CHRISTOF
He watched me the way he always did when he was serious, head slightly tilted, eyes steady, expression stripped of theatrics. Roman never wasted stillness. If he was quiet, it was because he wanted the other person to fill the space and reveal something.
Tanisha? Of all the women in Manhattan, Tanisha??
Of all the variables in this conversation. Servers, syndicates, money, international routes, that was the one I hadn’t accounted for.
Roman watched my face carefully now, clearly enjoying himself. For the first time in ages, I couldn’t manage to mask my reaction.
“Don’t look so surprised,” he said mildly. “I noticed her. At the Luncheon. She was… memorable.”
That made no sense. Tanisha had been background noise, a shadow with a notepad. She barely registered to me most days,
