Emma
Raven didn’t let me back out.
Not that I planned to.
I only changed my shirt three times, reorganized my purse twice, drank half a cup of coffee, decided coffee was probably bad for the baby, remembered Dr. Chen said one cup was fine, then poured it out anyway.
Totally normal behavior.
“You ready?” Raven asked.
“No.”
“Excellent. Let’s go.”
I stared at her. “That’s your motivational speech?”
“I had a longer one, but Jake pays me by the hour.”
Despite myself, I laughed.
Jake was across the shop pretending not to watch us.
Pretending badly.
When we reached the door, he looked up.
“You have your phone?”
“Yes.”
“Charged?”
“Yes.”
“Raven has—”
“Jake.”
His mouth closed.
I walked back toward him.
“I’m going to an advocacy center six miles away, not parachuting into enemy
