Page 44 of Bodyguard By Night

Clay was staring at me when I looked away from her.

I cleared my throat. “I saw a lot of bins in your Santa Fe.”

She hunched her shoulders. “Yeah. I took as much as I could with me.”

And like a puzzle piece found on the floor, I knew how we could go down to the city. I’d been planning on taking the plane, but a road trip would be just as easy.

“I can help you pick up the rest.”

Willow shot me a look. “You would?”

I nodded. “I need to go into the city anyway to talk to someone about a job.”

Clay rinsed his bowl and tucked it into the dishwasher. “A job?”

“A one and done with Aidan Roth.”

Willow stiffened.

Lying to Clay wasn’t something I did easily. There had been far too many lies between us once and it had torn apart our friendship. This way, I could just circumvent the truth.

“Careful, Aidan will snap you up before you could get anoout of your mouth.”

“Believe me, I know.” I glanced at Chaos. “You’re in Brooklyn, right?”

She nodded.

“My meeting shouldn’t take much longer than an hour. Then we can pick up your stuff and head back north.”

“Sounds like a plan. You know, if you’re sure.”

“I’m sure.”

Clay was still looking at me with far too many thoughts going on in that brilliant brain of his. “I was going to take the plane, why I stopped in.” I lifted my mug. “Ulterior motive for coffee.”

Rachel laughed. “I’ll make up a Thermos for you guys.”

“Thanks.”

Chaos slid out of her chair, taking both of our bowls with her. “I was afraid to tell you guys. Impulsive Willow strikes again.”

“I know I’ve given you grief about it before, but I’m embracing a bit of that myself. Maybe we can even do some videos on the CocoaBus for your show.”

Willow put her bowls back down and ran around the counter to hug her sister. “I’d love that.”

She hugged her so tight that Rachel gave Clay a startled look before she hugged her back. “Hey, it’s okay.” She patted her back. “We’d love to have you around.”

“Thanks,” Chaos whispered.

Her gaze crashed into mine before she squeezed her eyes shut. “I’m going to go get ready.”

“Is something going on?” Rachel looked at me.

“Isn’t something always going on with her?”

Clay came up behind her. “With you two?” He lightly cupped his hands over Rachel’s shoulders. “You’re usually looking for the exit when it comes to Willow.”

Rachel folded her arms, tipping her head.

Damn that hundred-yard stare she had. She could go toe-to-toe with any drill sergeant in the Army. And they were right that I’d prefer to be far away from Chaos and her exceptional talent at making messes.

However, she was theirs, which meant I had to deal with this problem and make sure it wasn’t more serious, even if every instinct told me it was.

But right now, it was easier to misdirect and get more details before I needed to put fear into their eyes.

“Don’t worry, she’s safe from me.”

Clay frowned. “That’s not what I meant.”

“Isn’t it?” I slid off the stool. “Tell her I’ll be outside.”