14. Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fourteen
I take a deep breath, the weight of Gabriel's presence steady beside me as he lifts the police tape. My chest tightens at the sight of my sanctuary in ruins—vivid petals crushed underfoot, water pooled on the hardwood floor, creating dark stains that might never come out. The counter where I've arranged countless bouquets is scratched and dented, bearing witness to the violent struggle that took place.
"Take your time," Gabriel says quietly, his voice gentle in a way I haven't heard before. He stands close enough that I can feel his warmth, but not so close that I feel crowded—a careful balance I suspect he's maintaining deliberately.
I step forward, glass crunching beneath my feet as I move through the wreckage. Each broken vase represents hours of work, each scattered arrangement a small piece of my heart. I kneel beside a cluster of trampled lilies, their delicate petals bruised and broken. These were meant for the Hendersons' anniversary—fifty years of marriage celebrated with white stargazers, their favorite.
"We can salvage some of it," I murmur, more to myself than to Gabriel. My fingers gently touch the bent stems, assessing what might be saved. "The cooler inventory should be intact. We'll need to order replacements for the displays, but the standing orders..."
I trail off as I notice Gabriel watching me, something unreadable in his blue eyes.
"What?" I ask, suddenly self-conscious.
"You're remarkably practical," he observes. "Most people would be falling apart right now."
I straighten, brushing glass from my knees. "Falling apart won't fix my shop."
A hint of admiration flickers across his face before he turns away, surveying the damage with a critical eye. I watch as he moves through the space, careful not to disturb anything more than necessary, his broad shoulders tense beneath his jacket.
"The insurance should cover most of the physical damage," he says, examining a shattered display case. "The adjuster will be here in an hour."
I nod, moving toward the back room where the fight had been most intense. The door hangs at an awkward angle, one hinge completely torn from the frame. Inside, it's even worse—shelves overturned, inventory scattered across the floor, a dark smear on the wall that I realize with a jolt is blood.
"Lucas's?" I ask quietly, nodding toward the stain.
Gabriel follows my gaze and shakes his head. "The intruder's. Lucas landed a solid hit before they got away."
I feel a grim satisfaction at this, followed immediately by guilt as I heard Gabriel start talking again.
"Theo's already compiled a preliminary inventory of the damage." He told me, and I could see he was trying to divert my attention from the blood and destruction around me as he moves through the room to examine the broken window.
I follow him, stepping over a fallen display rack. "You've been efficient."
"It's what we do," he replies simply, turning to face me. "The window will be replaced today. Security system upgraded by tonight."
"And who's paying for all this?" I ask, crossing my arms. "I'm not sure my insurance covers 'targeted attack by mysterious assailant with deadly syringe.'"
A ghost of a smile touches his lips. "The department has funds for witness protection expenses. This qualifies."
I raise an eyebrow. "Is that what I am now? A witness under protection?"
Gabriel hesitates, studying me with those penetrating blue eyes that seem to see more than I'm comfortable with. "Yes, whether you like it or not." he says finally, as his voice goes soft where I almost can’t hear him. "Though this is turning to be... more personal than most cases."
I frowned at personal bit, not knowing what he meant but shook my head.
I turn away from him, surveying the ruins of my shop. My sanctuary. "I didn't ask for any of this."
"Few people do," he says quietly, his voice closer than I expected. I turn to find him just behind me, close enough that I can catch his scent—sandalwood and apricots, with that underlying Alpha musk that's uniquely him.
"What happens when you catch whoever did this?" I ask, gesturing to the destruction around us. "Do I just... go back to normal? Pretend none of this happened?"
Gabriel studies me for a long moment, his blue eyes intense. "That depends on what we find. On who's behind this and what they want."
"And what if you don't find them?" I ask, voicing the fear that's been growing since the attack. "What if they're still out there, waiting for another opportunity?"
Gabriel's jaw tightens, a muscle jumping beneath his skin. "We'll find them."
"You sound very confident for someone who lost the attacker last night," I point out, immediately regretting my sharp tone when I see the flash of frustration in his eyes.
"We have leads," he says after a moment. "The blood sample, for one. And Theo's analyzing the security footage frame by frame. We'll find them," he repeats, and I wonder if he's trying to convince me or himself.
I move toward the front of the shop, needing some distance from his intensity. The morning sunlight streams through the windows, highlighting the destruction in stark detail. It feels surreal, like I'm walking through someone else's nightmare. I never imagined my little flower shop could become a crime scene, that my peaceful life could be upended so completely in the span of a few days.
"I need to call Jamie," I say suddenly, turning back to Gabriel. "He needs to know what happened, what to tell our customers." I had no clue where my phone had ended up.
Gabriel nods, pulling out his phone. "Use mine. It's secure."
I take it from him, our fingers brushing briefly. The contact is fleeting but sends an unexpected jolt through me that I quickly push aside, focusing instead on dialing Jamie's number.
He answers on the first ring. "Hello?"
"It's me, Jamie," I say, relieved to hear his voice. "I don’t know where my phone is at the moment."
"Viv!" His relief is palpable even through the phone. "Are you okay? They wouldn't tell me much, just that there was a break in at the shop.”
"I'm fine," I assure him, the familiar sound of his voice bringing unexpected tears to my eyes. "But the shop... it's bad, Jamie."
"How bad?" he asks, and I can hear him moving, probably pacing like he always does when anxious.
I look around at the devastation, struggling to put it into words. "Broken glass everywhere. Display cases destroyed. Most of the arrangements are ruined."
"Fuck," he breathes. "What about the cooler? The standing orders?"
