She looks at the guys behind me and then makes eye contact again. “I wish there were some way I could have stopped this. This is my first day here, and I—”
I pull her into another hug, and I feel my anger shimmering beneath the surface, but I push it down for her sake. “Dayla, stop.” I say gently, pulling back so I can look into her eyes. “This is not your fault, okay? You didn’t do anything wrong, so please don't blame yourself.”
She nods, wiping at her eyes, clearly shaken. “I just…I didn’t know what to do. When it happened, I immediately moved Nova to the back room. I didn’t want her to get cut or run out through the window.” She looks down, guilt still heavy in her voice. “I tried to keep her safe at least.”
I nod, trying to steady my own nerves. “You did the right thing. Thank you for keeping my cat safe.”
I turn and look behind me at the sound of crunching glass. Jackson’s already making his way to the note. He moves with a sharp precision. His dark eyes scanning every inch of the room. Beau's jaw clenches, and he narrows his eyes in frustration as he follows my gaze to Jackson.
Dayla breathes a shaky breath, drawing my attention back to her. “Thank you, Aria. I was just so scared. I didn’t know what to do when it happened. But Nova’s fine. She’s in the back, just…she might be a little rattled too. It was loud, sudden, and violent."
I give her a reassuring smile and start to move her toward the back room. She needs to step away and calm herself for a minute now that we are here. “She’s lucky you were here. Let’s just get you in here so you can take a seat, okay? You need to rest for a bit. I’ll even grab you a cup of coffee.”
She takes a seat and nods gratefully as I move back out into the store. I pour coffee from the pot, the warmth filling the air, and I try to calm my racing thoughts. This is a mess, and I know it’s far from over.
When I return to Dayla, she gives me a weak smile, grateful for the break, I’m sure. This situation is not what she wanted when she said she would work here. “Just stay here for a bit. Let us handle this,” I say softly, turning to head back toward the front of the store.
As soon as I step out from the back, Jackson and Beau are waiting for me. Jackson holds out the crumpled note from the brick. His face is unreadable, but I can feel the tension coming from his body.
I take the note from him. My fingers trembling slightly as I unfold it, eyes scan the jagged script. My stomach's already sinking just from the first sentence.
This is only the beginning. We won’t stop until we get our money. Watchyourback. If you want your past to stay buried, you’ll do what we ask.
Meet us in the back alley tomorrow night, ten P.M. with fifty thousand dollars and we won't inform the police of where yourhideoutis.
I finish reading and stare at the paper for a moment. They were right. It is a large amount of money. My throat tightens. I look up at Beau and Jackson, and all I can say is, “We don’t have that kind of money.”
Both of them nod solemnly. Their faces are set, and they both look sort of…worried. Beau takes a slow breath, his eyes narrowing as he takes a step closer to me.
“I know,” he says, his voice even and serious. “But we're not going to play into this person’s games. Even if we did have the money, it would be stupid to show up. They could just be bluffing to get us alone in the middle of the night so they can kill us or something.”
The words hit me harder than I want to admit. I might truly lose these two, but there is no point in arguing with them. If we show up and try to make some other deal with them, they will have us exactly where they want us. It’s not about money. It’s about control.
“Well then,” I say, swallowing hard, “If we’re not going to do anything, we need to hide this note and call the cops. I’m sorry, but I need to file a police report for the window so the insurance will help get it replaced.”
I start to turn away, already mentally sorting through what needs to be done next, but Jackson grabs my arm gently, stopping me. “I already called, babe,” he says quietly. “We might want distance from the badge, but you deserve backup. I called them while you were talking to Dayla. Hell, we’re so far away from home, and so much time has passed I doubt we will be noticed, anyway.”
I blink, looking at him in surprise. Jackson has already taken care of it. I’m grateful but also caught off guard by how he handles everything. He's so calm and collected, even in the face of this. I nod, appreciating his foresight.
“We can’t just leave this alone, though. We can’t just let them think they can scare us. I’m not backing down.” I say, a new sense of determination rising in me.
Jackson gives me a small, almost imperceptible smile. “We’re not backing down either, sweetheart. We just need to figure out the smart way to handle this situation. We can't risk putting you in danger anymore.”
I take a deep breath, and sadly it does nothing to calm my nerves. I glance at Beau, who’s standing silently by my side. His eyes watching me carefully, trying to read my body.
“What’s the plan for our next move then?” I ask, turning to both of them.
Beau speaks up, “We stick to the plan. We don’t play their game. We make sure you, Dayla and Nova are safe, and we take care of the store. But we don’t give them what they want. We’ll deal with this on our terms when the guys get here.”
I nod, my resolve hardening. “Right. We play it smart.”
The sound of sirens reach us before the squad car comes into view. We all fall silent as he steps out of the car, tall and lean, his dark blue uniform crisp against the overcast sky. Jackson and Beau exchange a look, and their shoulders straighten, like wolves catching the scent of danger.
“Stay calm,” Beau mutters to me under his breath, and I nod.
The cop walks up to the front door and enters, his boots heavy on the floor. He doesn’t waste any time; his eyes scan the room quickly as he steps inside. He’s older, maybe mid-forties, with a clean-shaven face and sharp features that instantly put me on edge. He surveys the situation like a predator circling its prey.
“Detective Abbot,” he says, his voice low, calm, and professional. “I was called out to investigate the vandalism.”
