Page 79 of Exposé

I shrugged. "Slow."

"Did you get what you needed from the drug?"

"Shush.”My hand bounced up and down.“I don't need the town knowing I bought that stuff."

That I contributed to the problem.

"You don't think they'd understand?" His brows disappeared behind his aviators.

"No. I don't. They don't understand what goes into stories like these." I sat back in my seat, my spine rigid as I dropped my hands into my lap.

"Well, then maybe they should."

I let out a dry laugh. "And compromise my investigations?" Leaning in, I braced my forearm against the table. "If I were to release too much information early on, it could compromise my story, put my sources at risk, and hell, even me."

I would never let that happen.

"Do you ever think that your investigations cause the panic you seek to avoid?"

What was he getting at?

"No. Everyone deserves to know the truth. Especially when their livelihood is at stake."

"Even if it means destroying the very foundation they grew up on?"

I nodded. "It's what I would've wanted."

"If what?"

I shook my head. "Never mind. I need another beer."

"How about something sweet?"

My lips tugged to one side. "How about both?"

Nate picked up his cup and swallowed the rest of his beer in two gulps. "Looks like I need one too."

I let out a dry laugh and stood, snagging my trash from the table before tossing it in the bin on our way to the apple strudel line. "Have you ever been to one of these before?"

"A festival?"

"No. Oktoberfest."

He shook his head. "I don't have a whole lot of time to go to these kinds of things."

I stared at him with my mouth gaping. "Oktoberfest is like church. You set aside time in your busy life to go, and you don't miss it... ever."

He held his hand up. "Okay, okay. Sorry to the Oktoberfest gods."

Smiling, I rolled my eyes and stepped up to the front.

"Hi, Ava." Katrina waved her plastic glove-clad hand.

"Hey. How's it been?"

"It's busy as always. You want anapfelstrudel?

I held up two fingers. "Two, please."

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