."

He shook his head. "I missed you. Besides, we need to reschedule."

"I can't," I said, exasperated. Logan was the epitome of bad timing. "I have dinner with my parents today, I promised them."

"New clients?"

"No, it's just them."

"Alright, well, I wasn't going to invite you to dinner," he said. "Anyways, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, tonight, we are going to grab some gelato. Someplace way out of town. I'm picking you up, so be ready at eight." He peered out the window to make sure nobody was headed our way. He opened the door, getting out. "And absolutely no phones allowed."

➵

It was hard for me to recall the last time I had dinner with Issac and Lillith. One of us, if not all of us, were always busy. There was a goofy smile plastered on my face as I went down the stairs and into the dining room. I didn't know why I felt so ecstatic about something so trivial, but I was.

The plates had already been set and Tonia was bringing in two trays of food. She set them down in the center of the table and scurried out of sight. Lilith was standing up, picking up her purse and heading for the front door. She didn't even look at me, dabbing at her pink lipstick with a tissue. My father was sitting down, his face bright red as he argued with somebody on his phone. "-fine!" He hung up when he saw me, rubbing his temples. "Hi, sweetheart."

I crossed my arms. Sweetheart. The only time he said that was when something was wrong. My smile became something of a grimace, already anticipating what was coming.

"Your mother and I need to go. Something came up at the firm." He stood up, tucking his phone into his jacket's pocket. "We'll do this later. Okay?"

I nodded, pressing my lips together. "It's fine. It wasn't that big a deal anyway. I mean, it's just dinner."

Isaac ruffled my hair. "See? I knew you'd understand. Lilith didn't want to have to be the one to tell you. She didn't want to disappoint you."

Grabbing his keys, he followed my mother. I stood where I was, listening to the door slam shut.

Tonia poked her head in, her eyebrows knit together. Her concern was as transparent as it was sweet. "Are you okay, Miss Lia?"

I bobbed my head up and down, trying my best to smile. "Of course, I've just realized that I'm not that hungry."

"I will put everything away, Miss. If you get hungry I will warm it -"

"No, no. That won't be necessary. Take it home for your kids, Tonia. Take the night off and enjoy the food. I have plans anyway." I walked out the dining room and down the halls, taking quiet steps, looking at the abstract paintings the lined the walls.

Outside, I sat down on the porch's swing, pulling on my coat. The tips of my feet touched the wooden floor as it moved back and forth. It was just some stupid dinner anyway, I told myself over and over. No big deal. I kept repeating the words in my head, thinking that if I said it enough, I would actually start to believe it.

➵

"Getting gelato in cold weather wasn't that great of an idea," Logan admitted, shivering as we walked out of a little shop somewhere far out of the city. It smelled like smoke and cheap cologne. The little Styrofoam bowl in Logan's hand shook as he picked off some lint from his sweater.

I took a spoonful of my gooey chocolate gelato and waved it in front of his face. "Speak for yourself, you big baby." Swallowing it, I shoveled another spoonful. "It isn't that cold."

A sudden, cold gust of wind blew in our direction. "Said the girl in a coat and a scarf."

I shrugged. "So? All you've done is point out that I was smart enough to dress for the weather."

"I can't believe that guy didn't make us pay for your gelato. Jesus. I can't believe the things you can get people to do for you in general. Remember that security guard a couple weeks ago when we took the Da Vinci?"

"There is power in femininity."

Scraping the last bit of gelato out of my container, I flung it into a rusty trash can outside a thrift store. Hurriedly finishing his own, he held me back so he could toss in his own.

"I get points for style."

He grinned, taking my hand. He swung our hands as we walked down the sidewalk. "Fair enough."

It felt nice to be outside with him, not having to worry about somebody seeing us or straining not to glance at each other.

"The press is having a total field day with you. You're not dying down anytime soon. I'm curious, though."

"About?"

Logan leveled me with his gaze. His pale gray eyes were piercing, like they could see right through me. Gorgeous, but unsettling. "About what else is on that flash drive."

Logan's desire to know more about it unnerved me.

"I haven't gone through it yet. I haven't exactly had any alone time. My parents have been bombarding me with dinners with potential clients. And I've been keeping an eye on that other thief."

He didn't say anything.

"Is that the reason you let Keen hide my bow?"

"Of course he told you I helped. Sometimes I think he wants you to hate me. Look, we needed to be sure you wouldn't do anything until it was clear." He stopped at his car, spinning around. "But if you ever needed it and let me know, and I just so happened to let the location slip..."

"Then that would be extremely convenient."

"Wouldn't it?" He opened the passenger door for me, shutting it once I was inside. "Just give me the word."

The drive back to the city wasn't as long as I'd thought. Maybe it was because he was far over the speed limit or that there wasn't a silent moment during the ride. It had been a while since I had done something just for fun. Going out for dessert wasn't particularly adventurous, but it brought a much-needed sense of normalcy.

When we pulled up in my driveway, he walked me to the door. "This was nice," he said, smiling.

"It was," I agreed, digging through my purse for the key. Frowning, I glanced up, "I could have sworn I'd left my keys in my purse." A glint of silver caught my eye, enclosed in Logan's fist. "When did you take it?"

He opened his fist, revealing the key. "When we were paying for the gelato." He dangled it over my head as I scowled. I reached up for it and he grabbed me, looping an arm around my waist to pull me closer. He pressed his lips to mine and I felt myself smile.

The front door opened, and we both pulled back, startled. Neither of my parents' cars had been parked out front. We hadn't expected them.

My father blinked, looking from me to Logan. "I... We came early so we could take you out to dinner. I tried calling."

Logan crossed his arm, throwing me a look. "Um, I should get going."

I nodded.

"Goodnight, Lia. You too, sir." He stepped off the porch and walked back to his car.

I went inside the house, closing the door behind me. "I left my phone at home," I said, apologetically.

My father crossed his arms, the corners of my mouth pulled down. "Clearly! We were concerned, we thought something may have happened."

The fragments of the good mood that Logan had managed to scavenge were beginning to crack. "I handled myself for three years before you took me in."

He nodded, crossing his arms to mimic my own defensive posture. "I know, Lia. We thought maybe you got yourself into trouble. At a party or a club. It would've look bad."

My resolve was falling apart. "You thought I might have done something to tarnish your precious family name?"

His cheeks flushed. "That-"

"I know why I'm here, okay? You two can play house with me all you want, but it isn't fooling me. I know when I'm being used - I always have."

"You have-"

I shook my head, throwing the door back open. I buttoned my coat back up, turned on my heels, and grabbed my phone from the table in the foyer. "I need to go."

"Where are you going?" His voice was sharp, his quota of patience with me for the day seemed to have worn thin.

I walked out, slamming the door behind me without an answer.