…Daniel’s jaw tightened. He looked at me, not like a stranger anymore, but like someone who had just realized he’d been speaking out of turn in a room he didn’t understand.
“Permission to speak freely?” he asked. It wasn’t directed at Maya. It was directed at me. — I held his gaze for a second. Then nodded once. “Go ahead.” — He turned back to her. “That patch,” he said carefully, “isn’t just a county insignia.” Maya crossed her arms. “Oh my God, Daniel, don’t…
