I slid into the booth beside him, my thigh brushing against his. He smelled like expensive cologne and bad decisions.

“You’re late,” he said, tilting his sunglasses down to reveal eyes that were far too calm for a man standing on a landmine.

“You’re lucky I showed up at all,” I replied with a smile, sipping from his glass without asking. “Let’s skip the small talk. You didn’t call me to reminisce about old times, Did you? ”

He leaned in, lips near my ear. “No. I ...