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TWENTY-EIGHT
ADORA
I don’t know what to do.
What do you do when the one thing you really, really love is gone?
That bookstore was my life.
I never took a day off unless I absolutely had to.
Is this payback for being away from it?
For letting someone else run it?
No, that can’t be true.
Taking a week off work never killed anyone.
But it sure as shit destroyed every dream I ever had. This is my worst nightmare, and I am not sure I will recover from such a devastating blow.
Joey’s hand reaches for mine, and I pull it away, not wanting his touch right now, not wanting anyone’s touch right now. The officer interviews me and asks me questions, the whole time I feel numb.
My store.
Gone.
I have money, I didn’t rely on this as my main income. But it was something I adored, and it was my sanctuary, my shelter from all the harm my life has thrown at me. My safe house. It’s always been there for me when I’ve had bad days and when I have had good ones. Now what?
“Nothing is salvageable. I’m sorry,” the officer tells me before he walks off. Most of the emergency services people are gone, and the bystanders who nosey into other people’s misery. It’s late becoming darker as we stand in front of what’s left, the smell of smoke still evident in the air.
“You can open another one,” Joey says, trying to comfort me. “And this time you won’t need Lucas.” It was Lucas’ building, and his only condition was that he own a percentage of my store. I had no issue with that because Lucas had power. It was a smart move at the time to stay hidden in plain sight. However, that didn’t work out as I had planned either.
Joey’s hands wrap around my waist, and his mouth comes to my neck, kissing me softly.
My phone starts ringing, and I reluctantly pull it out and answer it. I hear Sailor’s voice and pull back, but Joey keeps a tight hold on me.
“I won’t take no for an answer,” she says. I give Joey a skeptical look, but he just leans forward and kisses my forehead.
“Sorry?” I say, confused.
“I said you aren’t allowed to say no. I heard what happened, and it seems you need a night as bad as I do.”
“A night?” I say confused.”
“Yes. I’ll pick you up in an hour. Get ready. Keir doesn’t know yet, but he’s watching the kids. We are going out.” Then she hangs up.
I pull back and look at the phone disbelieving the words I just heard.
Joey laughs, and it pulls me out of the what-the-fuck moment I just went into.
“Keir won’t allow her to be out long, or he will be monitoring her.”
Right! I forget she’s the wife of a mafia boss.
“What do I wear?” I ask Joey still in a state of skeptical shock.
He smacks my ass before we get into the car and head home. As soon as we arrive, I go straight into our room to change into something nicer, throw my hair up, and put on some matte lipstick. When I walk out, Joey has my black heels in his hand dangling from his finger and he’s sitting on the edge of the bed. I lift a foot as he does up the strap of one and then does the same again with the second. His hand lingers on my jeans, and I wonder what he is thinking.
