32. Chapter 32
Chapter 32
Nellie
“ S o do you think he’s in the mafia too?” Ava asked, nodding toward the security detail that still sat in the corner of the room. I had tried telling him to leave when I got back to the bakery from Ronan’s office, even threatening to call the police. When he laughed and asked for a refill of his coffee, I decided to let him stay. I didn’t know what he was capable of. Something told me he was capable of a lot if he was sent to protect me and he wasn’t scared of the police.
“He has to be. It’s just all so…” Before I could tell Ava for the fourth time that saying Ronan was part of the mafia felt weird, the bell above the door rang. I was jumpy. My adrenaline pumped harder through my body, forcing my hair to stand on end.
I spun around. Two men in gray suits stood in the entryway. I didn’t recognize them, but when Carlo sat up straighter and narrowed his eyes, I knew he did. My heart stopped pounding, but the pulse racing against my ears sounded even louder.
“Welcome to Sugar & Spice,” I said, already knowing when I saw them that they weren’t here to buy cupcakes. “What can we get ya?”
The first man reached into his suit jacket, pulling out a black leather bi-fold and showing me a badge. “I’m Detective Carl Ramsey,” he introduced himself before pointing to the guy next to him. “This is my partner. I need to ask you a few questions.”
“There was another detective and a couple cops here the other day asking questions. I gave them my statement.” It figured my statement hadn’t been seen by anyone else. I didn’t think they were taking it seriously, even when I was giving it. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. I didn’t think the detectives would appreciate the implied sarcasm.
Detective Ramsey shook his head. “This isn’t about the vandalism.” My stomach sank, and I planted my hands against the counter in an attempt to hold myself up without looking like I’d collapse without it. “How well do you actually know your boyfriend, Ronan Moretti?”
“He’s not my boyfriend,” I said. The room lurched, and I heard the chair Carlo sat in squeak when he scooted back. I shot a glare in his direction.
Both detectives chuckled. “That’s not what we heard.” I glared at them, not nearly as amused as the two of them seemed to be. “What do you know about him?”
“I don’t know much, but apparently, he owns this building now.” I couldn’t hide the bitterness in my voice, earning a look of interest from Detective Ramsey.
He scowled, looking at his partner before they both looked back to me. They were mirror images of each other when they tilted their heads first to the left and then to the right before they put their hands on their hips. Did they think that was supposed to be intimidating?
“That’s all you know?” the quiet partner asked, interjecting for the first time. He pulled his badge out of his pocket, as if to prove he really was also a real police officer. I didn’t look at it when he held it up for me, and he put it back in his pocket after a few seconds.
I nodded. “That’s all I know.”
“So you haven’t been sleeping with him for the last several weeks?” Detective Ramsey asked with a know-it-all smirk.
My breath rushed from my lungs like someone had kicked me in the chest, and my mouth dropped open. “How did you know that?” The confidence in my voice disappeared with the volume, and the words came out as barely more than a whisper.
“We’ve been watching Ronan and the entire Moretti family for months,” he explained. “They’re bad news. If you’re smart, you’ll stay away from them. It won’t end well for you if you don’t. That’s a guarantee.”
My stomach tightened and twisted, and for a moment, I was sure I was going to throw up. I opened my mouth and closed it again, folding my lips around my teeth and biting.
“When you see him later and you end up with information you don’t know what to do with, give us a call,” the awkward partner said, reaching into a different pocket. He handed me a card. “And we know you’re going to see him later.”
My throat tightened, and my mouth watered in the way it only did before I threw up after too many cheap vodka shots. “I think you guys need to leave,” I said when I saw Carlo stand.
The room started to spin, tilting slightly to the left, and I leaned more against the counter. I blinked my eyes a few times to clear the fog that made everything around me look dull, but it didn’t work. “That’s fine,” Detective Ramsey said. “We’ll leave, but like I said, we’ll be watching. Don’t forget that.”
Then, they were gone, but the room didn’t steady. I stood up straight, torn between needing a glass of water and fresh air. It felt like my brain was on vibrate and somebody was calling, and in my ears, everything sounded like it was coming from outside. It was muffled. I felt out of place.
It won’t end well for you.
I sucked in a breath. Then, I sucked in at least two more, but my lungs couldn’t fill. I gasped for air. I gripped the counter, but my fingertips were numb. When my legs started to shake and I wasn’t sure I could trust my knees, I dropped to the floor. The tile was hard and cold, and I rested my head against the cabinet door. Before I closed my eyes, I saw the detectives smirking at me, then a flash of Ronan’s face.
We’ll be watching.
“Sorry it’s been so long since I’ve come to see you, Ida,” I said, pulling the checkers board from its box and habitually placing black and red tokens on top. “Things have been a little crazy.”
I forced a laugh and a smile, motioning at the red pieces in front of her to let her know she could go first. She was already reaching for her first turn, preparing to move the same piece she did every time. “You look exhausted, sweet girl. What’s wrong?”
I sighed. “There’s just been a lot with the bakery and Ronan—"
“Ronan?” Ida put the piece on the board, leaving her fingers on it while she cocked her head to the side. “The handsome, obviously rich man who was here the last time? I knew you liked him. You’re going to fall in love with him. Just watch. I have a way of knowing these things.” When she took her hand away from the board, she tapped her fingers against her temple and sat back with a know-it-all grin that made my stomach flip.
“I’m not going to fall in love with him.” I took my turn, and Ida watched me closely until I put the piece back down. “I can barely stand him.”
She grinned, reaching for the board with a quiet humph . “Then why are you blushing right now?”
“Because…” I felt my cheeks getting even warmer and cursed how easily they did. “I don’t know.” Ida grinned when I moved the wrong piece, giving her a clear path to remove several of mine from the board on her next turn.
“Because you like him.” She smirked, smacking her piece against the board each time she jumped over one of mine. When she picked the pieces off the board and sat them to the side, she giggled and rocked in her seat. The woman loved to win. There was no arguing with her.
“Clearly, I shouldn’t have come to see you.” I scowled at her when she grinned wider. Then, she laughed.
“Why deny it at all?” For a moment, Ida was no longer interested in the game she was winning. She won all the time, but she rarely got to badger me about my love life or lack thereof.
I dropped against the back of my seat. “I’m livid with him.” If you’re smart, you’ll stay away from them. My throat felt scratchy, like sand coated it. I cleared it. “He lied to me.”
“Was it for a good reason?” Was there ever a good reason to lie? She looked at me thoughtfully, lacing her fingers together and resting her hands in her lap. Neither of us was interested in the game anymore. I furrowed my brow.
I shrugged. “I don’t know.” I’d pay for a hundred buildings and see you thrive before I’d even think for one second about letting you struggle. “Maybe.”
“Maybe you should call him.”