Page 67 of Dark Knight (Knight's Ridge Empire 10)

“Where are we going?”

“Meeting Emmie and getting you something I think you desperately need.”

To run away?

“Oh yeah?” I ask, curious to know what she thinks I’m missing right now—aside from my common sense, obviously.

The second she takes us toward Reaper territory, I have a very good idea of where we’re heading. The café in question has quickly become Stella and Emmie’s favourite place in the city to hang out and stuff their faces with more sugar than I’m sure they should consume in a month.

I’ve only been here a couple of times with them, and I can’t argue that Stella’s right. It is exactly what I need.

I spot Emmie’s bike a few spaces up as Stella parks and we climb out.

She steps up beside us after pulling her helmet off and tucking it under her arm, and together, the three of us walk into the waffle shop.

The second we step inside, my stomach growls loudly with the sweet scent of the sugar, and all eyes turn on me.

“Regretting forgoing lunch now?” Stella asks with a knowing smirk.

“I just didn’t want to deal with people,” I confess. The thought of having to sit in the middle of the group and probably be forced to listen to Nico’s shit was enough to have me running for the sanctuary of the library.

“We get it,” Emmie says, nudging me in the shoulder as we head for the booth at the back of the small café. “They’re a lot to take at times.”

“Just them?” I ask lightly.

“You love us and you know it. Imagine what your life would be now if we never crashed into it.”

Simpler, I think as we slide into the seats. But that’s not what falls from my lips. “I don’t want to think about it. My life sucked before you two appeared.”

“That’s what we like to hear,” Stella says with a laugh. Plucking the menus from their holder, she passes them over as if we’re actually going to read them.

“So what’s new?” I ask them, hoping to turn this around on them, but the second both of their stares burn into the top of my head, I realise I’m shit out of luck with that.

“Nothing. For once, life is calm. Toby is happy, Jodie is going to be okay.”

“What about Sara?” Last I heard, she was still in a coma after the fire in Lovell.

Stella blows out a sad breath.

“Pretty much still the same. Jodie keeps reporting that she’s making progress, but she’s still asleep and they don’t really know what’s going to happen.”

“Shit, that’s…”

“Yeah,” Emmie mutters sadly as a depressing silence hangs over us.

“Everyone else is good, though,” Stella says, forcing some lightness into her tone. “So that only leaves you.”

“I’m fine,” I say for what feels like the millionth time in the past two days. “I’m just tired.”

“We’re not idiots, Cal,” Emmie says. “We know something is up with you, and we know it’s more than just being left out of what was happening last week. Talk to us, please,” she begs.

“I-I—” I start, but I quickly discover that I can’t muster up any words. I can’t tell them about Ant. I can’t tell them about Daemon. Guilt tugs at my insides as I look between the two of them, pleading with them to just drop it. To change the subject.

Thankfully, the waitress comes over to take our orders, giving me a few extra minutes to come up with an answer.

Not that it helps.

By the time she walks away again, I’m still sitting here with my stomach in knots and my heart in my throat.