Heart Breaking (Best Served Cold #3)

Chapter 1

HARLOW

"Angel's Redemption. I like it." Boner looked up at the sign above the door.

The typography matched my other restaurant, Angel's Rest, but this sign was surrounded by flowers and balloons, ready for opening night.

He put an arm around my shoulders and pulled me to him.

"Ready as I'll ever be." It took six months of hard work and late nights to get here. The renovation of the late Solomon Danforth's restaurant was extensive, but done with care and thought. Now, it was more my style, but the changes didn't mess with the previous ambiance.

"Don't look so down, love," Boner leaned over to kiss my temple. "This is gonna go gangbusters, just like Angel's Rest."

"I know,” I said softly.

"Feeling restless?" he guessed. "Me too. It's been a while since I've…let off some steam."

I didn't have to ask what he was referring to.

We'd been busy with the restaurant and hunting down the last two men on my list. Here and there we found predators like them, but Hypnos and Zeus seemed to have gone underground after Danforth and Granger Fairfield's deaths.

As if they thought someone might be coming after them.

Okay, they were right. Someone was. Several someones. I loved my job as chef and restauranteur, but my life's work was to rid the world of predators who preyed on innocent people, especially young people.

There was a special place in hell for all of them, and I was happy to deliver them there.

"That's one of the reasons I'm here," he added. "I thought maybe after opening night we could go on a little playdate."

"Oh?" I asked, tilting my chin up to look into his blue eyes.

"Trust me," he said easily, "you're going to love it."

"I do trust you," I told him.

We almost died together six months ago. A thing like that brought people closer together. Besides, Edward 'Boner,' Bonegard, was an easy man to trust. I'd come to love him deeply. He was good at reading people and keeping my spirits up when the world got dark. Darker than usual.

"I trust you too," he said. "Now, do I get a guided tour of the new pub?"

I nudged him in the side with my elbow. "This is not a pub."

He grinned, amused he got a rise out of me. "Of course it's not," he said narrowly, dodging another jab from my elbow. "It's a fancy arse place, if you ask me."

"It should be, for the price."

After we killed Solomon Danforth and left his remains in the restaurant, the price was lower than it might have been.

Still, it was eye-watering and a risk. Taking over even a successful restaurant wasn't without its potential pitfalls.

Especially when I gave the restaurant menu a facelift.

I kept some of the classics on there, customer favorites, but added a few of my own.

Especially my famous meatballs.

"You'll make all of that back in the first week," he predicted.

I gave him the side eye. "We'd be lucky to make it back in the first year. But I appreciate the vote of confidence."

"Any time.” He brushed his lips over mine, before grabbing my hand and pulling me toward the door. Laughing, I followed him inside.

The smell of new paint tickled my nose, but I had to admit it looked good in here.

The floors were polished to a brilliant shine. All of the tables and chairs were new. The walls were decorated with mythical imagery, painted by a local artist. Angels. Seraphs. A unicorn and dragon here or there.

My particular favourite was an angel standing in the centre of one wall, her wings spread, golden and glowing. Her face was tilted up toward the ceiling, like she was thanking the universe for her existence.

"Be careful, love," Boner said. "I might come in here with a saw and cut that out so I can put it in my gallery."

I rolled my eyes at him playfully. We both knew he wouldn't do that, but he appreciated good art when he saw it. This was definitely it.

"How are you going for staff?" he asked carefully.

"I decided to keep most of them," I said. "Cass ran a thorough check on all of them, and they came up clean. And I know you followed most of them." I arched an eyebrow at him.

He responded with an innocent look, as if beer wouldn't evaporate in his mouth.

"Are you accusing me of stalking?" he asked, pretending to be affronted.

"If he looks like a stalker and acts like a stalker, then he's probably a stalker?” I suggested.

He placed a hand over his heart, leaning back as though I stabbed him there.

"I'm hurt," he said, trying to hold back a smile but failing. "It's not stalking. It's… being careful. Making sure the people you're working with aren't going to betray you."

He didn't add 'again.' We both remembered what Gina did, working with Solomon Danforth against us.

Murdering Erin, who was doing nothing more than trying to live her best life and make something of herself.

If Gina wasn't dead, she'd be in my torture box, waiting to die slowly.

Could I have kept her alive for six months?

I might have tried. For what she did, there was no forgiveness. No redemption.

I sure as hell didn't name the restaurant after her. No, I named it after myself. I wanted redemption for not seeing what Gina was doing. If I'd known, I might have been able to stop her from killing Erin.

Besides, Angel's Rest and Angel's Redemption worked as brand names. Ironic, because I was no angel. Not really. I did the best I could for other people, but I'd done some nightmarish things as well.

Like putting human flesh in my meatballs. Only the bad guys that deserved it. Call me judge, jury, executioner and disposer of assholes.

