28. Chapter 28
Chapter 28
Ronan
M y tires squealed when I came to a stop in front of Sugar & Spice, and when I saw the lights on, I rushed inside. I thought I’d told her to stay in her car. The bell over the door flipped violently when I threw it open, loudly announcing my arrival before I saw her messy brown hair. She rested her head on Ava’s shoulder, and when she saw me, she lifted her head.
“Are you okay?” I asked, rounding the counter and closing the distance between us.
“I think so. You’re here,” she said, and her voice broke on a sob that made my chest tighten. Her already brightly-stained cheeks shined with another fresh stream of tears.
“Of course I’m here.” I grabbed her wrist, pulling her away from her best friend and against my chest, wrapping my arms around her. Her body shook against me, and she buried her face in my suit jacket. I brushed her hair away from her face with both hands before closing them around her tighter. “You’re shaking.”
She shrugged, nuzzling her nose against me like she wanted to be even closer. “Just a little scared.” Her voice was quiet, mostly muffled by the fabric. It was like she had forgotten Ava was right behind her—or she didn’t care.
“You don’t have to be scared anymore.” I kissed the top of her head, satisfied when her shoulders relaxed slightly. The bell over the front door rang again, and her body stiffened.
Nellie pulled away from me, and we all turned around. Detective Stanton was walking in with an officer from the local precinct I didn’t recognize. I snarled, wanting to step in front of her and create a barrier between her and the officers. “What are you doing here?” I asked.
“Your girlfriend called us,” Stanton said, smirking. He stepped forward until only the counter separated us. My stare snapped briefly to where Nellie cowered before I glared at him. “Seems like she’s found herself in another sticky situation. And you still know nothing?”
I bit my tongue to prevent a borderline violent outburst. “I just got here, gentlemen,” I said when I started to taste iron. “I don’t know anything you don’t.”
“What about you, miss?” He turned his attention to Nellie, and she stammered. “Do you know who would paint,” he paused to look at the window, lifting his brows and struggling through the words, “ puttana ingrata across your window? What does that mean?”
“I believe it means ungrateful whore ,” the unknown officer said loudly. He clamped his mouth shut when I glared at him.
Nellie cringed, and I clenched my hands into fists at my sides. Stanton smirked. “I don’t know who did it,” she said.
“Isn’t that your job to find out?” I returned his snide look, putting my arm protectively around Nellie’s shoulders.
“We always do what we can.” Stanton looked over his shoulder at the officer. His camera clicked, and the flash created extra shadows on the pink walls while he took pictures. “You’re going to have to make a statement, Ms. Giordano. It wouldn’t hurt if you made one too, Mr. Moretti.” The distaste in his voice when he said my name wasn’t missed, and Nellie looked up at me, confused.
“I wasn’t here,” I said, knowing I had no intention of leaving Nellie’s side. That wasn’t what he wanted my statement for, though. He wanted to link me and my family to this somehow. I wasn’t going to let that happen.
“I can do whatever you need. I wasn’t here either, though,” Nellie added, clearly confused. The officer approached her with a notebook, escorting her over to the side to take her statement.
Stanton smiled half-sympathetically until she was out of sight. Did he always look at victims this way—or just the ones I was associated with? “That would be great. We’ll make it quick and painless. I promise.” Then he turned to me as soon as she was out of earshot. “Another mysterious crime associated with the Moretti family. I’m going to figure out what you’re doing.”
“We’re not doing anything.” Even as I talked to him, I watched Nellie and Ava giving their statement to the officer. She kept looking at me from the corner of her eye, and each time she met my stare, the blush in her cheeks got darker. While she wrung her hands together, I could feel her nerves.
“I’m certain that’s not the case.” When he saw the three of them walking back towards us, he lowered his voice. “You can’t keep hiding from me. You’re not that slick, Moretti.”
“Thanks again, Ms. Giordano. I’m sorry about your, uh, window,” the other officer said, as if to announce their presence. “We’ll try and figure out who did it. Give me a call if you think of any details, or if you just want to talk.” I lifted my brows, surprised by his bold attempt to flirt with her.
Nellie nodded. “Thank you for the help.” She took the business card he held out to her, awkwardly passing it between her fingers.
