“I would never…”
“I know.” She cuts me off before I can finish. “I know you wouldn’t. And I know he wouldn’t either.”
Some of the tension inside me loosens slightly.
“But it’s been…” She exhales slowly. “Hard.”
She looks down at the table.
“They won’t let me see him. Won’t even tell me what’s actually happening.”
Meg reaches over and squeezes her arm.
“And everyone’s got an opinion,” Dani continues quietly. “Everyone’s whispering like they know the truth.”
I glance around the room.
Yeah. That sounds about right.
“I’m sorry,” I say.
Dani nods once.
“I know you are, but you shouldn’t have to be.”
The conversation shifts after that. Meg starts telling Marisol about a customer who tried to pay for cupcakes with Bitcoin. A prospect comes by the table and refills the margarita pitcher. A girlfriend from one of the guys slides into the seat beside me and starts complaining about how loud the bikes are at six in the morning.
I shift in my chair so I can see the rest of the room.
Still no Clutch, my eyes keep drifting toward the door anyway.
Then the conversation at the table changes.
“What do you think happened to Mara?”
The question comes from one of the girlfriends.
Marisol shrugs. “No idea. But I saw her just before she went missing.”
“Yeah?”
“She has a split lip.”
The table goes quiet.
Meg frowns. “You think Razor did something?”
Someone snorts softly.
“Angel wouldn’t allow that.”
Another woman leans back in her chair, swirling her drink.
“He used to not allow a lot of things.”
The tone makes everyone look at her, because this is their president she is talking about.
But she shrugs unaffected, “People change.”