Kai gnawed at a gas station cinnamon roll as flurries of charcoal exhaust drifted past the car windshield. Liquefied sugar swished around her mouth, settling between her molars, her tongue seeking cinnamon but only finding more gooey molasses. The rolls were on sale for a reason, she realized as she took her last bite.
The detour down Bankhead was failing gloriously, the night’s journey into the city obstructed by a gassy tractor trailer and miles of traffic. Faint traces of sunlight sputtered in the side mirror, a long kiss goodnight. Kai had thought she was doing everyone a favor by avoiding I-75/85 on the night of a Gucci concert and a Braves game, but her traffic app told her otherwise. Bankhead was backed up.
Upon receiving Theo’s oblique texts, the car had become silent. Kai couldn
