Tony drove for twenty minutes.
Adrian didn't ask where they were going. Didn't care.
Tony pulled up to a bar. Small. Dim light. No sign out front.
"Where are we?" Adrian asked.
"Somewhere I go." Tony got out. "You need this."
Adrian hesitated. Then followed.
Inside, the bartender nodded at Tony.
"Usual?"
"Yeah. Two."
Tony led Adrian to a booth near the back. Wall behind them. Eyes on the door.
Adrian looked around. Didn't recognize anything. "You come here a lot."
Tony shrugged. "It's quiet. No questions."
The drinks came. Adrian stared at his. Then drank.
Five minutes later, the door opened.
Stacy walked in. Andrew behind her.
Adrian's hand went to his pocket. Then relaxed.
They spotted him. Walked over.
"You followed me," Adrian said.
"You left without saying anything," Andrew replied. He slid into the booth across from Adrian. Stacy sat next to Tony.
Adrian looked at them. "Victor sent you?"
Stacy shook her head. "Victor doesn't know we're here."
Andrew nodded. "We came because we wanted to."
Adrian studied them. Then poured another drink.
Andrew turned to Stacy. Leaned in.
"So. Stacy. Hacker girl. That's pretty cool."
Stacy didn't look up from her phone.
"I mean," Andrew continued, "you must have some stories. Breaking into mainframes. Outsmarting the feds."
Stacy typed something. Ignored him.
Andrew tried again. "I once hacked my school's grading system. Gave myself an A."
Stacy finally looked at him. "That's not hacking. That's guessing a password."
Andrew's smile faltered. "It was a good guess."
She went back to her phone.
Tony snorted. "Sit down, man. You're embarrassing yourself."
Andrew sat.
Another round came.
They started talking. Real talk.
Andrew grew up on the south side. Mom worked two jobs. Dad left when he was seven.
Stacy was a prodigy. Dropped out of college because it was boring. Hacked her first database at fourteen.
Tony learned to drive stealing his uncle's car at twelve. Crashed it into a fence. Been chasing that feeling ever since.
They all looked at Adrian.
He took a long drink.
"I don't remember much before the hospital. Just... her voice. My mother. She used to sing. Something old. I don't know the words anymore."
His voice cracked. Just a little.
No one said anything.
Andrew broke the silence. Told a story about a job gone wrong. A guy who owed money. Hid in a dumpster. Came out covered in trash.
Stacy rolled her eyes. But she was smiling.
Tony added his own story. A passenger who tried to pay with a bag of loose change. Counted it for twenty minutes. Tony just drove off.
Adrian listened. His lips twitched.
Then he laughed.
Not loud. Not long. Just a breath. A release.
But it was real.
Stacy noticed. Smiled.
Andrew raised his glass. "There he is."
Adrian shook his head. Poured another drink.
Hours passed. Or maybe minutes.
Adrian's head was light. The edges of the room were fuzzy.
He looked at Stacy. She was explaining encryption. He didn't understand half of it. But he liked the way she talked.
Andrew was being loud. Trying to make her laugh. Failing.
But it didn't matter.
For the first time in years, Adrian wasn't watching his back.
He was just... there.
His phone buzzed.
Victor.
Adrian stared at the screen. Didn't answer.
Stacy looked at him. "You gonna get that?"
"No."
He put the phone face down.
Tony raised his glass. "To bad decisions."
Andrew laughed. "To not being alone."
Stacy looked at Adrian. "To the first laugh."
Adrian picked up his glass. Clinked it against theirs.
"To something."
They drank.
The bar was closing when they left.
Adrian stood outside. Cold air. Head spinning.
Tony called a cab. His own car was parked somewhere. He'd get it tomorrow.
Andrew leaned against the wall. Stacy stood next to Adrian.
"You okay?" she asked.
Adrian looked at her.
"I don't know," he said. "But tonight... I was."
She nodded.
The cab arrived. They got in.
Adrian closed his eyes.
The USB was still in his pocket.
Tomorrow, he'd figure it out.
Tonight, he let himself breathe…