Chapter 2
Desiree pulled into the parking lot behind her shop. Being her own boss made Mondays a helluva lot more tolerable. After taking her keys from the ignition, she got out and made her way to the building’s back door.
The breeze picked up and she rolled her shoulders forward an inch.
Once the sun was higher the day would warm up.
She stuck the key in the lock and bumped open the door.
Then she dropped her purse on her desk in the office nook next to the microscopic lunchroom and flicked on the lights as she reached the front of the shop.
A draft hit her cheek and she froze.
She jerked her gaze to the front window. Her view of the street was unobscured by the name of the shop, Raven’s Nest, and an image of tarot cards and crystals. She gasped and ran forward. Glass crunched underneath her soft-soled shoes.
Someone had broken her window. There hadn’t been a storm last night. Tears stung her eyes, and she threaded her fingers through her hair. The sensation of being violated burned her veins. She needed to call the police.
She moved her feet, and her toe hit something hard. She frowned at the large gray brick sitting smack-dab in the middle of the sea of translucent shards. A piece of paper secured with an elastic band was wound around the brick.
She bent down and pulled off the rubber then peeled away the paper. Handling it carefully so as not to ruin any fingerprints that might be on it, she spread open the sheet.
Stay away, Witch, or the next brick will be for you.
Her hands trembled and an icy wave washed over her—one so powerful that goosebumps pulled at her flesh. The kind of goosebumps that warned.
She secured the paper under the brick and ran for the back.
On the phone with the police, she rattled off what had happened then hung up and sank into the chair at her desk.
The only thing that could make this morning any worse would be if Aiden showed up to investigate.
Surely her luck couldn’t be that bad. While she waited for a cop to show up, she went over and over in her mind who could have threatened her.
Could it be meant for one of her staff? She made a mental note to call Louise and Daphne later.
Fifteen minutes after she’d made the call to the police, gravel crunched outside the front of her store.
The sound carried to the back room, as there was no longer a barrier to diminish any noise from outside.
Relief loosened the bands of anxiety cinching her chest. She wasn’t alone now. She stood and moved around the corner of the office into the main part of the shop. A cop waltzed toward her front door—which seemed almost silly when he could literally step right through the vacant window.
The smoothness of his gait made her stop in her tracks. Her breath hissed through her teeth. Damn. Of course the universe would send her Aiden. Of all the cops on the force, why did it have to be him?
He pulled open the shop door and stepped inside. His dark-blue short-sleeved button-down uniform shirt was stretched to the max to fit his muscles inside. Couldn’t the man find a bigger shirt? No, he couldn’t, because why would he hide all that gloriousness? It’d be a mortal sin.
Aiden lifted his shades from his eyes and tucked the arm into the V of his shirt. His finger-length black hair waved away from his face as his stark green eyes swept over the glass on the floor. He strode farther into the room, bringing his gaze to her face.
A smile danced at the corner of his lips, but professionalism—or lack of being an asshole—made him tuck it away. “Long time no see. Sorry this happened. When did you find the mess?”
Dez rocked back on her heels and clamped her hand around her wrist in front of her.
She shouldn’t be so nervous. She’d only screwed the guy, snuck out of his bed, and painted his counter with lipstick.
At least she’d worn fitted jeans and a white crop top with a cardigan over her shoulders.
Not too sexy, but not the frumpy clothes she usually wore to work.
She cleared her throat. “Uh, right before I called.”
He bent down to the brick and retrieved the piece of paper. He opened it and slowly nodded. “Sounds like someone wants to scare you.”
“Right. Figured that. So are you going to dust for prints? When’s the rest of the team coming?”
He snickered, his laugh a bit too humorous for the mood.
“Sorry, honey. This isn’t CSI. I’ll write a report so you can claim insurance and I’ll investigate.
Hopefully one of the other businesses has some cameras.
The coffee shop down the street is open until 11:00 p.m. I’ll ask the staff if they saw anything suspicious.
Unfortunately, we don’t dust for prints—”
“Ohh, you mean the person has to kill me before you look for them? Gotcha.” Sarcasm dripped from her words. Why did it bug her even more that the guy hadn’t even mentioned their night together or her departure? Maybe she’d made it easy for him and he would have given her the boot anyway.
