“At least you’re dry,” I grumbled as the rain almost immediately soaked through my hoodie.
Tuna took off at a dead run through the alley and down the block, pausing only to pee on his favorite tree.
I was so distracted by him and how wet I was that I missed it until I was right out front of the shop, the water pouring over the gutters and ensuring I’d be wet down to my bra and underwear.
The gate was up about eight inches.
And I never left without securing it.
Most of the stuff in the shop wasn’t super valuable in and of itself. Especially to a layman who didn’t know what antiques or niche items were worth. But everything in it was easy to sell to another pawn shop to make a quick buck.
The pawnshop might not mean much to anyone, but it meant a lot to me. And I protected it. Myself, of course. But also by paying the Costas for their protection. Was I getting a discount? Sure. Actually, Brio hadn’t wanted to take my money at all. I’d been insistent. Mostly because it seemed cool. Even if that extra cash in my pocket would have made life a little easier.
I glanced up at the camera in the vestibule near the door, hoping it caught whoever had messed with the gate.
But even as I lifted it, I noticed something else.
A busted door lock.
“Son of a bitch,” I snapped, making Tuna jump. “Come here,” I said, reaching down to scoop him up.
I knew the smart thing would have been to step back, get somewhere dry, then call Brio, Leo, or any of the other guys to handle this.
But the gate was down. Which meant that whoever had been inside was likely long gone.
I pushed open the door and sidestepped behind the counter, reaching for my gun as I set Tuna down on the floor. He immediately shook, splashing water everywhere.
I needed to take his coat off, but I wanted to make sure we were alone first.
“Stay here,” I whispered to him. As if he ever listened to any commands I made.
With that, I checked the gun and carefully steadied it between both hands as I crept down one aisle, then the next and next, until I was sure the front was clear and stepped into the back room.
Fear sliced down my spine as I spotted several overturned boxes, shelves that had been rummaged through, items knocked over or broken. But there were no men hiding in the shadows, no one waiting to jump out and attack me.
As I suspected, they were gone.
I exhaled hard as I made my way back out front, looking more closely at my shelves. Because if they messed around in the storage room, of course they would in the front.
They’d been more careful there. Some things were knocked over or placed in the wrong spots. But at least nothing seemed broken. And if anything was missing, it wasn’t something I immediately recognized.
With a sigh, I made my way back to the counter, bringing up my tablet and looking for the footage from the cameras.
Footage that wasn’t available.
“Oh, come on.”
I scrolled the footage clips back, back, back.
There was nothing for days, almost a week. Actually, exactly a week. But the camera also didn’t catch anyone messing with it. So maybe it just malfunctioned. It was ancient. And the wiring in the pawnshop had issues on and off.
It was just a coincidence.
But there was a tingle on the back of my neck as I pushed the tablet back under the counter.
I leaned down, removed Tuna’s rain slicker, and hung it to dry, then made my way back through the store to get myself a big cup of coffee.
To find the damn machine wouldn’t turn on.
