Page 67 of Brazen Criminals

“If it helps,” he says, “I’m serious about you, Clara.”

I swallow. How do I tell him he’s not the only one? How did this happen? I’m going to hurt someone, and I hate hurting people I care about. And I care about every damn one of them.

I close my eyes, reaching for anything less dangerous than this conversation. “What are we making?” I ask.

“Making?”

“The dough?”

Walker sighs, letting go of my hand, but a second later he’s cradling my foot again. He runs his other hand through his hair before he answers. “Bread, we’re making bread.”

“Oh. I’ve never made bread before. Why is it sitting in bowls on top of the fridge?”

“It needs to rise. We’ll knead it again, let it rise again, and then bake it.”

“Is it a family dinner night? I can help chop or something,” I try.

Walker shakes his head, sneaking a glance at me. “It was a ‘Clara’s going to break the fridge, so I need to figure something out’ night, but I guess family dinner would work too.”

I punch him gently in the shoulder, and a hint of a grin sneaks back onto his face. “You said the fridge had it coming.”

He laughs. “Come on, let’s go figure out what we can make without shopping.” He holds out a hand, and we go to the kitchen, nothing resolved, but hopefully, nothing broken.

Chapter 35

Clara

EmmadecidesSaturdaybrunchis a life goal, so we meet on a patio, the last burst of summer humidity making the air thick, the sun sliding higher in the sky. Emma orders a full breakfast, a fancy vegetarian Benedict with a side of bacon. I get the cheapest omelet on the menu and cut it in half so I can save the rest for later. Emma’s pink hair frizzes in the humidity, a mane surrounding her head.

“So when are we going out again?” she says, shoveling a forkful of the fully loaded English muffin into her mouth.

“You want a repeat of last weekend?” I ask, lifting my bad arm. It’s feeling better, so hopefully soon I can forgo the sling.

Emma smirks. “Well, it was definitely a new experience.”

I shake my head. “How are you not freaked out right now? I’m totally freaked out—I keep crying for practically no reason. This shit is crazy, Emma.”

Emma shrugs. “Maybe because it’s not really my problem? Or maybe I’m broken? I don’t know. But Idohave to say, your big, mean roommate taking Bryce down like that—damn, girl. That was hot.”

I kick her under the table, but she laughs it off.

“I mean, if it weren’t so real, yeah, it would be, I don’t know, a good story or something. But this is my life, Emma. Bryce is suddenly a violent stalker. I have four hot-as-hell guys trying to protect me, and well, I just feel totally confused by how I ended up in this situation. I filed a fucking restraining order this week. There’s a court date next week. It’s like I walked out of my life and into someone else’s, and I keep waiting to stumble back into normal again.” I take a sip of my black coffee, the cheapest drink besides water, trying to gather myself so I don’t burst into tears. No more tears.

Emma’s smile falls a bit, and she takes another bite. “You’re right. Things are different.”

I nod. “I just need to have some sort of plan, Emma, some path that makes sense. I feel like I’m drowning, and I hate it.”

“You always need a plan, Clara. Don’t you ever just want to jump on a train and see where it goes? Get on a bus and get off at the end of the line? Walk until you’re exhausted and then find the closest cool thing to do?”

I chuckle, shaking my head. “You know that’s not fun for me, Emma. That freaks me out.”

“Maybe life is trying to show you that even when there is no plan, you’ll still be okay? I don’t know. I’m all about flying by the seat of my pants.”

“That’s why we’re friends, Emma. You make me try things, and I keep you alive. It’s a good deal, I think.”

Emma reaches out and clutches my hand, giving it a squeeze. “The best of deals.”

We keep eating, talking about classes, work, things that don’t really matter but feel good to share.

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