Ryder
I found Adrian in the garage the next evening, running diagnostics on one of his cars for no reason I could identify except that it gave his hands something to do while his mind worked through whatever was weighing on him. He didn't look up when I came in, though the tension in his shoulders told me he'd clocked my presence immediately.
"You've been avoiding me," I said, leaning against the workbench.
"I've been busy," he said, not quite meeting my eyes. "Board fallout from Damien's termination. Legal proceedings. Plenty to keep me occupied."
"That's not why you've been avoiding me, and we both know it."
He finally looked up, something guarded and tired in his expression. "What do you want me to say, Ryder?"
"I want you to say what's actually true. That you've noticed the same
