Retail Therapy & a Restless Heart

"Claudia, it's a code red situation!" Blair's voice, usually a soothing melody of cool indifference, crackled through the phone, laced with a frantic edge that sent a shiver down Claudia's spine.

Forgetting her disastrous date, Claudia grabbed her keys and bolted out the door, the echo of her stilettos against the pavement a frantic drumbeat to the rhythm of her racing heart. What on earth could have shaken Blair this badly? The only things that usually elicited this kind of reaction were a jammed Beretta and a sale on black leather boots (and even then, it was mostly excitement).

The cozy aroma of freshly brewed coffee and cinnamon pastries usually calmed Claudia's nerves, but the atmosphere inside the cafe was anything but calming. Blair sat hunched over a table in the corner, her face half-hidden behind a cloud of steam rising from a long-forgotten latte.