Page 23 of Dutch

She nodded and fell in step next to me. My hand hovered near the small of her back in case she stumbled, but I also gave her the space I knew she needed.

Outside, the cool air was a welcome relief from the suffocating situations inside. I led her to my bike, which was parked next to the club's sign. She was quiet, and I didn't like it.

"Are you okay to ride?" I asked, tossing her the helmet.

Makari nodded and effortlessly caught it. I swung my leg over the seat, and she slid on behind me, wrapping her arms around my waist. Somehow, her holding me felt different.

I peeled out of the parking lot, and Jahlil's words replayed in my mind, as did Makari's reactions. I wasn't sure we could outrun this storm cloud. Makari's grip on me was tight, and I wanted to say something, anything, to make her feel better. Yet, all I did was drive.

We pulled up to a small grocery mart, and I pulled into the lot and cut the engine.

"What are you doing?" Makari asked.

I shrugged. "I thought you could eat. Come on."

She eyed me, still not in the mood to talk, but followed me into the store.

Inside, I grabbed a handbasket. "After that bullshit, I figured you could use a proper meal."

"You cooking a meal, tough guy?" Makari quirked an eyebrow.

"I just made you a burger. You forgot?" I asked. It felt mundane going to a store after the intensity of the club, but we probably needed some normality in our fucked-up lives.

"I feel like anyone can make a frozen burger," she joked, coming around to her regular jokester self.

We headed to the meat section, and I scanned our options. "A steak sounds good. Do you like ribeye?" I asked.

Makari nodded. "I'm sure it'll be better than the mystery meat in the freezer at the safe house."

I chuckled, tossing the steaks in the basket. "That's the truth." Then we passed through the produce aisle, and I grabbed a couple of ears of corn.

"Look at you putting together a meal," Makari teased.

Picking out food and doing normal shit with a woman reminded me the world still revolved.

"I've got to grab the wine." We headed to the liquor aisle, and I picked a red. It was nothing fancy, but it would work.

After a drive, we returned to the safe house. Inside, I got to work in the kitchen preparing the meal, shucking the corn, and seasoning the steaks.

"I like your domestic side," she quipped, leaning over the counter.

I flashed a smile. "You don't know a lot about me, darling." The truth was I liked cooking. I dropped the steaks on the griddle, along with some onion and garlic. I even got fancy and added a few twigs of rosemary.

"I guess you're right," Makari admitted.

In another skillet, I roasted the corn in butter, and it wasn't long before the food was ready. We settled at the table, and Makari closed her eyes after taking a bite.

"Damn, this is good."

I chuckled. "Listen, I told you I was talented."

We ate in silence for a while, not realizing how hungry we both were.

"Remember the time your uncle had a barbecue at his place?" Makari asked.

"Yeah, your brother was there too." The memory hit me.

Makari's eyes clouded over, but she pushed through. "He said you were the only one who could beat him on the grill."

---