Chapter 34
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
The bakery was closed on Mondays. However Emelia wasn’t sure the cleanup work would be finished in one day. She promised the employees scheduled to work on Tuesday that she would compensate them. It would be another hit to her savings but worth it.
In about an hour, she and Titus would meet the guys and some of her friends at the apartment.
Emelia had no idea how long it would take to clean it up or even what could be salvaged. She hoped most of it could be. Although in recreating the destruction in her mind, it appeared things were thrown around and not destroyed.
“Titus, have you heard anything from Colt or Zach yet?” she asked anxiously, hoping to hear if they had picked anything up on the security cameras.
“Not yet. They’ll call when they get something,” Titus replied as they walked to the bakery.
Emelia stood in front of the bakery door and stopped. Her heart was racing.
The key was in her hand, and all she had to do was insert it—if only she could stop her hand from trembling.
Despite the warm day, she shivered. Could she go inside? Would it feel the same knowing someone had violated her personal space?
She didn’t hear Titus step up, only felt a breeze by her side. “I can do it, Emelia,” he offered, sensing her hesitation.
Did she want him to?
Yes.
But what was that saying about her? That she was a coward, letting someone else determine her fate. Not happening again. Emelia took a deep breath. She’d come so far that this setback wasn’t doing her in.
Emelia inserted the key, pushed open the door, and stepped into the kitchen. She was immediately enveloped in the familiar scents of baked bread and the sweet essence of sugar and vanilla.
“Be proud of yourself, sweetheart. Sometimes that first step is the hardest,” Titus said. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. They stayed like that for a minute until Emelia pulled away.
“Work first. Fun later,” she quipped. First, they would raid the bakery’s refrigerator for any snacks and then make coffee.
Emelia walked around the kitchen, wondering if it was still her happy place.
She stood and looked at the counters and cabinets she’d chosen, the big-ass commercial refrigerator that she bought used but still cost a fortune, the ovens, all the pots and pans, and smiled. It still was her happy place.
Although it seemed like she was always picking up pieces of her life. Titus was a calming presence, and she couldn’t remember when she felt so safe. They still had to deal with her apartment, and Emelia wondered if she would ever feel safe in it again.
“Score!” Titus was pulling out trays from the fridge.
“What did you find?” she asked.
He uncovered a tray. “Looks like a variety of mini tarts with ham and cheese.” He pulled the foil off another. “Oh, we have a winner. Hand pies, muffins and cupcakes.”
“Perfect,” she replied. “At least we can feed everyone.”
“Knock, knock.”
Emelia turned to see Naomi, Isabelle and Felicia entering with buckets and a mop at the door. She knew Joy, Mallory and the other women wanted to help but worked and didn’t have a lot of freedom during the day.
“Oh, I’m so glad to see you,” she gushed as she hugged them.
“Will, Zach, and Finn are parking now,” said Naomi. “We didn’t want too many people in the apartment. It would be too crowded.”
“You guys.” Emelia was at a loss for words. “I can’t thank you enough for giving up your morning to help.” Emelia was overwhelmed. When had she ever had such good friends?
Isabelle smiled and said, “You know we’re here for you. Besides, what are friends for?”
They gathered the food and cleaning supplies. Emelia stopped at the broken door to her apartment for a second, wondering why someone would want to hurt her. Then she took a deep breath and walked up the stairs.
No matter that she’d seen the destruction yesterday; looking at furniture overturned, the drawers emptied and food from the refrigerator thrown on the floor still took her breath away. Titus put his arm around her shoulders, and her friends gathered close. Waiting.
What would she do? Emelia appreciated the fact they were letting her mourn. Enough!
“Okay, folks, cleanup time,” she cried and clapped her hands. “Chop-chop.”
“Sweetie, this won’t take long,” said Isabelle as she glanced around. “It looks like things were thrown around but aren’t broken.”
They spent a few hours organizing and cleaning everything. Emelia was thrilled that Isabelle was right. Nothing was broken.
Emelia had a hard time with her clothes that were strewn around, knowing a stranger had touched them. Since she couldn’t afford to buy anything new, she’d get over it.
They sat and ate in peaceful quiet until Finn asked who else had a key to her apartment and also to the bakery.
Emelia didn’t know the dark-haired muscular man very well. She’d seen him around. Colt mentioned being roommates with Finn for a while when they lived next to Dani and Ryker and that Finn had been a medic in the service.
“Good question, Finn.” Emelia took a deep breath and exhaled. “Let me think. Titus has one to my apartment, as does Vanessa, who helps with Leo.” She furrowed her brow. “Oh, John, my bread maker, has one, and Josie, who opens and closes sometimes. But those two only have a key to the kitchen door, not to my apartment. Outside of that, no one else should. What are you thinking?”
“The door to your apartment was breached. Someone knew how to pick a lock,” Finn replied. “They also knew the code to the alarm.”
Emelia’s hands were sweating, and she rubbed them on her pants. “I can’t believe John or Josie would do such a thing.”
“And while I’m thinking of it, who else knows your schedule?” Finn asked. “Someone had to know you were away.”
“The staff knows everyone’s hours since it’s posted by the door,” said Emelia. “The only thing that they don’t know is if I’m here at night.”
“I’ll check with Colt later to see if he has updates,” said Titus. “We definitely need to change the locks and get more security cameras in here.”
Zach, who was sitting quietly on the couch, spoke up. “I’ll do the cameras later today.”
While Emelia appreciated the extra security, she wondered if she’d ever feel safe again or if she would be constantly looking over her shoulder. Because she knew without a doubt that the harassment wasn’t over. It wouldn’t be over for her until she knew why. Emelia hoped that wouldn’t be too late.
Stacy Long looked around her tiny studio apartment, putting off the call she had to make.
On the one hand, with the extra money she was collecting, she could afford a larger place. On the other, there was a chance that the next place she stayed in would be much smaller, enclosed with bars, and she’d be sharing it with her new best friend, Big Sally.
She gagged, then took another swig of her beer for courage and dialed her “other” employer.
The phone rang several times, and finally, the man picked up.
“Is it done? Does Emelia suspect you?”
Stacy shook her head, not that the man could see her.
Her heart was racing as she told him what she’d done. “No. I was careful to return the key to the employee. I wore gloves and a mask. I also added padding so no one would be suspicious of me.”
Stacy didn’t want to ask why the man was trying to sabotage Emelia’s business, but the money was good—too good to ignore. If Emelia ever discovered that she was the one who destroyed her apartment, she would not only be terminated but also become unemployable. The only thing she felt better about was that it was the man who punctured Emelia’s tires and vandalized her window. Not that it would matter in the end.
“When will this be over?”
The man was quiet for a minute. “Soon enough. I have one last job for you.”
Crap. The knot in her stomach tightened at the thought of more illegal activity. The tension was getting to her. “Why me? Can’t you find someone else?”
The man chuckled. “I could, but I don’t want to. No one ever has to know your brother is a thief unless…” Silence. “Unless you don’t help me. Understand?”
Stacy rubbed the back of her neck.
Why couldn’t her stupid brother keep his hands out of the till? He had two strikes against him already. If he were caught, he’d be sent to prison for a long time.
Why did she care? Stacy sighed. She cared because he was her twin and knew it would kill him to go back to jail.
“Understood,” she said through clenched teeth as she hung up the phone.
The problem was that she liked Emelia. She was funny, considerate to the staff and paid well.
But her twin always came first.
Stacy couldn’t help thinking about how dangerous this had become and how desperately she wanted out. And for sure, she didn’t want to know what she would be asked to do next.