"The cooler seems intact," I say, moving toward the back to double-check. "The standing orders should be fine, but we'll need to reschedule today's deliveries."
Jamie curses again, softer this time. "What about you? Where are you staying? Do you need me to come get you?"
I glance at Gabriel, who's watching me with that unreadable expression. "I'm... safe. Staying somewhere secure for now." I hesitate, not wanting to worry him more than necessary. "Police protection."
"Jesus, Viv," Jamie breathes. "What the hell is going on? First that Alpha bursting into the shop, then you get tackled at a funeral home, and now this? What aren't you telling me?"
I close my eyes, guilt washing over me. Jamie deserves the truth, but how much can I safely tell him over the phone…or at all.
“I don’t know how much I can tell you, and I don’t want to get you involved.” I told him, and I was going to stick to that. He didn’t need to be dragged into this mess, me being in it is enough.
"I'm already involved, Viv," Jamie says, frustration evident in his voice. "I work there too, remember? Whatever this is, it affects both of us."
I glance at Gabriel, who gives me a slight nod. Permission, I realize, to share at least some of the truth.
"It's complicated," I say, moving to a corner of the shop for a semblance of privacy. "Remember that Alpha who burst in? Jensen? Turns out he's connected to some kind of research project. Something big. And now people are looking for him—and anyone who might have information about where he is."
"And they think you know something?" Jamie asks, his voice rising in disbelief.
"They think I might," I confirm, keeping my voice low. "Even though I've told the police everything, which is basically nothing. But whoever broke in last night..." I trail off, not wanting to mention the syringe or the dead Omegas. That would only terrify him further.
"What?" Jamie presses. "Whoever broke in last night what, Viv?"
I take a deep breath. "They weren't just looking to ransack the place. They were looking for me."
The silence on the other end of the line stretches for several seconds. "Are you saying someone tried to hurt you?" Jamie's voice is tight with anger and fear.
"Yes," I admit quietly. "But I'm okay. The police got there in time."
"Christ," Jamie mutters. "And you're sure you're safe where you are now?"
I glance at Gabriel, who's pretending not to listen while examining a broken display case. "Yes. Very safe."
"As long as you are safe. I take it I shouldn’t come to the shop then.” He askes, voice filled with worry.
"I think that would be best for now," I tell him, hating how this whole situation is affecting our lives. "The insurance adjuster is coming soon to assess the damage. Once we have a better idea of the timeline for repairs, we can figure out a plan."
"What about our orders?" Jamie asks, ever practical. "The Sullivan wedding is next weekend, and Mrs. Hoffman's anniversary arrangement is due Monday."
I rub my forehead, the logistics of running a damaged business suddenly overwhelming. "I'll talk to the detective about setting up a temporary workspace. Maybe we can operate out of the back room once it's cleaned up, at least for the standing orders."
Gabriel catches my eye and nods, confirming this might be possible.
"Okay," Jamie says, though he sounds unconvinced. "Just... be careful, Viv. And call me. Often."
"I will," I promised him and he gave another goodbye and stay safe before I ended the call with a deep sigh. As I thought of everything that would need to be done. I wouldn’t take any new orders, but I wanted to finish the ones I could…if I could. I may have to give refunds…My head was spinning at what needed to be done.
"I've scheduled a cleaning crew for this afternoon, after insurance comes in and assesses and takes pictures of what they need. " Gabriel says, his voice breaking into my thoughts. "And the window replacement company will be here by three."
"Thank you," I say, genuinely grateful despite my conflicted feelings about his help. "I'll need to call the customers whose orders were destroyed. Reschedule deliveries."
Gabriel nods, pulling out his phone. "Theo can help with that. He's already compiled a list of affected orders from your system."
I raise an eyebrow. "He hacked into my business records?"
"He accessed them," Gabriel corrects, though there's a hint of amusement in his tone. "With official authorization, given the circumstances."
I sigh, running a hand through my hair. "This is all happening so fast. My shop is destroyed, I'm staying with a pack of Alphas, and now you're telling me your tech guy has been going through my business records."
"It's for your protection," Gabriel insists, his tone softening as he takes a step closer. "I know this feels invasive, but we're trying to help."
"I know," I concede, suddenly exhausted despite having slept for twelve hours. "It's just... a lot."
I turn in a slow circle, taking in the full extent of the damage once more. "This is going to take weeks to fix."
"Not necessarily," Gabriel says, moving closer. "With the right resources, we could have you operational again in days, not weeks."
"The right resources meaning your pack's connections," I say, not quite a question.
He nods, unashamed. "We take care of our own."
The implication sends a jolt through me. "I'm not 'your own,'" I remind him, perhaps more sharply than intended.
Something flickers in Gabriel's eyes—frustration, perhaps, or determination. "You're under our protection," he says after a moment. "That makes you our responsibility."
"I didn't ask for your protection," I counter, though the words lack conviction even to my own ears. "I was doing just fine on my own."
"Were you?" Gabriel challenges, gesturing to the destruction around us. "Because from where I'm standing, you were seconds away from becoming the next dead Omega in this case."
His bluntness stings, but I can't argue with the truth of his statement. If Lucas hadn't been there, if Gabriel hadn't arrived when he did... I suppress a shudder.
"Fine," I concede reluctantly. "But that doesn't make me 'yours' in any sense of the word. Once this is over, once you catch whoever's behind this, I go back to my life. My shop. My independence."
Gabriel studies me for a long moment, his expression unreadable. "Of course," he says finally, though something in his tone makes me wonder if he's humoring me rather than arguing with me. I shake my head, not wanting to fight right now. I just wanted to fix my shop and hope whoever is behind this is caught…and soon.