Chapter 16
Sixteen
In the three days since they’d been granted access back to the job site, Mia had barely slept. The crew had stayed late every day, working like stevedores to clear out the damage and prep everything for repairs. She’d stayed even later, needing to see more progress and take control of the one thing that was actually in her hands. Luca, God love him, had stuck by her side, working shoulder-to-shoulder with her like the old days. That little piece of normal helped put her back on even keel. But she couldn’t forget that there’d been a police presence parked outside since the latest break-in. And there was no overlooking the fact that Brax was in bodyguard mode. He’d worked as well, teaming up with Holt and Jonah to do the necessary manual labor of tearing apart more pallets and planing the boards to repair the shiplap walls. But they were all watchful, and that kept her on edge. Everyone was waiting for the other shoe to drop, wondering when and how their perpetrator would strike next. It was no longer a question of if.
“Sealant’s dry,” Luca declared. “I think we’re ready to put down the uncoupling membrane and get rolling on redoing these tile floors.”
The bathrooms, having borne the brunt of the destruction, were the last area that still needed major repairs. New fixtures were on order and were supposed to come in by the end of the week. Mia wanted the tile laid and grouted so they could install new sinks and toilets and be done. Not that she’d forget the enormous cost of labor and replacement materials, but she needed to see it put right sooner rather than later.
“Let’s do it.” The three of them were the only ones left, and she was appreciating the relative peace and having full control over the radio.
“It’s getting pretty late,” Brax pointed out. “You need a break. This can wait until tomorrow.”
Her stomach chose that moment to issue its protests about the pace she’d been keeping, which generally had her eating only when someone made her. “Okay, yeah, I’m starving, but I really want to finish this piece. The mortar will have to dry under the uncoupling membrane. Why don’t you go grab some takeout for dinner and bring it back? We should be finished by then, or close to. Then we’ll be in good shape for laying tile tomorrow.”
“Mia, I’m not leaving you here alone.”
“I won’t be alone. The deputy is still outside, and Luca’s here. He’s not going to let anything happen to me. I have plenty of guard dogs.”
Brax’s stomach gave its own growl.
“I’m gonna go grab the stuff from the truck.” Luca strode out, leaving them alone for the moment.
“I don’t like this,” Brax insisted.
“I know. But it’ll be fine. It’ll take you fifteen or twenty minutes—max—to go grab something from the tavern.” When he only scowled, Mia stepped into him, laying a hand over his heart. “Please. I need to finish this.”
Luca came back with the roll of polyurethane that would provide some cushion and protect the tile from any moisture or cracking and shifting of the concrete foundation. “If you’re taking orders, I could absolutely go for a burger.”
Brax growled. “Fine. But you stay inside and keep the door locked until I get back.”
“Promise.” She drew an X over her heart.
He called their orders in before he left with another reminder to lock the door. She did as he’d demanded before rejoining Luca on the floor of the women’s bathroom to start cutting the uncoupling membrane.
“I really appreciate you putting in all this extra time.”
He shot her a smile. “I’ve missed working with you like this. I mean, obviously not under these circumstances, but I miss what we used to do together. Those flips that were just us doing everything.”
“I’ve missed working with you, too.” And she had. She loved the work she did here and appreciated the variety of projects that Mountainview offered. But there was definitely something to be said for having her hands on all stages of a renovation.
For a couple minutes, they measured and cut. Fully in sync, in the way of a team who’d worked together for years.
“Do you ever regret leaving Washington? I mean, is this whole owning a construction company, and juggling all the headaches and stuff that go along with that, really worth it for you?”
“There are days I miss the simple. I certainly don’t have a passion for doing payroll or work schedules. But I like the life I’m building here. Or did, before everything got blown all to hell with whatever’s going on with all of this. And if I’d never come here, I never would have had the opportunity to clear the air with Brax.”
Mia knew it wasn’t what Luca wanted to hear, but for once, he didn’t pop off with a snarky remark.
He nodded. “He’s very protective of you.”
“Yeah. He always was. I know I’ve never really talked about him with you, beyond the basics. Before you, he was my best friend. He looked out for me all those years we were in the foster system. And after. He saved me from being sexually assaulted by one of my foster fathers.”
Luca’s face twisted in pain and realization. “That’s why you don’t like being touched.”
“Yeah.”
“I always wondered.” His hands fisted. “Did the bastard pay for it?”
“Brax beat the shit out of him. And then he went to jail. So, yeah.”
His hands relaxed again. “Good.” He hesitated a moment. “Was that… the only time you were in that kind of situation? You don’t have to answer that if you don’t want.”
