“With what money? Do you see piles of money in my underwear drawer?” Which was funny, seeing as I didn’t have a drawer. I waved my fork around. “Besides, I’m uniquely qualified for this work. You must have realized that by now.” A part of me thought the answer would be in Gran’s book. Something, maybe a memory, but hope said to keep looking. To keep digging through the pages and I’d find it.

He shrugged. “Maybe. I . . . I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

“Too late for that.” I took a bite of bacon and chewed it. “Nowhere to go from here but up.”

“Or under a gravestone,” Corb pointed out.

We ate in quiet for all of thirty seconds. “What is it about Crash that is so bad? I mean, he was kind to me, far kinder than Feish, who tried to give me a teacup poisoned with a ramped-up version of Ex-Lax.”

Corb scooped up the last of the food in the frying pan. “He’s strong in his . . . abilities, let’s call them, and has very little to do with the community other than to make weapons. And he’s old, so he’s got a lot of knowledge and could do plenty of good, but he doesn’t. He just shuts everyone out. That you even saw him is shocking, to be honest. I’ve never met him, and I’ve been here for almost fifteen years.”

“He knew my gran,” I said, thinking about what Crash had told me. “He talked about her like they were old friends.”

Corb put the pan into the sink of soapy water and I cringed. Damn it, I’d been seasoning that pan all week. “Look, if Crash likes you, that’s not a bad thing. It’s only a bad thing if you get on his bad side. I’m guessing he doesn’t know you’re working with Eammon?”

I shook my head. “Not working with him directly. He knows I’m with the Hollows Group.”

Corb went on. “Then you’ll be fine. Don’t worry about it.”

“Thanks,” I said. “This is the nicest you’ve been to me since I got here.”

“I was trying to make you leave, but you seem to have taken root. And I won’t turn down a few good meals here and there.” He grinned, and there he was, the Corb I’d first thought was pretty nice despite the reputation Himself had told me about. Then again, Himself didn’t like my gran and she was amazing. Maybe Corb would turn out okay too.