Chapter Thirteen_ I can't... we can't...

Elliot.

I had convinced myself that coming back to work would be easy. Even with the mayor’s backing, Frank would have moved on to the next story and let me dig into my own half-baked storylines.

Boy, was I wrong.

Horribly wrong.

The moment I stepped onto the office floor, Frank practically ambushed me.

"Elliot!" His voice was loud, overly enthusiastic, and way too early for the caffeine levels in my system. "Glad to see you took my advice and rested for a while. And now, you're back in action. I've been doing some digging on my own since you seemed... let's say, less-than-motivated."

My legs stopped moving. "Oh? And what exactly did you 'dig up'?"

Frank grinned, looking far too pleased with himself. "I did some background search on your little friend... Damien. He showed up after you took a hit, so I'm not too fond of him."

Bile rose in my throat, though I forced a casual shrug. "He's just a friend, Frank. There's nothing connecting him to the town but me."

"Oh, but that's where you'