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“I’m going to fire all three of their asses tomorrow,” Julia said. She made a sharp turn as she reached the end of the hall, her voice cold as a winter storm.
Zoe asked, “Whose ID did they use to access the terminal?”
“Mine,” Julia said, her voice bitter.
There was a beat of silence, then Zoe asked, “Can you change your password on the system through the terminal? Or do you need to use the computer?”
“I can change it through the terminal. It’s just more complicated and takes longer.”
“Do that tonight,” Zoe said. “Before you leave. Let’s see what happens tomorrow. I don’t want there to be any doubt that they’re the ones stealing from you, in case they try to file for unemployment. Don’t fire them tomorrow, either. I suspect I know how they got your password, but I want to prove it. Call me tomorrow after you close and let me know if there were any meals missing.”
“Okay,” Julia said after a long moment. “But I don’t want them to get another penny from Madeline’s.”
“I don’t think they will. But call me after you check the orders tomorrow night.”
“Will do,” Julia said. “Thanks, Zo.”
“We’re almost there,” her friend answered. “Keep it together.”
“Yeah. Talk to you tomorrow.”
Julia hit the ‘end call’ icon harder than necessary, then dropped her phone into her pocket. “Let’s go home,” she said to Nico. “So Spence can get back here.”
“I’ll call him as we’re leaving,” Nico said, snagging her hand as she paced past him. He drew her close, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “We’ll wave at each other as we pass on the street.” He pressed her body against his, trying to ignore how good her curves felt against his hard muscles. He hated seeing her so upset. So unnerved by what was happening at Madeline’s.
He needed to touch her. To comfort her.
He’d never felt this urgent, visceral need to touch any of his other protectees. He did his job and kept them safe. Said goodbye when the job was over and walked away.
Julia was different. He needed to make sure she knew she wasn’t alone. That he would be at her side, no matter what happened. And he couldn’t stop himself from touching her. Giving her comfort. Supporting her.
“We’ll solve this,” he murmured into her ear. He inhaled her scent, the faint cinnamon and lemon overlaid by the smell of the kitchen. “We’ll figure this out,” he said, smoothing his hand down her back. “We don’t know if what’s going on with Carole and her buddies has anything to do with your other problems. But we’ll get there. We have to stop the bleeding at Madeline’s first.”
She pressed closer for a long moment, then eased away. “If you hadn’t come here to figure out who broke into my house and did all the other stuff, I wouldn’t have known about the money I’ve been losing. So Blackhawk Security is worth every penny I’ve already paid it.” She sucked in a breath, and clenched her teeth. “I hate waiting another night to fire them. Hate that I could lose even more money. But I’m willing to go along with Zoe.”
“I think she’s right. You need as much information as you can get. And if it takes two more days, fine. After changing your password, I don’t think you’re going to lose any money tomorrow.”
* * *
Friday had been a busy night at Madeline’s, but Saturday night was chaos. Charles, one of the servers, was picking up a steak and an order of salmon at the same time Nico was loading a tray, and he grimaced. “Crazy night, right?”
“Yeah,” Nico said as he slid a hot plate of the pasta special onto his tray. “Everyone doing okay? Anyone losing their shit?”
Charles rolled his eyes. “Andra’s a whiner. She needs to suck it up and find a spine. But we all just ignore her. Everyone else is working just as hard as she is.
“And besides, we get our best tips on Saturdays. If she can’t deal with it, she should trade shifts with another server. Most people love working Saturdays, knowing they’re going to make a lot of money.”
“Some people don’t know how good they have it,” Nico said lightly.
“You got that right.” Charles shouldered his tray. “See you at the bar after we close. We can all complain together.”
“I’ll be there,” Nico said as he nudged the swinging door open with his hip and sidled through sideways. He’d make it a point to talk to Charles frequently. He seemed like a nice guy, and it was always good to pick up tidbits of information, like the fact that Andra was a whiner. Knowing that could come in handy if they proved she was one of the thieves.
After Nico delivered the meals to a four-top, he glimpsed Carole, head close to Ruth as they talked. Neither woman looked happy.
Smiling, Nico put bread and water on the table of a couple who’d just been seated. “Welcome to Madeline’s,” he said. “Your server will be here in a minute to take your drink orders. Is there anything I can get for you in the meantime?”
“I think we’re good,” the guy said, twining his fingers with the young woman.
