I stare at the straight line of his lips and think of the night in my garage when he kissed me. I’m about to lean into him when something catches his eye, and Ryan turns toward the TV.

Emi nods her head. She looks confident as she says, “I’d imagine their next step would be looking into whether or not he acted alone . . .”

“Do your parents know you’re okay?” my mom asks.

Ryan turns and nods. “I called my parents after I left the hospital. They don’t know anything about what happened. I’m a minor. Authorities can’t legally release my name or details.”

“And the hospital just let you go?” I ask, drawing his attention back.

Half of Ryan’s mouth lifts into a smile. “I snuck out. The Initiators got in a couple good hits, but they didn’t break anything.”

Ten minutes ago, I watched Ryan murdered on TV. Every inch of me ached with grief, and now he’s standing in my hotel room with his square jaw, his dark brows, his perfect eyes. He’s barely even injured.

“How did you find us?” my mom asks. There’s concern behind her question.

“A friend of mine works with Emi Vega.”

“Her cameraman,” I say.

“Yeah.” Ryan’s lips flicker, like I’ve impressed him. He addresses my mom. “You don’t need to worry about him telling anyone else. There are quite a few people willing to protect Lia right now. He’s one of them.”

Ryan nods at the TV. “What’s going on?”

My mom crosses her legs and straightens her back. “Lia’s responsible for many arrests tonight. She got Richard Stewart to admit he organized the Death Mob murders. And she got it on tape.”

“That’s not exactly what happened,” I say.

Ryan stares at me with something like disbelief. I can feel the red blotches crawling up my neck and my face, spreading warmth inside me. Maybe even pride. Ryan turns back toward footage of Richard being led away in handcuffs from the mayor’s house.

“You might as well take a seat,” my mom says. She gives Ryan a weak smile. The last time she saw him was when she kicked him off our roof and blamed him for my father’s death. “We have more than enough food here, and I have a feeling this will be on all night.”

Ryan nods in appreciation.

“I didn’t know Emi installed the software on my phone,” I say, before he thinks too highly of me, my role in the evening. “Emi’s lying. She’s acting like I cornered Richard on purpose, but I didn’t.”

I search his face, waiting for his expression to change. But it doesn’t.

My mom nods. “Tonight, this city took a step in the right direction. That’s all that matters right now. We should celebrate that.”