Page 19 of Brazen Criminals

A grin inches across my face. “If that’s what you’re looking for, I think you accidentally ended up in the exact right place. There’s one thing that connects the guys and me, one through line with all of us, and it’s that we are all adrenaline junkies. Any of us will get testy if our hearts don’t race every once in a while. You’ll see. You really are in for an adventure.”

She smiles, fiddling with my phone. “Good. A little bit of adventure is exactly what I’m hoping for.” She shows me my phone. “Pizza’s done.” She tosses the phone at me before she slips out of the car.

If what she said is true, if she really is looking to make a change, to take risks and have her heart race, well, maybe Clara won’t be as big of a problem as we’d thought. The thought of her joining our little group is…appealing. I tuck my phone in my pocket, hope tight in my chest as I follow her in to pick up the pizza.

Chapter 11

Clara

I’msittingcross-leggednextto Walker on the couch, our knees almost touching and grabbing my third slice of pizza, when the doorbell rings. Walker glances at his watch. “Huh. A straggler. I’ll be right back.”

He strides into the front hallway. The door creaks open, and an unknown woman’s voice drifts down the hall. “I’m here for the game.”

“If you don’t mind following me,” Walker says, as a woman’s heels disappear up the stairs behind Walker’s sneakers. I take a few more bites, straining to hear what happens next. A painfully silent minute later, Walker strolls back into the living room.

I wait until Walker settles back next to me, his knee barely grazing mine. “What game was she talking about?” I ask.

“Trips has a poker game tonight.”

I tilt my head, looking from the front door to Walker. “But I thought the other guys were at a party tonight. With catered food, right? Or is that something else?”

Walker grabs another slice, focused on the pizza. “Eh, Trips is just bougie like that.”

I wait for him to explain. Instead, he takes a few bites, one hand rubbing up and down the outside of his thigh. “Say, once we’re done here, I’ll get your mattress out of my truck. Is there anything heavy in Jansen’s car that you need help with?”

I snort, thinking about my paper bags of clothes. “Nope, nothing heavy.”

“Cool.”

I guess that’s all I’m going to get about the poker game. It’s not like I even know these guys yet. I shouldn’t pry.

Walker finishes his slice in three more bites, squeezing my knee as he stands up. The casual touch shoots like lightning through me and starts my heart racing. “Do you want any more?” he asks.

I swallow back my jitters, pushing a smile onto my face. “I’m good.”

Walker takes the last of the pizza to the kitchen, and I force my mind to stop spiraling, to focus on what’s left to do. If I stop doing, I’m going to cry again.

Thoughts properly railroaded, I make a mental list for the rest of the night:

Unload Walker’s car

Unload Jansen’s car

Make my bed

Cry on freshly made bed

Stack boxes on their sides to double as cubbies for clothes

Drape dress clothes on top of the boxes

Think about hanging up curtains

Cry again

Hang up the curtains

Take a bath

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