Page 41 of Offside Angel

Last I knew, he only had a BB gun and a slingshot, but better safe than sorry.

A cloud floats out of the way and sunlight glows down on me. Fresh air is magical. I tip my head back and take a deep breath.

“Why do you look like one of those dogs who grew up in a lab and has never touched grass before?” Taylor asks.

Ouch. Accurate, but ouch..

I straighten my shoulders. “This may or may not be the first time I’ve been outside in a week.”

She stares at me unblinkingly for a few seconds before she shakes her head. “I’m not going to get into the many benefits of Vitamin D for your skin and your brain, like how good it is for your bone health and the serotonin boost it gives you and?—”

“Remember when you said you weren’t going to get into it?”

“We’re going to start going for walks.” She says it like a threat.

Before I can argue, Jemma and Rachelle show up.

They smile and wave. We hug in front of the cafe, and I feel halfway normal for a second, even if I am still clocking all of the windows across the street that Dante could be watching me from.

Okay, maybe one-quarter normal.

But the second we walk into the cafe, the panic closes in.

This isn’t a cafe; it’s a shoebox. Outside, I had endless exit plans. I could pick a direction and run.

In here, I’m trapped.

If there is a back exit, I sure as hell can’t see it. It’s probably through the kitchen. A kitchen that anyone, including Dante, could sneak through and be on top of me before Evan could even get inside.

Rachelle tells the hostess we need a table for four and the hostess points to a booth in the back corner, but I’m hyperventilating. I can’t breathe. It’s like my lungs are encased in concrete.

“Mira?” Taylor lays her hand on my back, and I twist away from her. I hit the hostess stand with my hip and send a bowl of mints flying. The ceramic shatters on the floor and mints skitter across the floor. People nearby gasp and pick up their feet.

I don’t even have the energy to be embarrassed.

I need to get out of here.

I whirl towards the front door, but a waitress is blocking my escape with a friendly smile and a broom. I have no idea how she got here so fast. “Watch your step, hon. I’ll clean that up.”

The socially competent part of my brain is screaming at me to ‘Say something!’ But I just stare at the woman while I take wheezing breaths.

Her smile wobbles and her brows pinch together.

“Come on, Mimi.” Taylor grabs my arm and pulls me out of the woman’s way. “Let’s sit down.”

I let my best friend drag me through the restaurant, but when we get to the table where Rachelle and Jemma are waiting, I can’t force myself to join them. There’s an open spot on each side of the booth, but I don’t know which way I should face. Do I want to face the door so I can see when Dante walks past on the sidewalk? Or should I face the kitchen so he can’t attack me from behind?

It’s inevitable that he’s going to crash this party, so I should be prepared.

Taylor takes the seat facing the kitchen, which leaves me with no choice, but I still can’t sit down.

“Mira?” Rachelle pats the bench next to her.

Sit down, I think. Be normal.

“IgottagoI’llberightback.” The words spill out of me in a garbled, breathless jumble as I spin towards the back of the cafe and dive into the closest bathroom. I’m not even sure if I’m in the women’s or the men’s, but I slam the bolt home and collapse against the door.

“You’re fine,” I whisper to myself. But it’s hard to believe when my heart is doing its damnedest to fly out of my chest and splatter against the wall.

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