Chapter 11 : One Eventful Night

The bar Andre chose turned out to be one of those slick-but-still-homey sorts of places that Raven didn’t think still existed in the financial district. With a worn wooden bar and scuffed floors, it had the sense of someplace people had been coming to drink and unwind after high-pressure days in high-stakes businesses. There was a sense of comfort here, of settled energy. Raven felt herself exhaling deeply, letting the tension of the day out of her body.

It had been a long time since she’d been in a space like this: where pints were being poured and conversations were climbing to a shouting pitch. There was a football game on the big TV above the bar, and people kept cheering wildly after each play.

Andre ordered cosmos for all three of them and raised them in a cheers. “Happy after-hours!”

“Cheers!” Raven and Sharon chorused, laughing.

The radio was playing a vapid pop song, and the bartender slid a cup of pretzels toward the three of them. Besides, Raven had hours to kill bef