Page 87 of Shadow Burn

He shut down the auxiliary dashboard, leaving the main security feed active. “Fine.”

“Try not to make it sound like a hostage negotiation.”

“It kind of is.”

“Then consider yourself rescued.”

He followed her through the quiet hall to the kitchen. The compound seemed bigger without the others. Their footsteps echoed against the polished floor. Rain had been threatening all afternoon, gathering in the gray clouds beyond the mountains without committing to the fall.

In the kitchen, Vivi opened the fridge and began pulling out turkey, cheese, lettuce, and the container of chicken salad Mack had made the previous day.

Jasper eyed it. “That better not be the one with grapes.”

“It is.”

“Grapes don’t belong in chicken salad.”

“You and Ian are both wrong about this.”

“Ian agrees with me?”

“Unfortunately, yes.”

“Then there’s hope for him.”

She handed him bread. “Make yourself useful.”

He took it and started assembling sandwiches. Vivi worked beside him in comfortable silence for a minute, slicing a tomato and pretending not to watch him.

He felt her looking anyway. “What?” he asked.

“How’s Katherine?”

His hand stilled on the mustard.

Vivi didn’t apologize. The question had been coming all week, and they both knew it.

“She’s good,” he said.

“Just good?”

“She’s busy.”

“Ah.” One word, but it held so much more.

He spread mustard across the bread with more precision than the sandwich required. “She texts when she can. Calls when she has a window. The investigation is chewing up most of her time. I worry about Priss, alone so much.”

“She’s probably causing all kinds of havoc.”

“She’s probably not eating or sleeping.”

Vivi was quiet for a beat. “We’re still talking about Priss?”

“Yes.”

“Liar.”

He set the knife down.