Clara stepped farther into the alley. Her heels tapped against the pavement in slow, puzzled beats. Her eyes dragged over the scene like she couldn’t make sense of it. Lanry looked like he’d been struck by lightning. Aiden was standing close to Maylen with a protectiveness that couldn’t be mistaken for anything else. And Maylen… Maylen felt like her lungs were filling with hot sand.
Clara’s gaze sharpened. “Lanry, answer me.”
Lanry didn’t even turn toward her. His eyes stayed locked on Maylen in a way that made Clara’s confusion twist slowly into anger.
“So this is why you wouldn’t answer your phone tonight?” Clara hissed. “You’re here with her.”
Maylen flinched. Aiden stepped closer, not touching her but close enough for Lanry’s attention to flick toward him like a warning.
Clara’s e
