Chapter 24
When I die, I hope it’s early in the morning, so I don’t have to go to work for no reason.
— Maven to Auden
MAVEN
“ Who was it who thought this would be a good idea?” I asked no one in particular.
“ Well ,” Garnett said, “ I’m pretty sure you’re the one who thought this would be a good idea.”
I rolled my eyes at her. “ I just figured I’d already lost weeks’ worth of work,” I admitted. “ I’m just trying to pay my mixer bill.”
“ How much was your mixer?” Hollis asked.
“ You don’t want to know,” Pepper intervened. “ Because if she starts, she’ll never stop.”
“ I really want to know,” Shayne said from her perch on the counter next to me. “ I mean, it has to be a lot. I can look at that mixer and see it looks expensive. But …”
“ It was ten thousand dollars.” I gasped. “ Can you believe that? And it only has six speeds. The better one that has ten speeds was almost twice that.”
“ Jeez .” Shayne shook her head. “ I mean, how hard could it be to make something like that?”
“ Hard enough that they’re charging a pretty penny for it,” Ellodie said from her perch next to the display cases. “ How long are we going to wait here? I mean, it’s not like you have anything else to sell.”
That was true.
I’d been sold out by ten-thirty.
I’d had a few customers trickle in, but the sign on the door that said ‘sold out’ had turned most of them away.
The ones who did come in wanted to make my acquaintance.
Or they wanted to place a special order.
I’d taken seven such orders. One for a catering gig that had over ninety sweet bun rolls in it for a Sunday School class next Sunday .
“ I mean, y’all don’t have to stay,” I pointed out. “ Pepper and I are going to get ready for tomorrow, get everything prepped so that all she has to do is pop things in the oven when she gets here. Then we’re going to head home.”
It was only twelve-thirty.
However , prep for the next day couldn’t start until around four because they needed time to rise, but they didn’t need that kind of time to rise.
“ Do you think you sold out so fast because of the news that hit yesterday?” Ellodie asked, ignoring my earlier suggestion.
“ I don’t know,” I admitted. “ I mean, yes and no. If I was still in the original location, I would’ve agreed with you. However , I’m here. I’ve moved.”
“ You posted on your Facebook page,” Pepper reminded me. “ If they really wanted to find you, all they would have to do is go look at that.”
“ True .” I sighed. “ Then I have no clue. I hope I’m busy because this is a great location, and I had that stupid man out front who danced.”
“ That was definitely it,” Shayne licked her fingers clean.
There’d been eight pastries left when I’d hung up the sign.
All of which I’d handed out to the women helping me today.
I hadn’t expected them to be there, though.
Truthfully , when I’d gotten here— Garnett had been the only one with me because she’d been my ‘bodyguard’ for the day— I had expected to be alone with Pepper opening up. Not only had Garnett stayed, but she’d also called in reinforcements: Ande , Shayne , Ellodie , and Hollis .
Their support meant the world to me, and I was happy to be hanging out with them.
Though , I had a feeling their reasons for being there were multifaceted.
One , I knew they didn’t want me to be alone after everything that had gone down yesterday.
Two , Scott’s text message—though we couldn’t confirm it was him—had scared everyone, and they hadn’t wanted me to be here with no support.
Nothing against Pepper and all, but I would much rather someone who had experience to deal with a conflict like Scott .
Three , they wanted to show their support of Auden’s new girlfriend.
“ What are y’all’s plans for the rest of the day?” Hollis asked. “ With Quincy home today and tomorrow, he’s hanging with Dalia , so it gives me plenty of time to go get a pedicure.”
“ I haven’t had one of those in months,” Ellodie said, looking tired all of a sudden. “ Yesterday we all went to visit Costas . And you know how the drive to see my brother can be.”
“ How was he?” Garnett asked. “ I meant to ask yesterday but…”
But shit had gone down, and she hadn’t had time.
Freakin ’ Brock Austin .
It still sounded so weird to call him that.
For what felt like my entire life, he was my father.
Speaking of…
“ I have to go the FBI offices in Dallas today,” I said. “ They’re questioning Brock , and I want to be there to hear what he has to say.”
An ambulance rushed past the bakery hell bent for leather, and I followed it with my eyes, a weird feeling overcoming me.
“ That sounds…”
I heard Ellodie talking, but her words didn’t compute in my brain.
A niggling feeling that something was wrong started to overtake me, and I reached into my apron pocket for my phone.
No messages.
I opened it, then hit dial on Auden’s number.
It rang twice before someone picked up.
And that someone wasn’t anyone I expected to answer.
“ Hello , sister.”
Terror unlike anything I’d ever felt started to rush through me.
“ Scott ,” I said. “ What are you doing with Auden’s phone?”
I had the attention of the entire room when I said those last few words.
Garnett’s phone was placed to her ear a moment later, and she was talking to someone quietly.
Ellodie , Hollis , and Shayne did much the same.
Pepper stared with wide, terrified eyes.
“ I’m just visiting with him, you know,” he sing-songed.
“ Scott ,” I said carefully, trying not to let my emotions get the better of me. “ Whatever you’ve done, it’s not too late to leave.”
“ I’m not going anywhere,” Scott said. “ I’m having a discussion, that’s all.”
I looked at Garnett to see her leaving the building.
I wanted to follow her so badly, but again, I wasn’t dumb. I knew my limits.
If staying here would keep me safer and out of the way, with less people worrying about me, then here was where I would stay.
“ What kind of discussion would you need to have with Auden ?” I asked. “ You should have a discussion with me.”
“ There’s no reason to discuss anything with you,” he said. “ You’re not even my sister, I hear.”
No , no I wasn’t.
“ That is exactly right,” I said. “ So why are you there? I shouldn’t matter to you anymore.”
Scott chuckled. “ Oh , I don’t know. Maybe retribution. I have a feeling Auden played a part in what happened to Dad .”
I gritted my teeth. “ Don’t .”
“ Don’t what?” His chuckle was dark.
It sent shivers down my spine.
“ Don’t do this,” I pleaded.
I felt Ellodie’s hand on my shoulder. Shayne moved in close.
Pepper was now on the phone with who I guessed was 911.
And Hollis was on the phone with someone still.
Hopefully Quincy .
“ Too late,” he said. “ Too . Fucking . Late .”
Then he hung up.
I was hyperventilating when the door of my bakery opened.
I hated to seem unwelcoming, but I was not in a good place.
“ We’re closed,” I barked.
I only looked up when the door didn’t ding, announcing their exit.
My breath caught in my throat as I stared in awe at the man at my door.
Dima .
And with him, Dorsey .
Last night, I’d studied the faces of my siblings.
I’d committed each one of their faces, and everything there was to know about them, to memory.
I knew their birthdates. I knew their favorite foods. I knew their eye colors. I knew which schools they graduated both college and high school from. I knew their grades. I knew their first cars.
Hell , I even knew their middle names.
And there was no doubt in my mind who the man standing in front of me was: Dima Major Semyonov .
My older brother.
“ What’s going on?” he asked, voice low and scary.
Oh , and I forgot to mention: he was an ex-con.