Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 78237 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78237 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
The officer nods and scribbles something on his tiny black pad. “There was a report of gunshots, and your place has been vandalized.”
I swallow and feign the shock I know he expects. “Gunshots? Vandalized? Do I need to do anything?”
“No, ma’am. Not at this moment. Can you think of anyone who would want to break into your place and destroy it?”
I shake my head and do my best to put on a show for him. “I broke up with my boyfriend, and he took it pretty badly. A few of Angel Harbor’s finest had to come here and slap cuffs on him.” I shrug again. “He’s the only one I can think of, to be honest, but he’s been keeping company with new people that I don’t know, and I haven’t seen him in a while.”
“If you think of anything else, give me a call,” he encourages with a friendly smile. “You’ll need to contact your insurance as soon as our crime scene guys have combed over the place.”
“Crime scene?” I shriek in my best soap opera lead impression. “Is it that serious? Do I need to go over there now?”
“No, no. We’ll take care of it. Just make sure you have a list of everything that was damaged for the insurance company. And I’ll be in touch,” he adds and pulls out his card. He taps it with a sigh before he hands it to me. “If you can think of anything else, I’m your first call.”
“I will. Thank you for letting me know.”
I watch him go with a feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach. I just lied through my teeth to a police officer. This is not good. Not good at all.
I barely get a second of reprieve from the drama when the swinging door smacks open, and Wilder storms into the kitchen with a dark scowl on his beautiful face. “What were the cops doing here?”
“They were just here to ask some questions about the vandalism at my house the other night,” I answer carefully.
“What did they say?”
I shrug, trying to play it off like it was no big deal. Like, I’m not terrified of what might happen if they find out we were there. “Not much. Just that they’re investigating, and if I think of anything else to let them know.”
“Do they know who did it?” he presses, his voice low and dangerous.
I shake my head. “No. They didn’t mention any names.”
"Good," Wilder says softly as he comes to stand in front of me.
He sighs with sadness swimming in his blue eyes. “Frank Braden was found dead at the Port.” He huffs in frustration, and I feel powerless to help him.
“The pastor?” I’m not particularly religious, but it’s hard to live in Angel Harbor without knowing all the good works he’s done, or his disappearance, and now this. “How horrible.”
“Yeah, tell me about it,” he grunts.
I rub his back as I think back to a news story from just before the Reckless Souls turned my life upside down. “Talk to me, Wilder. What does this have to do with you?”
He sighs. “Frank did business with our MC, and we were protecting him, trying to any damn way. Something is going on, and I’m still working out the details, except while I do everything expected of me, more and more bodies are turning up.”
I nod because I understand, even if I don’t know what’s going on. “Wilder, how often do you watch the news?”
“I have alerts set up, but there’s too much shit going on to cuddle up with the local anchor.”
I nod and rub soothing circles in his back with a frustrated sigh. “Last week, the news said they found Ruth Braden, the pastor’s wife, in the harbor.”
“Yeah, I heard. I’ve just been so busy hanging out here at the bakery, figuring out who set us up and trying to get some shut-eye every now and then. I need about five of me. Gia helps, but she can’t know some things, Not yet, anyway.” His gruff words form a crack in my chest.
“I’m sorry about all this, Wilder. Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Yeah, don’t talk to the cops. At all. We’ll get through this,” he says, the weight of the world on his broad shoulders weighing him down, and I feel powerless to do anything but wrap my arms around him and hold him close.
“I’ll keep you safe,” he promises.
His words touch me to the depths of my heart, but it also highlights the difficulty I’m having with the man and the life he leads.
“I’ll keep myself safe, Wilder. Just tell me when I need to be extra cautious. I don’t want to be another burden for you.”
He turns to me and cups my face, his heart swimming in his anguished blue eyes. “You are many things, Maven, but never a burden. I want to make sure you’re safe. I need to keep you safe.”