The motel disappeared behind them, swallowed by the bend in the road.
Ava watched it fade through the window, her thoughts still tangled in the encounter they had just left behind. The receptionist's face lingered in her mind, the way his confidence had faltered the moment Damian stepped in, the flicker of fear that had crossed his eyes. And then the SUV.
Her fingers curled against her thigh.
"How exactly are you going to make him talk?" she asked suddenly.
Damian's eyes stayed on the road. "You don't need to concern yourself with that."
Ava frowned. "That doesn't answer my question."
"It answers it enough."
She turned toward him, irritation simmering just beneath the surface. "You can't just say things like that and expect me to be fine with it. This is about Lily. About my safety. I deserve to know what's happening."
Damian glanced at her briefly, then back at the road. "And you will. When it's necessary."
Her jaw tightened. "You're doing it again."