“No, it’s okay. Yeah, that was the only time. And it only happened because Brax had aged out and couldn’t be there twenty-four hours a day to watch over me. Those years in the foster system were… hard. I learned to compartmentalize everything about my life. Put up all kinds of walls. It’s why I tend to be slow to warm up. But Brax was in it with me from the start. I know you don’t agree with the fact that I’m giving him another chance, but you have to understand what a big part of my life he’s always been.”
Luca pressed his lips together, concentrating very hard on the line he was cutting. “You’re happy with him?”
“I am. We’re still figuring everything out, but things have been good. Having him back in my life has been really, really good.”
It wasn’t the answer he wanted. She could see it in the carefully controlled lines of his face, which just confirmed what she’d been afraid of. He had more feelings for her than she could return, and she had no idea what to do about it.
He rose. “I’m gonna go grab the mortar mix while you finish up cutting in here.”
Knowing he needed a minute to collect himself, she just nodded, and kept at the work. When he got back, she was going to have to address this. It was the pink elephant she’d been willfully ignoring for a long time. She didn’t want to hurt him. He was her friend. He’d been there for her through some of the worst parts of her life. But she was in love with Brax. She wanted to stay married to Brax. Sure, they hadn’t actually discussed that part, but everything in his actions suggested he wanted the same. Luca needed to know that was her intention.
Mia cut the last piece of underlayment. What the hell was taking him so long? Maybe he was already mixing up the mortar? They really ought to cut the pieces for the men’s room as well before they started attaching it. She stood and headed for the door to say so.
It opened just as she reached it.
“I wondered what the hell you got up to…” But she trailed off because it wasn’t Luca in the entryway.
The stranger’s face went slack for one instant before he sighed. “Fuck, you weren’t supposed to be here. I’m not being paid enough for this.”
Then he pulled out a gun.
“Order up.”
Brax took the bag of food from the tattooed guy tending bar at Elvira’s Tavern. “Thanks, man. And I really appreciate you putting a rush on this.”
“No problem. Tell Mia I said hello.”
He’d been in Eden’s Ridge long enough that such a remark no longer surprised him. Much. Eventually, he’d learn everybody’s names and be considered a regular himself. What a concept.
With a nod and a wave, he wove his way through the surprisingly heavy weeknight crowd and back to the parking lot. He was itching to return to the bakery. Sure, Luca was there, but that posed its own problem. For all that he’d been on his best behavior lately, and was unquestionably watching out for Mia, there was the fact that he was doing it because he was in love with her. That kind of feeling didn’t just go away, and Brax was pretty damned sure the guy was still hanging around, waiting for him to fuck up.
He got that Mia considered Luca a close friend. But something had to give here. Brax wanted his marriage back fully, and he wasn’t sure that was gonna happen so long as Luca was hanging around. Not that he’d bring it up to Mia until the question of her safety was settled. It was going to royally piss her off, and right now, resolving the current threat was priority one. At the moment, the more people looking out for her, the better. But he had hopes that Cash would dig up information that proved the guy was hiding something.
As he made his way back toward the job site, a Sheriff’s Department cruiser came flying over the hill, lights flashing, sirens blaring. It blew past Brax, heading in the opposite direction.
Was that the deputy who’d been on duty at the bakery? Brax knew Stone County had a small department with limited staff. At any given time, there were only two to three deputies on duty for the entire county. Xander had said he was happy to keep one of them on-site, as an additional layer of security while they got to the bottom of things, but he’d warned them that if anything major happened, they’d get pulled to go deal with it.
Uneasy with the prospect, Brax put the pedal to the metal, racing to get back.
Sure enough, the spot the cruiser had occupied beneath the lone sodium vapor light that illuminated the parking lot was empty. Instinct had him cutting his headlights and parking at the far edge of the gravel lot. Nothing looked amiss. The big white work truck with the Mountainview Construction logo on the door was still parked by the front of the building, and light spilled out of the windows. Still, as he slipped out of the driver’s seat, Brax unholstered his Glock.
Moving quick and quiet across the gravel, he scanned the parking lot. Something lay on the ground beside the truck. Why the fuck hadn’t they gotten the extra exterior lights installed yet? He couldn’t see well in the shadows. Were those… boots?
Heart hammering, he circled around to find Luca face-down in the gravel. In the faint moonlight, blood glinted dark on the back his head. Shit! Shit! Shit! Terror for Mia exploded through him. He took one moment to feel the wild whip of it before locking the emotion down. He was no good to her panicked.
