A week later I was at the gun range with Theresa and Amanda. Noah was there too, as he was technically our teacher, but after he and Theresa got into a spat for the third time, she banished him to an observation box above us, behind bulletproof glass. He could watch and listen, but if we didn’t hit the speaker switch from our end, we couldn’t hear him. Theresa made sure all our speaker switches were turned off.

As Theresa gave the instructions, Amanda and I shared a grin. We’d been learning how to shoot for a couple of months now. It had been Theresa’s idea, and these sessions had started to replace our wine nights. It had also been her idea to have Noah be our instructor. Carter was the better shot, but Theresa still liked to keep her distance from him. He still made her uneasy.

Amanda had asked her about it one night at their apartment when I’d gone to the bathroom. I stopped in the hallway when I’d overheard Theresa explain, “It’s not that I don’t like him. It’s just…he’s a killer, Amanda. He’s dangerous. I know he loves her, and I know if anyone is going to protect her, it will be him, but…” She’d sighed. “I don’t know. He’s known as the Cold Killer. It’s hard to get past that, even though I know Emma loves him so much.”

Amanda had asked, “Are you worried for her?”

“No.” She’d hesitated. “I mean…maybe. I’m not worried for her from him, but because of him. He’s with the mafia.”

“She said he’s out.”

“Yeah, well, is anyone really out?”

Amanda had replied, “She wasn’t in trouble before because of him. Emma and I did that all on our own.”

“I know. I really do, and I feel bad, but I’m just on edge with the guy. He’s deadly. Can’t you see it in his eyes?” Theresa got up for the kitchen. “I need a refill. You?”

I had melted backward, back into the bathroom. When she’d crossed the hallway, the bathroom door was shut.

Glancing over at her now, I remembered how her smiles had seemed more forced that night, her laughter a little louder, and the secretive looks she’d sent Amanda’s way. They were roommates. They were going to talk about me. That was obvious, but I’d been hurt, though I knew I shouldn’t have been.

Theresa worried about me. I tried to keep telling myself it was as simple as that, but a slight wedge had found its way between us. Amanda and I were fine. We were still family, always would be. Really we were all still our little family, but there was a small distance between Theresa and myself now. I don’t think she ever felt it from her end, but it was there. And I knew Amanda had noticed. I often saw a question in her eyes as she watched Theresa and me together. I felt her concern and understood it, but nothing was going to change. I still loved Theresa. I would remain close with them. The unit wasn’t going to disburse. But since no one had brought it up when I wasn’t in the bathroom, we didn’t talk about it.

And again, Theresa didn’t seem to think there was anything to talk about. She was currently most concerned about the date that had failed because of an explosion the night before, literally.

She growled now, aiming her gun at the target. “I shouldn’t be pissed, but when that bird exploded in the oven, I’d had it. That’s his idea of being romantic. Putting a sparkler in the turkey. He lit it, then stuffed it in there to hide it from me. He was going to bring it out as some grand gesture, but he forgot the sparkler was still going. My kitchen reeks of torched bird. And you know what he said afterward? He asked if I had more wine. He thought that was so funny. I swear. More wine, my ass.”

She thumbed off three shots, one right after the other, then looked up to the observation box. “Yeah, it wasn’t funny. Or romantic.”

Noah stuffed his hands back into his pockets. A glower formed on his face.

Amanda raised her gun and aimed. “How about this? Why don’t you and Noah go out tonight to one of Carter’s restaurants. Emma and I will clean the entire kitchen. We’ll get that smell out, too. You’ll never know it even happened.”

Carter’s restaurants. Hearing those words, I tensed. Would Theresa go to one of his establishments? She had never resisted before, and she still enjoyed going to Octave, the nightclub, but I worried, knowing her true feelings. What would happen if she started to shun Carter’s businesses?

Her eyes lit up. “That sounds like a great plan.” Twisting around, she hollered up as she reached over to turn on her speaker switch. “You game for that?”

“Sure.” Noah sounded resigned.

Amanda and I shared a grin at his short growl.

Theresa didn’t seem to mind. She turned her speaker back off, but said up to him, “And you’re bringing the wine this time.”

He nodded, unable to talk back once more.

Then she turned to me. “Is that okay with you, Emma? Would you ask Carter what restaurant he would recommend?”

“Yeah, but I’m sure he’ll recommend The Favre. And I’m pretty certain Carter won’t even need to call. You guys are always on the list to get a table.”

And other benefits. No one from Carter’s inner circle ever paid, and they always left with an expensive bottle of wine to open at home.

Looking past Theresa’s shoulder to Amanda, I laughed. She clapped her hands together silently, jumping up and down.

Time alone for Amanda and me was rare. We used to do Friday lunches, but she’d been promoted to upper management of a bakery across town. This enabled her to leave her side job at the diner next to The Richmond, and her new position left her without as much free time. Tonight, with Theresa and Noah on their date, was a gift for us as much as it was for Theresa. I knew Amanda would have wine chilling for us while we cleaned the place, and we could talk openly and honestly. We had a special bond. I loved her as a sister. We were the only two to make it out of our run-in with the Bartel family alive. Losing Mallory—and even Ben in an odd way—would always keep us connected.

Plus, Amanda had been pretty silent the last month or so, and that meant something was going on. I had plans to do an interrogation, twenty questions-style, to find out what—or who, if she’d started dating someone.

Theresa sent off another round of shots, and when her clip was done, she put it down. “I’m out.”

“Me, too.” Amanda winked at us before emptying her clip as well.