Chapter 11: The preparation

David met with his three partners the evening after his second date with Jessica. They were inside a small hotel room; halfway across the city from the one David was staying in.

David had arrived first. As soon as he walked in, he turned the television on, so that the conversations from it would mask the noise of them talking.

Quinn arrived next. He carried a bundle of plans in both arms, more dropping them on the bed than putting them down. “Hey,” he said.

David’s mood immediately turned sour. “Hi.”

Quinn cleared his throat. He was blushing, which looked very strange under the scar on his face. “I got the plans,” he said. “It really hasn’t changed much since it was built. New wiring and all that, but not much else.”

“How’d you get that scar, Quinn?”

Quinn was taken aback. “What?”

David crossed his arms over his chest. “The scar. Where’d you get it?”

“You’ve never asked me that before.”

“That’s why I have to ask it now.”