Chapter 10
CHAPTER TEN
I held up a piece of rich cordovan leather to the light, testing how it would take the antiquing treatment needed to match the vintage photographs.
The silver work for the buckles would be intricate, requiring hand-forging techniques that my grandfather had taught me but I hadn’t used in years.
I’d already sketched out three different buckle designs, each a clumsy attempt to capture the geometric pattern of the original.
The brass bell above my door chimed, interrupting my concentration. I looked up expecting to see Penny arriving for our planned lunch, but instead Sarah stood in the doorway, holding two large paper bags from The Hideaway and wearing an expression I couldn’t quite read.
“Sarah?” I set down the magnifying glass I’d been using to examine buckle details. “Is everything okay? I thought you were just sending lunch over with one of your servers.”
“I was,” she said, stepping inside and letting the door swing closed behind her. “But I needed to talk to you. Both of you, actually.” She glanced toward the back of the shop. “Is Penny here yet?”
“He should be any minute,” I said.
Sarah nodded absently, her usual cheerful demeanor replaced by something that looked like worry.
“Is everything okay?” I asked.
Before she could answer, the bell chimed again and Penny bounced in, his candy sweet scent bright with its usual optimism. He was practically radiating good energy—clearly recent events had improved his mood as much as mine. Jake followed behind him, moving with his characteristic timidness.
“Please tell me you brought those amazing turkey clubs,” Penny said to Sarah, then paused when he noticed her expression. “What’s wrong?”
“I brought enough for the five of us,” Sarah said, holding up the bags. “Figured Jake would be hungry too after helping rearrange your window display. Mr. Marcus too. Can’t have him standing guard on an empty stomach.”
“I’ll take it to him,” Jake offered. “Or should I ask if he wants to come in and join us?”
“He won’t,” Penny said, taking a bag from Sarah. “Already asked. He waved me off, said he couldn't leave his post."
“But he’ll eat outside, right?” Jake said, accepting the wrapped sandwich and cold soda Sarah held out to him.
As Jake headed toward the door, Sarah turned back to me. “Trust me, you’ll both want to be sitting down for this.”
We settled around my small break table in the back of the shop, the familiar ritual of unwrapping sandwiches and distributing chips providing a moment of normalcy before whatever news Sarah needed to share.
The turkey clubs were as good as promised.
I devoured half my sandwich before Sarah had even unwrapped hers.
Apparently, my appetite had come back with a vengeance.
“Alright,” Penny said after Jake returned, “spill. What’s going on?”
Sarah set down her sandwich and folded her hands on the table. “Paula came in this morning, really upset. Vertex Acquisitions made her another offer—triple the assessed value of the pharmacy, cash sale, close in thirty days.”
My stomach dropped. “That’s… that’s a lot of money.”
“It is. But that’s not the worst part.” Sarah’s expression darkened. “They insinuated that if she doesn’t accept, they’ll make it impossible for her to operate. Building inspector visits, permit delays, utility ‘complications.’”
“They can’t do that,” Penny said, though his voice lacked conviction.
“Can’t they?” Sarah pulled out her phone and scrolled through what looked like notes.
“Adelaide joined Paula for breakfast and started making calls right from my café. Turns out Mr. Gates' hardware store got cited for three code violations yesterday—violations that weren’t problems when he passed inspection last month. The health department showed up at Tang’s Tea House for a ‘routine inspection’ that felt anything but routine.
And somehow, Mrs. Henderson’s application to renew her license has been lost twice in the city clerk’s office. ”
"They have insiders." I felt the familiar surge of anger that had been driving me since this all began. “And they’re using the system against us.”
"They paid people off from our own community?" Penny's soda hit the table with a sharp clink, his face crumpling as if someone had slapped him.
“That's what Adelaide believes,” Sarah said. “She asked me to help spread the word—she's organizing a town hall meeting tomorrow night at the community center. Seven PM. She mentioned organizing protests. Peaceful demonstrations, maybe some media attention.”
“That could backfire though,” Jake pointed out. “Make Vertex and whoever’s behind them escalate their tactics.”
“Or it could put public pressure on the city to investigate the sudden surge in code violations and permit problems,” I countered. “Hard to claim it’s coincidence when there’s a clear timeline.”
“Will you come?” Sarah asked.
Jake glanced toward me and Penny, as if seeking confirmation.
“We’ll be there,” I said as Penny simultaneously declared, “of course we’ll come.”
“Do you think Mr. Steele and Mr. Harrington would come?” Sarah said, then paused thoughtfully. “Though I guess that might be complicated with Mr. Steele still technically working for Vertex? I mean, before his arrest…”
The question hit me like a cold splash of water. In all the relief of getting Dominic home and the focus on community crisis, I’d somehow not fully processed what his employment situation meant. He’d been suspended pending the investigation, but now that the charges were dismissed…
“I honestly don’t know,” I admitted. “We haven’t really talked about what happens with his job now. The charges were proven false, but after everything that happened…”
“I don’t blame him one bit if he doesn’t want to go back,” Sarah said. “His attorney, Miss Morrison did an amazing job with his case—proving those documents were forged. Maybe she and Mr. Harrington could be persuaded to help? They obviously know how to build a case.”
