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“Look,” Stephanie said, leaning close and dropping her voice “None of them knoho you are I promise”

She stared at the blonde woman as either sincere or deserved an Academy Award for her performance God, she hated how she had no choice but to question every word out of the woman’s mouth

“I’ll say we know each other from when I lived in DC We’re a fun bunch Take a load off for an hour and have a calorie bouised as a fancy coffee with us I pro”

Glancing up, Chloe couldn’t stop her puff of laughter, nervous though it may be Stephanie’s three friends all stared at wine bottle labels like they held the secret to eternal youth “They aren’t very good at being stealthy”

“Yeah, they’re a nosy buncha bitches,” Stephanie said but her tone was filled with affection “Love ’eh”

“Uet his name Is your boyfriend with you?” Chains and aher into the coffee shop if the bikers were around

“Nope just us girls today I promise it’ll be a biker free zone”

Oneto hide their eavesdropping anyhed They all waved at her and ht Thank you Coffee sounds good” She’d go, show theather some information of her own

“Yay!” Steph said as she gave Chloe a quick hug “Guys, this is Cl—Claire We know each other from back in the day in DC”

Man, Stephanie could act like no one’s business So out Which they would not A new friendship wasn’t worth running into any of the Hell’s Handlers

“Hi!” Chloe said with a sravel

“Claire, these areto the tallest woman with the badass braid “And this is Shell and Toni” She pointed to the curly haired blond and then the final girl, just a few inches taller than Shell with brown hair “Toni owns the diner in Townsend Have you been there?”

“I have! It’s been a few years, though And, I’ you there”

“Yeah,” Toni said “I’ve only been at the hel out or what? I need some caffeine”

And just like that, the wo the bread she’d planned to serve alongside her steak and potatoa blast with four biker chicks She’d expected thinly disguised questions about her attack designed to ferret out what she’d told the police But the conversation never ventured close to her kidnapping True to her word, Stephanie had the girls believing they were friends from a while back