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“Time frame?” Easton asks.
Dillon strokes his jaw, considering the question. “Three years? Four?”
“Three,” I say. “The place before the clothing store was a dog groomer. They were there three and a half years ago.” I know this because I tried to take Rivin there when he was a puppy. He peed on another dog’s head, broke into their CBD supplements, and then spent two fucking days alternately chasing his tail and drooling on the couch, stoned out of his mind. Chief wouldn’t let him near a fire for a month after that.
“So, five businesses have failed in that location in three years, and now someone is trying to ensure hers does, too,” Easton murmurs.
A sinking feeling takes root in my stomach as pieces start clicking into place. I don’t fucking like the picture they form. Not at all.
“Who would benefit from the businesses failing?” Easton asks.
“The landlord,” I mutter, scrubbing a hand down my face. “Don Waters.”
Dillon's gaze sharpens as he looks at me. "You think it’s her landlord? That doesn’t make any sense, Alessandro. Ifbusinesses are failing, he’s not making money either. He needs tenants to get paid.”
“You’d think,” I mutter. “But he’s already convinced her business is going to fail. He basically said as much when I talked to him today. And he refused to let me pay to install a security system. If he really wanted to keep people around, you’d think he’d be jumping at the opportunity to have a security system installed free of charge. And he wasn’t keen on letting me see a copy of their lease agreement, either.”
“Could be something in it that he wants to keep hidden,” Easton suggests. “Some clause that’s making him bank when these businesses fail.”
Dillon’s jaw tightens, his expression turning dark as he pushes to his feet. “Looks like I need to get my hands on a copy of that lease agreement and go talk to previous tenants, see what I can dig up.”
Easton hops up, too. “I’m going to run Waters through the system and see what I can pull up,” he says. “I’ll meet up with you after and help hit up tenants.”
Dillon turns to look at me, his expression hard. “You stay the hell away from Waters and let us figure this shit out, got it?”
“Got it.” I nod, but we both know it's a lie. I'll do whatever it takes to protect Heidi, even if it means crossing lines.
“Alessandro,” Dillon calls as I head for the door.
I glance back at him and see the understanding stamped across his face.
"I know damn well you aren’t going to listen to me,” he growls. “So at least hear this: Don't do anything stupid. The last thing she needs right now is you in a jail cell. She’s been through enough, and if I have to arrest you, it’s going to break her fucking heart.”
“Then I suggest you work fast,” I mutter, not making any promises I may not be able to keep. When it comes to her, I’llprotect her, no matter what. “Because if he comes near her, I’ll do whatever the fuck I have to do.”
Chapter Nine
Heidi
“What the heck?” I gape at the bakery as I pull up out front, my heart threatening to pound out of my chest. The police tape stretched across the entrance is gone. So is the shattered glass that littered the ground last night. Instead, pristine panes of glass sparkle in the morning sun where there were only jagged edges just last night.
What the heck did Alessandro do while I was sleeping?
I throw the car in park and hop out, not entirely sure I’m ready to step inside and face the damage despite the fact that the windows have been repaired. But I’m not letting whoever did this win. They may not want this bakery to open, but I don’t care. I’m not backing down. I’m not giving up.
This is my dream, and they can kiss my butt.
I spy my sisters and Bronx through the windows, and my throat grows tight. Of course they’re here already. Dillon must have called them. Maybe they’re the ones who figured out how to get the windows replaced?
I stumble through the front door, and a choked sob bursts free when I see just how much work they’ve already put in this morning. Alessandro isn’t here, but the bakery is mostly put back together. There’s no glass on the floor. The broken countertop is gone. The tables and chairs are back where they belong. Aside from the glass missing from the display case, it’s almost like nothing at all happened here.
“Heidi!” My sisters rush over in a big group, pulling me into their arms as I fall apart.
Bronx takes one look at us and slips into the kitchen to give us privacy.
"I can't believe you guys did all this for me," I sob, clinging to them as tears stream down my cheeks.
Adalynn strokes my hair, her touch soothing. "We didn't do it. Your man did."