Crouching, he felt Luca’s neck for a pulse. It was weak but there.
Creeping toward the front, he strained to hear anything from inside. The radio was still playing on the classic rock station Mia preferred. Beneath that, he detected voices. One man. One woman. She was still alive.
Carefully, he tested the front door. It was locked. Did that mean the assailant had locked it behind him or had he come in the back?
Brax crept around the side to peer in the windows. His blood ran cold at the sight of the gun pressed to Mia’s torso. Her face was ashen, tears streaking down her cheeks. Brax knew she’d had some additional training over the years, but he prayed she didn’t try to use it. Not against a gun. He had to get in there.
Keeping low, he hurried around to the delivery entrance, thanking God he had his keys. Banking that the guy wouldn’t hear over the sound of his own voice and the radio, Brax unlocked the door and eased into the kitchen. The pass-through window was open, the rolling door not yet installed. He made use of the partial cover, crouching beneath the half-wall.
“—been here all along. Where’s the flash drive?”
That accent definitely wasn’t from around here. Was it Brooklyn? Bronx? Jersey? Or was it just what Brax imagined any of those sounded like based on what he’d heard in movies?
“I don’t… kn… know what you’re t… t… talking about.” The fear in Mia’s voice was palpable and had Brax’s grip tightening on the gun.
“The files, woman. Where the fuck are the files?” She cried out as the assailant shook her, and Brax almost broke cover and came over the wall. But he had to play this smart. So long as that gun was near her, she was at risk.
“I don’t have anything. I swear. My father never gave me anything.”
The assailant snarled in frustration and disgust. “I’ve been telling him it’s not here.”
“What are you talking about? What’s not here?”
“Shut up! I have to think. This is not what I signed on for. It was just supposed to be retrieving information. This whole thing has been a clusterfuck from the beginning.”
Brax eased slowly up, hazarding a look, but he didn’t have a clear shot at the guy. One hand was clamped on Mia’s nape, the other still holding the gun to her side as he looked around the building, as if that was going to give him the answer he needed.
“Look, just let me go. I don’t know who you are or what you want. Just let me go.”
With a look of some regret, the guy shook his head at her. “Can’t do that, girlie. You’re a loose end. I don’t leave loose ends. Bad for business.”
Muscles coiling for action, Brax frantically ran scenarios through his mind. How could he distract the guy enough to let go of Mia?
“Get in there.” The guy shoved her forward, toward one of the open bathroom doors.
As he did, Brax began to rise… and his cell phone chimed with a text.
The assailant whipped around, leading with the pistol in his hand. Brax didn’t hesitate. He did what he’d been trained to do and squeezed the trigger.
The echo of gunshots was deafening. Mia screamed.
Brax vaulted over the pass-through, charging forward. But the assailant stumbled back, letting Mia go. His eyes had gone wide, his olive-complected face pale. He looked down at the spreading stain on his chest and crumpled to the floor. Brax kicked his gun away and turned toward Mia, his heart all but stopping as he saw her curled into a ball on the floor. Had there been a ricochet? Had she been shot?
“Mia! Baby!” He dropped to his knees beside her, terrified of what he might find.
Shaking hard, she uncurled a fraction, peering up at him with wide, panic-stricken eyes. “You sh… shot him.”
Shit. Was she afraid of him? Realizing he still held the gun, he holstered it. “Yeah. Are you okay?” He reached for her, relieved when she didn’t shrink away at his touch. Finding no injuries, he crushed her to him, careful to keep himself between her and the body. “Christ, I thought I’d be too late.”
Mia curled into him, holding tight as she trembled. “I thought it would be okay. I thought—” She jerked back. “Oh my God. Luca. Where’s Luca? He went out to the truck and then this guy came in.”
“Unconscious but breathing when I got here.”
She scrambled up, and they hurried outside, skirting the body of the gunman.
Mia dropped to her knees beside her friend. “Oh, God.” Her hands hovered over the wound, falling instead to his shoulders. “Help me roll him over.”
As they did, Luca groaned. “Fuck.”
“You’re alive. Oh, thank God.” She wrapped her arms around him.
“Wha… what was in that drink?”
“No drinks, man. Pretty sure you got pistol whipped. I’ll call 911.” Brax straightened, finally pulling out his phone and noting the text from Holt before dialing.
“911, what is your emergency?”
“This is Brax Whitmore.” He reeled off the address. “I’m gonna need an ambulance and the Sheriff’s Department. A man’s been shot.”