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“He wasn’t very subtle, and despite being a complete psycho, Eros taught us well,” she explained.
The sound of sirens filled the streets, and Dani and I tentatively put our weapons into our jackets and continued down the alley. We came out just across the street from the shop, which also happened to be where the cops were stopping. My alarm system was blaring, and the front window was completely shattered. “Son of a bitch. That wasn’t Eros.”
“You don’t think he’d do this?” she asked, letting out a skeptical laugh. But I was entir
ely confident. The assassins he sent were here to taunt me and “keep me sharp.” Vandalizing my business wasn’t the same.
Fuck, the guns!
With a quick glance at the empty streets, I sprinted over, the cops already stepping out to keep us back. They were saying something, but I couldn’t make it out over the blaring of the alarm.
“It’s my shop! I can turn that off,” I yelled out, and that was enough for them to wave me on. I headed to the door, relieved to find it was still locked. Once I got it opened, the cops following me in, I hurried to the wall panel and entered the code. Everyone visibly relaxed when the high-pitched sound finally silenced.
“We got a call from the security company, notifying us of a potential situation. Someone was tampering with the door, so they were sending one of their security crews out to check. While on the way here, they called back to notify us of a break-in and gun shots,” one of the cops said, my security system sensors likely having tipped them off.
“It’s clear,” another called from the back hall, coming back out and tucking his gun away. “There aren’t any signs of looting or anything back here, just one door that’s luckily still locked.”
“My office. Since it has client information and new merchandise I haven’t inventoried yet, I have a separate lock on it,” I said absently as I stepped toward the knocked over displays and shattered glass. “Was it gunshots?”
“A single gunshot wouldn’t have taken out the entire front window,” the cop said, scanning the debris with me. “They may have had bats. Do you have security cameras?”
“No, just the alarm system,” I said, trying to bite back my increasing anger. How fucking dare someone attack my store?
“And why would you specifically ask about gunshots?” he asked, turning to me with crossed arms and narrowed eyes. Okay, probably shouldn’t have asked that one.
“We live in Haverden, and I live in the Lach. It’s a fair question,” I said, keeping my voice even as I blinked at him.
“Do you have enemies? Someone who would want to get back at you since it happened at a time they knew you wouldn’t be around?” he asked, his suspicion making me bristle.
“Not that I know of,” I said, lying through my fucking teeth. Buddy, I had more enemies when I was a kid than you’ll have your whole life.
“This doesn’t add up to me,” he continued on. “You sure this wasn’t to get some kind of insurance premium? You hired some kids to come smash your shop, conveniently having an alibi yet arriving just in time?”
“You mean just in time to open up the shop?” I asked. I let my annoyance show this time, crossing my arms and biting back worse comments.
“All I’m saying is this timeline is a bit too convenient,” he pressed on, completely missing the cues.
“And I’m just saying, maybe you should do your fuckin’ job and figure out who wrecked my store instead of accusing me of fuckin’ fraud. Why would that ever be your first conclusion?”
“A girl like you, from the Lach? Money’s tight, and it’s hard to run stores meant for men,” he explained, his misogyny making my head hurt. Before I could even fire back at him, Keir’s panicked voice echoed into the store, all three of my men running in barely a second later.
“Sana?!”
“I’m fine. Someone did this before we got here,” I said, giving Dani a look of warning. We’d address the shooter later because something was still unsettling me about all that.
Without protest, the cops stepped out of their way, letting them right in with a slight bow of their heads. Each of the cops seemed to look at the Adrostos before continuing, getting back to work after a quick nod of Ky’s head. The cops seemed to be on their side, and not in the way Eros had the crooked cops in his pocket. There was a mutual respect here. The cops likely looked the other way on some things, but the Adrostos weren’t working against them, but behind them, keeping worse crimes off of the streets.
“I’m glad you’re okay,” Killian said, lookin darkly around the shop. “Though this place has seen better days.”
“I’ll get someone here to repair this today,” Kyrell said, stepping away and pulling out his phone.
“Deputy, talk to the captain and let him know that Killian Adrostos is requesting this be handled by him personally,” Killian ordered, the officer’s eyes going wide before he rushed outside to his car, likely relaying the order.
Keir, however, hadn’t left my side, his hand possessively gripping my waist as he watched the others take care of the wreckage.
“I have a man coming in an hour with a cleanup crew, and the new window is coming at noon,” Kyrell announced, the rest of the officers heading out of the store now that the Adrostos were taking over the entire thing. I’d known their influence in the city was fairly widespread, but this was the first time I’d seen it in action.
They were the royalty in this city, building an empire for themselves, but not at the expense of the little people. Sure, they were morally gray… fuck, morally corrupt in most cases, but weren’t we all? They dealt in drugs and illegal activity, but they controlled it closely, cutting off harmful competition like the Lachs and even keeping even more harmful substances from their city’s borders. And that was definitely something I could get behind. I hadn’t exactly joined them in their daily duties, choosing to keep to my own work, but I’d seen enough to be convinced this was somewhere I could belong.
