“Probably because I haven’t seen her for ten years. Her name’s Ruth. To be honest, I thought she might be dead.”

“Holy shit, Alex. No wonder you look …”

He pauses.

“That bad?” I ask.

“No, no. It’s just that you look … I don’t know. Haunted.”

And I thought I was doing such a good job of hiding it.

He studies me closely. “You are not okay.”

“No. Of course I’m not.” I take another shuddering breath. “It’s complicated.”

“I can see that.”

“I mean, she’s my sister. But wherever she goes, she’s kamikaze. You know? I don’t understand what she’s doing here.”

“Maybe she missed you? You are quite … missable.”

Inside, somewhere deep down, I smile at that, but I’m careful not to show it on my face. “Oh, it’s not that,” I mumble. My skin feels hot. “I mean, I’m not hard to find. Did she not miss me for all the other years she didn’t bother to get in touch?”

“Right,” he says, which really means go on.

“She’s good at the sleight of hand. You know people like her, Sully. You’ve arrested lots of them. She’ll show you this”—I wave one palm—“while she takes away that. She’s up to something. I can feel it.”

“Huh,” he says. “Okay.”

Why is he tilting his head like that?

“So you’re having a hard time trusting why she’s here now, is that it? You think she’s come to hurt you.”

I bite my lip hard, because he’s put exact words to my fear.

He shifts away, leaning back into his seat. “Sorry, I probably shouldn’t have said that.”

“No, no, you’re not wrong.” My voice carries in the overly warm bakery. I pause, check my volume. “She knew me when I was barely formed. And she did hurt me, Sully. She hurt me in ways that are unforgivable. And yet, here she is again. I didn’t say no. I didn’t tell her to go away. I can’t.”

He nods, his eyes sad. “Sure,” he says. “She’s your sister.”

“Exactly.” I know very little of this man’s private life, of his family, other than he’s single and lives alone. Minerva told me that much. She also once said that he has a brother in town, although I’ve no idea how she knows that, and I’ve yet to meet him. Sully protects his privacy, but his empathy feels genuine. I can tell he’s had his own struggles, too.

“Family dynamics are rough,” he says. “You looked up to your sister, and now you’re having to look down.”