Page 54 of Ride or Die
"We would have so much fun," Emma tells her.
Rivet tells us how she got into baking. We all swap kitchen horror stories and share some of our favorite recipes. It's a small and welcomed distraction from all the crying I've done in the last forty-eight hours.
32
Shade
Cali wasn't kiddingwhen she said her dad had a security team for her. Two men showed up to escort her to the bakery. I drove her and Emma to the shop with one bodyguard in front of us and one driving behind us. We got to the bakery at five in the morning with an hour to spare before it even opened. One of the bodyguards told us the others were in vehicles strategically placed around the block the bakery is on. Her pops had a new and improved security system set up and Yury, Cali's main bodyguard, is sitting in the office, keeping an eye on the cameras.
Since Emma came in with Cali, the next employee doesn’t come in until seven and the fourth person will be in around nine. Cali and Emma spend the first hour and a half in the kitchen and customers don’t come in until around seven-thirty. As soon as the first couple of customers arrive, it is like the flood gates open. They've been pretty busy with their morning rush. Once it slows down, Emma comes out from behind the counter to the table I'm at and sits.
"How's she doing," I ask her.
She shrugs. "She's keeping herself busy so she doesn't have to acknowledge the hurt," she tells me. "It's exactly what I would do if I were in her shoes."
"Is there anything I can do for her?"
"No, unless you can magically bring Buster back," she deadpans. "Can I get you anything to eat? Or a refill on your coffee?"
"Both, please," I reply. "Some kind of sandwich with bacon and ham."
"You got it," she says before getting up and going back behind the counter. Around twelve-thirty, a guy walks into the bakery. He's tall and lanky, wearing an A Novel Bunch shirt, skinny jeans, and converse. Emma and Cali simultaneously glance up and see him. They screech with excitement and run over to him.
"Bash! Oh my god, it’s so good to see you!" Cali says to him. I tense.
"The time off was nice but sucked at the same time. I missed my girls," Bash responds to her. They wrap each other in a group hug. "You bitches have a lot of shit to catch me up on."
At that, Cali's face sobers. She hasn't told him about Buster yet. The three of them walk over to me.
"Well, hello, handsome," Bash draws out. Cali and Emma both giggle.
"Bash, this is Shade. Wren's brother and Buster's best friend," Emma explains to him and he grins.
"Nice to meet you, Shade." He winks at me.
"Uh, yeah, you too," I respond. Cali elbows him in the side.
"Leave him alone, Bash." She giggles again. "He doesn't bat for your team."
"Damn. The best ones are either straight or taken," Bash says with a smile. His eyes move between Cali and Emma. "So? Shall we catch up?"
"Yeah, let's go in the kitchen," Cali says, walking away. My phone buzzes on the table. The screen lights up with a new text message from Ranger. I unlock the screen.
From Ranger:Church tonight. 6 p.m.
When two-thirty rolls around, Cali and Emma both look exhausted. I guess that's what having two weeks off will do to you.
"Can we stop and grab food on the way back," Emma asks as we're walking to the car. The two bodyguards who followed us here are waiting by my car when we get there.
"Yeah, we can do . . . " My response is interrupted by gunshots. One of the guards grabs Emma and yanks her to the ground at the same time as I grab Cali. When the gunshots stop, I scan the area. Two red Honda CRX's are driving away. I barely catch a glimpse at the clown decals on their rear windshields.
"Son of a bitch," I mumble as we stand. Yury comes running out of the bakery.
"Calina, are you alright?" He checks over her body.
"I'm fine, Yury," she responds. He turns to the guy who protected Emma, and the second bodyguard walks over to us.
"Are you both okay," he asks them. They both nod their heads.
