Page 143 of Keller

I set the phone face down on my desk and watch the afternoon light shift across the room. The vibrations continue, insistent and relentless.

The fallout has begun.

THIRTY-SIX

Quinn

The 2020 Pandemic:For the first time in decades, all major New Orleans krewes canceled parades and balls in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The unprecedented pause highlighted how even the city’s most entrenched traditions depend on collective safety and public infrastructure to endure.

The deck chaircushions sink beneath me as I shift my weight, trying to find a comfortable position. My hand rests on the curve of my stomach where the fabric of my sundress stretches differently than it did just two weeks ago.

The late July heat wraps around us, thick but bearable. Cicadas hum somewhere in the oak trees.

Leah lifts her wine glass and takes a slow sip. Her eyes flick down to my midsection for just a second before meeting mine again.

"I can't believe you haven't told Keller."

I rotate the stemmed glass in my hand. Sparkling grape juice. The bubbles rise and pop against the surface.

"I've only known for three months myself. I've barely had time to process it."

"Quinn, you're starting to show. It's time."

"I just reached the point where I know I'm keeping this baby. No matter what he says or thinks or wants." I set the glass on the armrest. "That decision is mine."

Leah nods, offering no argument. "It is. But he also deserves to know."

The cicadas fill the silence between us.

"I never said I wasn't going to tell him. I just need to get to the right place. When I tell him isn't going to change anything."

"Fair. I just want you to be okay. I can't imagine having this hanging over you is good for you or my baby girl," she says, reaching over to rub my belly.

"I'm nervous." The admission feels strange in my mouth. "We haven't spoken in ninety-eight days."

Leah raises an eyebrow.

"Not that I'm counting."

She doesn't smile. She knows me too well for that.

"He sent attorneys after me." I stare at the condensation dripping down my glass. "Pressured me to withdraw my recommendation after all this started. I assume he hates me even more now that I refused."

"Does that change anything for you?"

"No. It doesn't change my course. Not the investigation. Not this." I touch my stomach again.

Leah swirls her wine. "How are you feeling about tomorrow?"

"I'm so ready to be done with the Bureau." A breath escapes me. "I can't leave fast enough."

"I never thought I'd hear you say that."

"I'm burned out. I was too deep in it to see clearly, but Nate saw it." I lean back against the cushion. "He kept nudging metoward Southern Stars. I thought he was being pushy, but he was right."

"You were meant to build systems, Quinn. Not just audit them."

Something loosens in my chest at her words.