"I appreciate you," I told him.

I made my way through the eating area, toward the kitchen. It hadn't needed a makeover, just a refresh, a bit of paint here, new utensils, a few new pots. Nothing major. Just enough to make the kitchen the way I wanted it.

"Where the magic happens," Boner said, leaning against the doorframe.

"Good morning, Chef." A couple of my new staff were already at work preparing for lunch.

"Kayla, Dave." I gave them both a nod. Kayla was going to be head chef here, and Dave, her sous chef. I'd still be working at Angel's Rest, but checking in here every day to make sure everything was running smoothly.

I thought about giving myself the job of head chef here, but I was comfortable at my other restaurant. That place was home. This? This was an asset.

Besides, Cass was working for me now over at Angel's Rest, washing dishes and learning how to cook, while also handling a lot of my admin.

When it came to computers, he was better at all of that than I was.

Which wasn't saying much, to be honest. Technology and I had a pretty good relationship, but I preferred to be in the kitchen, preparing meals and coming up with new recipes.

I wanted to be Chef Stabby, not Chef Tech. I'd leave that to him.

"I've…" Jules Titmus stopped in the doorway. "There you are. I just came to say I gave the electrical box an overhaul. The wiring in this place was a fucking nightmare."

He glared at me like I was responsible for putting the wires there in the first place. Of course he did. Jules and I had a tense relationship at best. Cass' brother was the epitome of grumpy. Fortunately, Boner's sunshine and Cass' golden retriever personality balanced it out.

"Thank you," I told him sincerely. "I appreciate you taking a look."

"Lucky I did or this place would have burnt down." His gaze slid to Boner.

If I didn't know better, I think he was accusing the Englishman of something. Maybe the intention of lighting a match in here.

If you hadn't realized by now, Jules had a chip on his shoulder the size of Manhattan.

"You're a regular lifesaver," Boner said with a hint of sarcasm. "Now I know what to get you for Christmas: a cape."

Jules flipped him off, while Boner grinned.

"You're coming back for dinner, aren't you?" I asked, posing the question to Jules. "I had a table set aside for you, Cass, Boner, and Archer."

Archer Hardwick was the fourth of the guys in my crew. A playwright who was obsessed with the internet and all manner of information found on there. Useful or otherwise. He was always ready with interesting facts or bizarre observations, always delivered with a straight face.

"I'll be here," Jules said, with a hint of reluctance. "Cassius insisted." Of course Cass had. When he was determined, he knew how to get his way. It was one of the things I liked the best about him. One of many, if I'm honest.

"Me too," Boner said. "I can't wait to see what's on the menu tonight."

I gave him a warning look. If I was going to use any 'meat' I sourced myself, it was going to be served at Angel's Rest, not here. Kayla and Dave were innocent. I wanted to keep it that way. I had enough accessories to murder without adding them to the list.

"It's going to be amazing," I said, giving Kayla a smile. She'd worked for another restaurant in the city before I hired her to work here, an establishment where she never would have been promoted or her skills recognized.

If there was anything I hated, it was unrecognized and unappreciated talent. With her in the kitchen, the place was going to thrive. And so was she.

Dave was one of the original staff, but he also wasn't given much responsibility until now.

He'd shown me what he could do, and I gave him the chance. I knew he'd take it and run with it. People usually did when you let them.

"No pressure," Kayla said with a laugh. Her eyes widened as if she was intimidated, but I knew she was up to this, and so did she.

It didn't hurt to have a bit of humility though.

I'd met plenty of arrogant chefs. I didn't want one working for me.

I sure as hell didn't want to become one.

Yelling at my staff and belittling them.

That wasn't the way to get the best out of people.

No, I preferred to respect the people I worked with. They gave it back, most of the time.

Like always, the memory of Gina rubbed hard against my mind. Anger, disappointment, and wariness haunted me every time I thought about her.

I liked Kayla and Dave, but I was going to be keeping a close eye on them. If either of them was working with the enemy behind my back, they'd be on the menu.

"I need to get back to Angel's Rest to get lunch sorted," I said reluctantly.

That restaurant would be closed for dinner so I could be here tonight, but I had reservations for a handful of customers. Some sort of corporate work lunch they wanted me to cater.

I hoped like hell I hadn't bitten off more than I could chew, trying to run two restaurants.

At some point, I'd have to trust someone to take over the kitchen at Angel's Rest, but not today.

Today I wanted to cook to get my mind off tonight's grand opening.

There was always a chance no one would turn up, in spite of all the bookings.

It would suck if, after all the work we'd put in, I fell on my face.

I didn't want to do that to my staff. They were all relying on me for their wages, their livelihoods.

"It's going to rock," Boner told me. My thoughts must have been written all over my face.

"I hope so," I whispered.

If it didn't, we could let off steam afterward.