I texted him the moment my last class ended.

The black sedan was already waiting at the curb. I opened the front door and slid in. Harlan didn’t speak. He simply pulled into traffic and drove past the turn that led to my apartment. The city thinned. After twenty minutes the buildings gave way to quieter roads lined with trees. He turned onto a narrow service lane that ended at a small, empty overlook above the river. No other cars. No cameras. Just the low sound of the water below and the ticking of the engine as he shut it off.

Harlan turned to me.

“Dress off. Everything.”

I pulled...