Penny nodded. “Having professional legal help would be huge. Adelaide’s smart, but she’s not a federal prosecutor.”
If Dominic did attend the town hall meeting, would that create some kind of conflict of interest?
"I'll talk to them about it," I said.
“Sounds good.” Sarah stood, gathering empty sandwich wrappers and stuffing them into the brown paper takeout bag. “After tomorrow night’s meeting, I think we’re all going to be busy. We’ve got Vertex to deal with, and then the Centennial Celebration coming up…”
Penny signed. “It’s a lot.”
"We'll make it work," I said, despite having no concrete plan for how we'd actually pull it off.
After she left, the three of us sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes, processing what we’d learned. Finally, Jake spoke up, his voice thoughtful. “We should probably get back and fill in the others, right?”
“Right,” I said, standing and beginning to put away the photographs and leather samples. “Dominic and Blake will want to know what’s happening.”
If they don’t know already.
Back at Blake’s penthouse, we found Dominic and Blake in the living room, reviewing legal documents spread across the coffee table. They looked up as we entered, Blake’s expression immediately sharpening when he saw our faces.
“What’s happened?” Dominic asked, standing and moving toward me with a purpose that suggested his protective alpha instincts had kicked in the moment he caught the tension radiating from my scent.
“Just a bit of a crisis,” Penny said succinctly, settling into one of the leather chairs. “Vertex has apparently renewed their efforts in full force. They’re specifically targeting Winslow’s Pharmacy.”
“The pharmacy located beside your shop?” Blake asked.
“That's the one,” I confirmed.
Penny and I filled them in on everything Sarah had told us—the money they offered Paula coupled with the veiled threat of what would happen she didn’t accept it, the sudden surge in code violations and permit problems, Adelaide’s town hall meeting at the community center.
Blake listened with the intent of someone used to analyzing complex scenarios, while Dominic’s expression grew darker with each detail.
“Bureaucratic warfare,” Blake said grimly when I finished. “They can’t tear down the buildings legally, so they’re making it impossible for the owners to operate.”
“It’s textbook organized crime tactics,” Dominic added quietly. “Create problems through official channels, then offer to make them go away.”
“There’s another complication we need to discuss. Your situation with Vertex,” I said. “Sarah asked if you'd attend the meeting, but she was unsure if it’d be a conflict of interest.”
I caught a quick glance that passed between Blake and Dominic—the kind of silent communication that suggested they’d already discussed this privately.
“You’re still technically suspended pending the investigation,” Blake said carefully. “Now that the charges are dismissed…”
“It’s complicated,” Dominic said, which wasn’t really an answer. “They can’t easily terminate me for charges that were proven false, but the relationship is… strained.”
I felt a flutter of unease in my stomach. Something about their careful word choices felt rehearsed, like they were having a conversation around the edges of something they couldn’t—or wouldn’t—say directly.
What’s with the evasiveness?
“Would it create problems if you attend the town hall meeting tomorrow night?” I asked, irked. I kept my expression neutral, though my jaw tightened from the effort.
Another glance passed between Blake and Dominic before Dominic answered. “I think I can attend as a community member, as your mate. I just need to be careful about what I say publicly.”
The response felt oddly formal, and I caught Jake watching the exchange with the same puzzled expression I was probably wearing.
There was definitely something they weren’t telling us about Dominic’s relationship with Vertex, but I couldn’t figure out what or why they’d need to keep it secret from us.
Dominic had already told me everything, right?
“The mayor is smart to organize quickly,” Blake said.
“Sarah mentioned protests,” Penny said. “Peaceful demonstrations, media attention. It might make it harder for them to operate in the shadows.”
“That could work,” Blake mused. “Public pressure on city officials can go a long way in getting things moving—squeaky wheel, yada yada… I’ll give Katherine a call. She could advise on legal strategies.”
The energy in the room shifted as Blake pulled out his phone and dialed. "Katherine? I've got you on speaker—we need your expertise."
My eyes drifted to Dominic. He tilted his head slightly, steel-gray eyes locked onto mine as he patted the cushion beside him on the couch.
Whatever that look had been between the two alphas sat like a third person at the table, present but unnamed.
I pushed the unease aside and moved to take my place beside my alpha, sinking into the cushions.
The plush fabric gave way beneath our combined weight.
His arm curved around me, pulling me closer until his palm found the dip of my hip.
Rough fingertips slipped beneath the hem where my shirt had ridden up, tracing lazy circles against bare skin.
The tension coiled in my shoulders loosened, my breathing deepened, and any sense of disquiet I felt faded to background noise.