The restaurant Mara chose was quiet and tucked away from the main streets. Small tables. Low lighting. The kind of place where conversations stayed private without trying.
She arrived ten minutes early and chose a table near the window where she could see the entrance.
She ordered water and waited.
Kai Lancaster walked in exactly on time.
She recognized him immediately from the photographs she had looked up the night before but photographs had not prepared her for the actual presence of him. He was tall with the kind of composure that came not from arrogance but from a man who had long since stopped needing to prove anything to anyone. He wore a dark suit without a tie and he scanned the room once before his eyes landed on her.
He crossed the room and extended his hand.
“Mrs. Stephen
