She picked a coffee shop in Midtown. Neutral ground, she said. Public enough.

I arrived five minutes early because I needed the psychological advantage of already being seated when she walked in. I ordered an Americano I wasn't sure I'd be able to drink and I put my bag on the chair beside me and I sat with my back to the wall, the way my dad always said to sit in unfamiliar places. See the room, Nat. Always see the room.

I saw her the moment she pushed through the door.

Vivienne Carr was exactly what I'd expected from someone Ethan had idealized for six years, polished, deliberate, the...