Still, it stung that he acted as if they hadn’t just shared hours exploring each other’s bodies.
He held up his palms. “I don’t make the budget or the rules. Any idea who would want to hurt you? Vandalize your business?”
She rolled in her lips. It wouldn’t do any good to argue with hunky mister officer. And she really didn’t want him in her shop a minute longer than necessary because part of her wanted to make him strip search her. “No, I don’t have any enemies.”
He kicked the brick and shook his head. “Seems as though you do.”
“Aren’t you observant?”
He threw back his head and laughed. “You weren’t this salty Saturday night.”
Heat surged to her cheeks. There it was. “Look—”
“No, you look.” He took a step forward, all six-foot-two and two-hundred and something pounds of gorgeous flesh. “I’m a little confused that you left like that. Did I do something wrong?”
She dug her fingers into her wrist. She must look awkward as all get-out, but she couldn’t summon enough dignity to hang her arms at her sides. “No. It’s just. Me. That’s all.”
He arched an eyebrow and her insides melted. God, he was sexy.
“You don’t strike me as a hit-it-and-quit-it kind of lady. As a matter of fact, I haven’t heard about you dating anyone in town. Ever.”
Okay, now he was punching some sensitive buttons. She propped her hands on her hips even though the movement thrust her chest forward. “That’s none of your business.”
He shrugged. “Okay, fine. But at least tell me what beef you have with me.”
She sucked in a deep breath and thanked the lord for the scent of incense and herbs that clung to her workspace and calmed the storm brewing inside her. Otherwise, saltiness would be the least of his worries.
“I just . . . I don’t like men, okay?”
His eyes widened and he leaned back an inch as if her words had physically blown him away. “Could have fucking fooled me. You seemed to like—”
She held her hands in the air. “Stop.” God, this was getting frustrating.
“It’s not that I don’t like the male . .
. anatomy. It’s that I actually don’t like men.
Especially men in this teeny town who’ll brag about the ass they got over the weekend to all their buddies.
So, while I thoroughly enjoyed all aspects of our evening, we’ll end it there.
Now can we please get back to my statement? ”
A muscle at his temple pulsed, but he didn’t counter. The bewilderment left his expression, and he pulled a pen and notepad from his pocket. He asked several mundane questions, and it took all of her effort to answer them over the jumpiness of her heart.
Not only had someone smashed her front window, making a direct impact on her livelihood, they’d threatened her. On top of that, she had to rehash the whole bloody thing in front of Saturday night’s delicious mistake.
Aiden flipped his notepad closed.
“Are we done?” A little bit of hope flourished inside her. If he’d just leave, she could at least focus on cleaning up the glass, getting the window replaced, and doing everything in her power to rid Aiden Thorne from her mind.
“Yeah, except for one thing.” He jammed his thumbs in his belt buckle. “You stained my countertop.”
Mortification spread through her, and she covered her mouth with one hand. Oh lord. She opened and closed her mouth, an apology on her lips.
He held out a hand. “We’ll talk about it another time. Right now, you’ve got bigger things to deal with.” He nodded and took a step back. “Have a nice day, Dez.”
He strolled out of the shop, leaving her in a churning abyss. Tears stung her eyes, but she grabbed a broom and started on the glass.
She wouldn’t use another ounce of her energy thinking about Aiden today.
* * *
“That’s silly. You know I always carry bear spray,” Dez said, as she closed out the cash register with the phone pinched between her shoulder and ear. She was hours past closing, but because of the break-in chaos, everything had been pushed back.
She’d at least gotten someone out to quote her for a new window. She’d also filed the insurance claim and had the window covered with plastic.
Josie made a huffing sound. “That won’t help you if a brick gets hurled at your head.”
The reminder of how her morning had started sent a trickle of unease up her spine. The same trickle that had crept up on her a hundred times throughout the day. “I know. It all makes me sick.”
“I’m so sorry. I wonder if it was Ray.” Josie’s voice held an ominous tone. “I mean, he called you what? Last week? And then this happens.”
Dez really didn’t want to go down that road just yet. While it was entirely possible that her stepdad was pissed at her for refusing to see him—or pick him up from jail on his release day—throwing a brick through her shop window wasn’t really his style.