“I’ll be seeing you around, Moretti,” Stanton said.
“I imagine you will.” I watched him coldly, making sure the door latched behind him before I turned my glare to Nellie. “I told you not to call the police,” I scolded, causing her to cower away from me.
“What was I supposed to do?” she asked, lifting her hands at her hips in a half-shrug.
“You were supposed to wait for me.” I took a step toward her, and she mirrored it with one backward until her back met the edge of the counter. She gulped, and I wanted to follow the lump in her throat with my lips. “Exactly like I told you to.”
Nellie leaned toward me until her chest met mine. She puffed her chest out, grinding her teeth together. She didn’t like being told what to do. “And what were you going to do about it?” she snapped.
“Protect you.” I towered over her, but she steeled her spine, rolling her shoulders back and standing straight to match my posture even though she was several inches shorter. “I can’t do that if you don’t fucking listen to me.”
“You don’t get to boss me around.” I half-expected her to stomp her foot when she pursed her lips, looking like she was ready to throw the same tantrum a toddler would when she didn’t get her way.
I put my hands on her hips, tugging her toward me and earning a slightly high-pitched gasp from her scowling lips. “I do when it keeps you safe.” The tone in my voice didn’t leave room for her to debate. Instead, she huffed. “I’m installing cameras tomorrow.”
“No!” Nellie threw her hands in the air, stomping her foot like I thought she would earlier, and I bit back a smile. Did she think throwing a fit now was going to stop me from making sure she was as safe as possible?
“Fine,” I said, earning a surprised gasp. She widened her eyes, and her mouth dropped open into a shocked “O.” Nellie narrowed her eyes in suspicion. “Then I’ll have a friend stay here full time.”
Nellie protested, pushing against my chest. I didn’t let go of her hips, so she wasn’t able to get far. “For what?” she huffed and stopped fighting my hold.
“To keep an eye on you.” I tilted my head like it should’ve gone without saying. She crossed her arms over her chest.
“Having your cousin conveniently coming to buy cupcakes wasn’t good enough?” Her jaw flexed when she clenched her teeth, and I wondered if she was biting her tongue.
I shook my head. “Not at all.”
“I don’t need security hanging around here,” she said, planting her hands against my chest and pushing again. This time, I let her go, and she ducked out of my hold and away from the counter.
“Yes, you do,” I disagreed, knowing she wasn’t going to like the answer. “You’re protected now. Untouchable.”
“You’re unbelievable.” Her face turned an angry red, and her breathing got rougher. When her nostrils flared, my stomach flipped. She looked so cute when she was mad, but it wasn’t going to help my case to tell her that.
Instead, I sighed and took her hand, relieved when she let me. “Listen,” I said gently, using my hold on her hand to pull her back to me. I framed the side of her face with my other hand, brushing my thumb over the red blush in her cheeks and lowering my voice. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you, and until I know what all of this is about, I need to know you’re safe. If you’re not going to let me install cameras, then I’m going to have a guy hanging out here.” I tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and she blinked, keeping her eyes closed a second longer than usual.
“Ugh, fine.” Her shoulders sagged in defeat, but when she leaned her face against my chest, she felt comfortable—like she fit there.
I kissed the top of her head, pausing to inhale the sweet vanilla and floral scent of her shampoo. “I promise, you won’t even know he’s here,” I said.
Nellie threw her head back and laughed before she forced a glare. “I already know that’s not true.” She stretched onto her toes, kissing my cheek. “But I’ll do it for you. You know, since you’re giving me no choice.”
“Thank you, sugar.” I cupped her chin in my hand, holding her head in place when I leaned down to kiss her. Before my lips met hers, Ava turned the corner from the back kitchen and rejoined us.
“Ew,” she whined. “Get a room, you two.”
Nellie’s blush deepened, and I considered ignoring the added audience and kissing her anyways until she huffed and stepped back. “We had one until you walked back into it,” she argued.
I chuckled at her annoyance. “I’ll be back in a few minutes,” I told her, winking and reaching into my pocket for my phone. “I need to make a few calls.” She narrowed her eyes, like she wanted to ask me questions she already knew I wasn’t going to answer. Then, she thought better of it, nodding instead.
I’ll do it for you.