Chapter 24 Justin
JUSTIN
Justin looked over his shoulder at the dark alley around them. The backs of downtown shops were dark, a light layer of snow crunched under their steps, and the cold wind cut through his uniform and vest.
“Are you sure you need to go to work at four in the morning?” he asked, still keeping an eagle-eye out for trouble as Caroline and Skye stepped out of his truck.
Skye bundled her coat tighter around her collar. “The pastries don’t make themselves.”
Caroline reached for Justin’s hand and squeezed. “We do this every morning, and we’re always careful.”
The warmth of her glove permeated his palm but did nothing for the anxiety creeping up his throat. They couldn’t be too careful in a place like this where anyone could be hiding in the shadows.
Whoever had it out for the bakery hadn’t hurt anyone yet, but Justin wasn’t going to sit around and find out if they were dangerous.
He’d secretly started keeping a log of the offenses, and the list was too long.
Driving Caroline and Skye to work in the mornings was the only thing that was going to allow him to sleep at night.
Caroline unlocked the back door and started flipping on the lights as they made their way through the stock room to the shop.
Skye stopped in her tracks and studied the dark windows facing the downtown square. “What’s that?”
Justin rested a hand just above the weapon on his belt. “What?”
Skye pointed. “On the window.”
Caroline unlocked the front door and the three of them stepped outside. The front window of The Cakery was lit up by streetlights in the darkness before dawn. Black words in dripping spray paint were written over the bakery’s name and logo.
The Fakery.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Justin whispered.
Locating the person behind the attacks on Caroline and The Cakery was at the top of Justin’s to-do list. He’d handed over the security footage from the bakery and nearby stores to Jordan and his security company.
Between Field, Inc. and the Redemption Ridge investigative team, plenty of resources were being utilized.
If they didn’t have everything they needed before, they would now. Justin had installed a new camera near the front entrance the night before after the cookie disaster at the church. Judging from the location of the graffiti, his new camera should have a clear shot of the vandal.
Justin opened the door and urged Caroline toward it. “Sweetheart, I need you to go inside. I’ll get the department over there, and we’ll figure this out.”
“But… can’t I clean it off?” Her breaths jumped after every word.
“Not until my team investigates.”
“But people will see this!”
Caroline’s business had taken so many hits this month, and she didn’t need another one. He’d have to get the investigation going before the people of Redemption Ridge started heading downtown.
“We’ll handle it as quickly as possible. I don’t want you or any of the employees there until an officer arrives.”
He didn’t have a reason to believe the person behind this would physically harm Caroline, but they’d gone to great lengths to sabotage her business.
He wasn’t about to take any chances when it came to her safety.
The police department would be watching this place and all the others nearby, even when Justin wasn’t on duty.
“I—I—”
“Sweetheart, I’ll let you know as soon as we can clean it off, and you can file a report. We’ll get the security footage too.”
“Okay,” she said on a stuttering breath.
“I’m going to get to the bottom of this,” Justin promised.
She let out a whoosh of air and dragged her feet into the bakery.
Two hours later, Justin had gathered all of the evidence and cleaned the paint off the front window.
Caroline and Skye had been allowed to return to work and open the business a little after seven.
Mr. and Mrs. Burrows came to help catch up as the first customers arrived, oblivious to the chaotic morning.
With a hefty file of evidence and fairly clear images of the vandals, Justin stepped into The Cakery’s kitchen. Caroline pulled a tray of cupcakes from the industrial oven and reached for the next tray.
Her dark hair was pulled into a high ponytail, and her bright pink apron had a stripe of white flour dashed across the front. She’d cried off all her makeup, and a faint pink tinted the whites of her eyes.
She turned to him and slipped off her oven mitts. Without saying a word, she fell into his open arms.
The tightening in Justin’s chest was painful. Who would do this to Caroline? Everyone in town loved her and went out of their way to support The Cakery.
“They’re not going to get away with this,” Justin said. “We’re going to catch them, and all this will be over.”
Would it be too late? Christmas was right around the corner, and the bad press had already taken its toll on Caroline. The season had been anything but peaceful for her.
“Thank you for coming. I don’t know what to do.”
Justin pulled back and lifted her chin. “The only thing you can do is tell me more. How long have things like this been happening?”
Caroline hung her head. “A while.”
“How long is a while?”
She shrugged. “A couple of weeks.”
Weeks. She’d been dealing with this on her own, and she hadn’t thought to turn to him for help or comfort. How accurate was the list he’d been keeping? Building back her trust was slow and painful for both of them.
“Why didn’t you tell me? Some girls smashing cupcakes onto the window is one thing. This is more than that.”
Her eyes welled with tears as she pulled her phone out of her pocket. Turning it around, she showed him a message app. “I get messages too. They’re all anonymous. Some are threats.”
Justin grabbed the phone from her and scanned the messages. They were vague but brutal. Whoever was behind this definitely had a vendetta against Caroline. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me about this.”
“It’s… it’s my problem, not yours. I didn’t want you to think you had to rescue me or take care of things for me.”
Justin looked up at her as tears welled in her eyes. “Are you serious? Caroline, I know you can take care of yourself, but I want to be on your team. I’m always here for you.” He held up the phone. “This is something you should have told me about sooner. I can help.”
“How can you help when I’m battling an invisible opponent?” she asked in broken words.
Justin wrapped his arms around her as the sobs began. “I’m sorry. That probably came out wrong, but what I meant to say was I’m here for you. No matter what it is, I’ll be standing by your side until the end. I can’t stand to watch someone hurt you.”
He’d left her to deal with the storms of life alone before, and he’d never do it again. “I should have been here for you.”
She shook her head against his chest. “We’re past that.”
“You say that, but I’m still kicking myself for leaving you. I’m so sorry.”
“Stop it. I’m sorry for not telling you about this. I’ve just been scared. I didn’t want to bother you with my problems, but—”
“Bother me! Please.” He rubbed circles on her back, praying she’d listen to his words and accept them as truths. “I’m here for you no matter what.”
Skye stormed into the kitchen and headed straight for the warmer. “Sorry to interrupt, but business as usual is going on.”
Caroline lifted her head and wiped her eyes. “I’ll be right there.”
Justin jerked his head toward the extra aprons hanging on the wall. “Want me to suit up and help out today?”
She lifted her chin with a strained smile. “I’m fine now.”
Pulling her back into his embrace, he rested his cheek on her hair. “What I meant to say is, will you let me help out today? I just want to be where you are.”
She snuggled deeper into his arms. “I’d like that.”
Her walls were crumbling, and a firm resolve grew inside him. He would stand by her and protect her from anything for the rest of his life.