Page 155 of Torin

“Gunnar booked us a table downtown. Alexandria and Orson are meeting us there.”

“They came all this way?”

“They wanted to celebrate with you.”

I spot Alexandria first, sitting in a curved booth near the back in a dark green dress that skims over her now very obvious bump. Gunnar is beside her, and Orson has somehow been persuaded into a collared shirt.

Alexandria gets up as we reach the table and wraps her arms around me.

“You were amazing.”

I hug her back. “You watched?”

“All of it. The university streamed it.”

Orson shrugs. “You were good.”

“Thank you.”

“You talk faster when you’re annoyed.”

Alexandria laughs.

“I wasn’t annoyed.”

“You were when that guy asked if you thought you were too personally involved to be objective.”

Okay. Maybe I was a little annoyed.

“He deserved it,” Orson says.

Gunnar lifts his glass. “He did.”

Torin sits beside me, his thigh warm against mine beneath the table.

A waiter appears with a bottle of champagne and five glasses.

I look around the table. “You really went all out.”

Alexandria gives me a look. “Hannah, your investigation got seven cases reopened, your article is being talked about everywhere, and you just spoke to a packed lecture hall. We’re having champagne.”

The waiter fills four glasses, then pours sparkling water for Alexandria.

Torin picks up his glass.

“To Hannah.”

The others reach for theirs.

“For asking questions people didn’t want answered. For refusing to look away when you found the answers. And for finishing what you started, even after everything they did to stop you.”

My throat tightens.

He raises his glass.

“I’m so proud of you, baby.”

For a moment, I can’t say anything.