“Yeah? Getting called out of bed in the middle of the night?”

He shrugged. “I’m kind of a night owl.”

“Really? Me, too.”

The barista placed her drink on the counter, and Leigh jumped up to get it. She seemed nervous today. More antsy than usual.

Brandon watched her doctor her coffee at the bar, adding sweetener and shaking cinnamon on top. He wished he knew more about her. What he did know only made him more curious.

He knew she was smart. She’d graduated law school at the top of her class at UT—no small feat—and gone to work for the public defender’s office, which was a natural stop for someone wanting to rack up courtroom experience. From there, she’d taken a job with Thornton & Davis, a downtown law firm that represented some of Austin’s top tech companies. Thornton & Davis occupied the top two floors of a sleek tower overlooking the lake, and Brandon happened to know they paid big bucks, even to young associates like Leigh. With some trial experience under her belt, Leigh had been on the fast track to become a litigator for some of the city’s highest-profile companies.

But then she’d quit.

After less than a year making good money, she’d left to join Javier Mendez in a tiny practice focused on sexual harassment and revenge porn, with some workplace discrimination mixed in. By the looks of their offices, Leigh and Javier were getting by, but by no means raking in cash.

So, why the sudden change? Brandon didn’t know, but he had his suspicions.

She returned to the table with her drink.

“So.” She poked her straw into the whipped cream. “I was up late, thinking about what you said.”

He waited for her to elaborate. At a glance, she looked normal this morning. But up close he noticed the puffiness around her eyes. Her lower lip was swollen, too, and the little cut there made his stomach clench.

I was pinned under him . . .

The fuckhead had tackled her to the floor. And split her lip open. And sprained her wrist. And it wasn’t Brandon’s case, but he’d made it his mission to oversee every last detail until they made an arrest.

“What I said about what?” he asked.

“Details.” She poked at her drink and sucked foam off the end of her straw. “How they can seem like nothing but turn out to be important.”

“Did you think of something about your assailant?”

“No. At least—I don’t think so. I’m not sure, really. I remembered something from yesterday afternoon. You know how I went out to the lake to talk to you? When I got back to the office, I noticed a truck following me.”

“Following?”