“Meet me tonight,” Daniel said. “There is a small diner on the corner of 8th and 23rd. It’s quiet. No one from the office goes there.”

“I am meeting Elias tomorrow,” I said.

“I know,” Daniel said. “And if you go into that meeting without me, he will destroy you. Let me help you finish this.”

The line went quiet as I stared at the rain streaking down the glass.

“I’ll be there,” I said.

I hung up the phone before he could reply.

The dial tone hummed in the quiet room.

I stared at my reflection in the dark window.

The rain was coming down harder now, blurring the lights of the city below.

I picked up my black trench coat from the chair.

My hands were shaking, so I balled them into fists.

I pulled the hood over my head and walked out.

***

The diner on 8th and 23rd smelled of burnt coffee and old grease.

A neon sign buzzed against the front window, casting a dull red glow over the empty booths.

Daniel sat in the far corner, away from the door.