Chapter 232

• Leah's POV
• The fluorescent buzz of the internet cafe felt like a swarm of gnats in my skull. I'd chosen this place for its stench of burnt coffee and desperation - the kind of hole where men hunched over screens, their dreams pickled in porn and energy drinks. The clerk at the counter was all greasy hair and nicotine fingers, his eyes widening when I leaned over, my shadow swallowing the glow of his monitor.
• "Where's your boss?" I asked, letting my voice fray at the edges, a threadbare thing.