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 ...