She locked up—not that a deadbolt would do much when only a sheet of plastic protected half her storefront—and flicked off the lights before making her way to the back room, where her purse sat on her desk.
“You really don’t think it’s him?” Josie asked, her voice not hiding her surprise.
Dez blew a breath through her nose. “I didn’t say that. But he’d be more likely to come and shove me into a corner and skulk around mad and drunk than vandalize my shop. He’s too impulsive to make threats. The note said Stay away, Witch, remember?”
“Hmm,” Josie mused. “Yeah, you’re right. I still think you should stay with Quin and me tonight.”
“I don’t even know for sure the note was for me.
Louise sure seemed surprised about the incident, but Daphne had a bit of guilt in her voice,” she said, remembering the calls she’d made to her staff.
Louise only worked part-time as she’d retired from her bank job just last year.
“Makes me wonder if she ticked someone off and doesn’t want to tell me. ”
“Well, if you change your mind just come by. Doesn’t matter the time, okay? The door’s unlocked and you know where the loft is.”
“Thanks,” Dez said, as she swung her purse onto her shoulder.
She hung up, dropped her phone into her bag, then dug out her bear spray. With her keys in hand, she slipped out the back door. Her day had been grueling and emotionally draining. Every customer who’d come into the store had asked what had happened to her window.
A diluted version of the story eventually rolled easily off her tongue, but every time she had to speak the words, it was like plunging her mind into a torture chamber.
She shut the door then shook the handle to ensure it was locked—something she’d never done once since taking up operation three years ago. Whistlemore was such a small, usually safe, community. She shouldn’t have to worry about more vandalism.
Darkness closed in around her. She pulled out her phone and turned on its flashlight, but the stinking beam didn’t stretch more than a foot in front of her.
So much for that.
The large pine trees backing the parking lot offered even more shadows around her vehicle. Of course. Because the parking lot wasn’t creepy enough.
She harrumphed.
The criminal had taken both her front window and her peace of mind for the day. That was all they’d get. She tightened her hold on the steel can and strode across the gravel. Her shoes kicked loose stones, making a skittering sound that tested her nerves.
She swallowed and envisioned her cozy living room waiting for her. She put one foot in front of the other, keeping her gaze on the swaying bushes and trees, where someone could be waiting. A droplet of fear rolled down her spine, making her shoulder blades pinch painfully together.
The scuff of footsteps made her stop and spin around.
“Who’s there?” she called out, as if her killer would kindly respond.
God, she’d seen enough horror movies to know when the actor died, and if she were in one of those videos it’d be right about now.
Holding her phone higher, she searched the dark shapes around her.
She strained to hear over the gentle rustle of leaves and the sound of cars on the road out front of her shop.
Nothing.
Her legs buzzed with the urge to run. She picked up the pace and closed in on her car.
Opening her purse, she dropped her phone inside then snagged her keys from the pocket.
Keeping her bear spray in hand, she approached the driver’s side and opened the door.
A rush of movement came from the back of the car.
Whack!
Someone’s weight slammed her against the car. The quick movement only allowed her to catch sight of a ski mask and black clothing. The air rushed from Dez’s lungs as the tall attacker circled a rough arm around her throat.
Dez’s purse fell to the ground. The person’s hot, angry breath invaded her space. “Die, bitch,” the person hissed, their grip crushing her windpipe. The starry sky flickered as oxygen left her lungs.
She wriggled against her assailant and her hand clenched the metal can.
The bear spray. It’d be dangerous to shoot it at such close range, but she’d pass out if she didn’t. Squeezing her eyes shut, she turned her head away and lifted the cannister over her shoulder, blasting the mist into her attacker’s face.
A high-pitched shriek followed and the person stumbled away. The pungent aerosol rushed into Dez’s nose and mouth. She pulled her cardigan over her nose, but the parking lot spun. Grunting on the ground told her that her assailant was coming for her.
With her hand on her car, she floundered toward the back of the vehicle, away from the lunatic on the ground.
If I can just make it to the street . . .
A hand clamped around her ankle. Dez stumbled and landed on the gravel, her knees smashing into the stones. Fear ricocheted through her senses, yelling at her to run.
She opened her mouth and a scream ripped from her throat.