Jensen came in with his laptop and a tad bit more confidence than usual. Keli looked like she was itching to help him lose it, so I stepped in front of her to act as interference.

"Hey," I offered with a bright smile. "From the look on your face, I think you heard about the bread delivery from Carrie." His smile matched mine and Keli hip checked me to hand Jensen his coffee.

"Yeah," he moved out of the way, since another regular had stepped up behind him and Keli was looking impatient. I walked with him to his 'usual table'. "Clay mentioned something about take-out."

I had a slip of paper with Carrie's cell number on it, which I'd called to make sure I could give to him. I could have sworn that I heard her eyes roll when I asked, and she basically threatened my fucking life if I didn't pass it along. Apparently she'd written it on the bread bag, but I missed it.

"Here," I handed it to him and watched as his eyes widened. "Carrie would murder me if I don't pass that along. She'll also maim me if you don't use it." I warned, but my smile lessened the effect. "She's known me forever, she knew that you and I weren't-"

"Clay would have killed ME," he replied, tucking the paper into his pocket. I raised an eyebrow, since Clay and I had barely spoken before Jensen and I went out to dinner. "We've been travelling together for long enough I could tell." I bit my lip. "Trust me, Charlotte, Clay is-" he stopped talking and buried his head in his laptop. "Can you stay there, unless you think the twins would come speak to you, then could you-"

I hadn't heard the bell warning that anyone new had come in, but I knew that they must be close. "I hope you enjoy your coffee," I said, and in a breath and told him to add his hoodie to his ball cap and maybe lose his glasses.

I'd turned away, and was speaking to a few of the other regulars who were sprinkled among the tables, taking note that Jensen's table was tucked away with plenty of cover. Good. The bell dingled and I turned to offer my usual greeting, wanting to smack the Xavier twin who entered with my father.

Black glove, that was Alex. "Welcome to the Little Drip," I managed through sheer force of will to not sound like I was contemplating throwing bags of beans at their fucking heads. "Alex." I tilted my head and ignored the sperm donor who provided part of my genetic make-up. "Did you decide to take me up on my offer of a cup of coffee and a pastry?"

Alex's smile was slimy and reptilian, which was strange since I was fairly certain no one else saw it. "Actually, Walter and I were coming by to see how the removal of the rubble that constitutes my former property was going." I waited, since I had no fucking dog in that particular fight, or at least I was pretending I didn't. "It's almost cleared."

"Not sure what the proper salutation is for that," giving a look that I hoped mimicked me trying to find it, I sighed. "Congratulations?"

"I think you could do better than that," Walter offered, and I continued to ignore him. "Charlotte." Silence. "You're being childish."

"Mr. Xavier," I offered, smiling in what I hoped was a loaded look of contempt for the both of them. "I am incredibly sorry for you loss. A building of that distinction," read ugly, "and whatever was inside of it," seriously, what the fuck did you have there, "the loss of such a magnitude must be devastating. For that, you have my sympathies. Since you are not interested in a beverage or a pastry, I don't quite know what else I could possibly offer at this point, so if you don't mind-"

"Franklin Clay," Walter muttered, and I didn't flinch. "That's who I saw outside your office, isn't it, Charlotte?"

"Who?" I asked, glancing at my father. "You saw a customer who had a question, Walter, I'm fairly certain I don't know what his name was, but if you insist-"

"So he wasn't going into your apartment last night?" Fuck me running with a rusty fucking pitchfork. "And then leaving through that door-" he pointed at the entrance of the shop, "this morning?" Damn it all to fucking hell.

"People who come and go from MY business is really none of YOURS," I was looking at Alex, since he seemed to have all the intel on the comings and goings. "Whomever this Franklin Clay person is, I'm not sure why it matters."

"He's a," I could see a vein emerge in Alex's head and started praying of an aneurysm. "He's cost me a great deal of problems, Charlotte."

"Then again, I'll offer you my thoughts and prayers," I turned my back to the two of them, giving a parting shot as I went. "I have a feeling you'll be needing them."

They left, not buying anything, not speaking to me again and I felt like I might have actually fucking managed to NOT blow anything. Keli made me have doubts when she handed me a bottle of my favorite juice and told me I should take a break and do some paperwork. Confused, but thinking that I probably had gone pale, I took her advice.

When I got inside my office, I nearly jumped out of my fucking skin. Clay was perched on my desk, and he smiled while I got my heartbeat and pulse under control.

"Fuck," I breathed, leaning against the closed door. "I have so many fucking questions that I don't know where to start."

"So one half of MAX made me," he offered, making my eyebrows raise. "Jensen has an earbud. I don't let my men out without the ability to keep in touch. Especially," he stood and closed the distance between us to pull me into his arms. "When it puts you in the middle." His breath was fanning my topknot. "I should keep my distance, MAX is-"

"Dangerous?" I tilted my head back to look up at him. "I never liked the twins, and it has nothing to do with them being my biological sperm donor's best friends. There's something not quite-" I stopped and shook my head. "Alex came in to let me know that he knew, and because he knows about you and me, he knew I'd find a way to tell you." I could tell that Clay had gotten there already. "You're all in danger." I didn't want to even think about what kind of danger, not after what he'd told me about their past. "Do you honestly think I'd be safer if you weren't with me?"

"No," he sighed, and touched my cheek. "No, I don't think you'd be safer. They'd use you as bait." I could tell that he thought that was a best case scenario and I felt a tug of fear. "I'll have to regroup with the others." Another sigh, this time shared. "I'll see you later, Char." He pulled back reluctantly, and then reconsidered and kissed me breathless. "You'll be fine." I couldn't tell if he was trying to convince me or himself.