“Should I have kept it to myself?”
“Maybe we should have looked up the jail sentence for being an accessory after the fact first,” she says, the hint of a grin on her face.
“That probably would have been smart,” I say, a grin pulling at one side of my cheek, too.
“Worth it, though.”
“You sure?”
She comes around the counter, pulling me into a hug. “No wonder you’ve been so cagey. I can’t imagine carrying all of that and not being able to talk to you about it. Your whole world has flipped upside down, and now it’s being twisted like a Twizzler on top of it. How are you still standing? How aren’t you a soggy mess on the floor?”
“You missed me last week,” I say, not really joking.
“Shit, I’m equal parts terrified and impressed here, babe. You’re a legit baddie. On the wrong side of the law and everything.” Dragging me to the couch, she plops down, tugging me down next to her. Then she laughs, giggles turning into belly laughs, and it’s clear she’s lost it.
There’s no alternative.
She catches her breath, and croaks out, “Bryce,” like that makes her fit any clearer. Tears streak down her cheeks, and I catch the giggles, still totally confused.
“Why are we laughing?” squeaks out of me.
“Because,” she cackles, “Bryce wanted you to be his perfect little wifey, and now—” She laughs harder, flopping down on the couch. “His assholeness has turned you into a badass head of a criminal empire.”
This makes me snort, and then Emma’s down for the count, laughing so hard she’s on the floor, gasping for breath.
I recover before she does, and go to get our warm beers and popcorn, and eventually she hauls herself back onto the couch, still giggling, taking the beer I offer her.
“I’m not heading a criminal empire, Emma. Shit, I’m hardly surviving existing in proximity to Trips’ dad’s criminal empire.”
This sobers her up enough to go get us more tequila shots, this one burning less than the last. I force myself to eat some popcorn, trying my damnedest to learn from my mistakes.
“So, he’s got big time dirt on you guys. And he knows you’re involved with all of them.”
“Yeah.”
“Does he know about Bryce?”
“He didn’t say anything, but he strikes me as the kind of man who has back-up plans for his back-up plans.”
“What weakness does the devil have, then?”
“Pride and the belief that he’s the smartest man in the room. Otherwise, it sounds like nothing else.”
“That’s not a lot to work with.”
“Nope.”
We both have some popcorn before she turns, sitting cross-legged on the couch, pulling her hair over her shoulder. “We need a code word.”
“I already have a whole set with the guys.”
“Well, I need one. I’m going to be your maid of honor for this stupid fake wedding, right? We need a ‘get the fuck out of Dodge’ word. Like a safe word, but for friends, not sex.”
I feel blood rush to my cheeks, and Emma’s eyes light up. “Look at you, having safe words and shit. Way to go, girl!”
Awkward chuckles escape, and she pokes me with her foot. “Don’t get me started again. I just stopped laughing.”
“Got it. I don’t know what kind of word might work, honestly.”
