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“What? How do you know that?” She stared at the men.
He moved so he was slightly ahead of her. She knew instinctively that he was positioning himself to protect her. Why? What did these men want?
The tallest man wore a black leather jacket and jeans and sat down on her stool, his emerald-green eyes studying her. He flicked his dark hair out of his eyes and offered a cold smile. “Listen to your friend. He seems to know what he’s talking about.”
“But who are you?” she demanded.
“I’m a friend of your grandfather’s.” His deep voice sent shivers along her skin.
She stared at him. “What kind of friend? I’ve never met you, and you didn’t come to the funeral, so you can’t have been that close. Who are you really?”
“Your grandfather was a good man, if a bit old-fashioned. I’m sorry for your loss. I know this must be a difficult time for you.” He glanced around the shop. “It looks like you’re making some changes in here.”
She snorted. “Like you don’t know, asshole. You did this, didn’t you?”
His eyes narrowed. “Did what exactly?”
“You and your goons.” She gestured to the bald man with the pale scar on his cheek and the blond man wearing the puffy jacket. “You broke in and tossed my shop. Twice! Asshole!” she snarled again.
His face went blank, and she could have sworn she heard his teeth click together. “That wasn’t me or any of my people.”
“Oh, sure. Then how did you get into my shop? It’s like the last two times. No damage to the lock, but someone who doesn’t belong is inside.”
His eyes narrowed slightly again. He seemed to have some kind of unspoken communication with Hawk because Hawk gave a slight nod.
Hawk said, “He’s telling the truth, I think. It wasn’t him, but he knows who, or at least he knows something about it, don’t you?”
The man nodded slightly. “Unfortunately, I can’t really comment on it. I can tell you I got in with my key.”
“You have a key?” Her voice went so high she squeaked.
He nodded. “Your grandfather gave it to me.”
“Why the fuck would he do that?” Her grandfather never gave out keys. She had one and Gus. He hadn’t even given one to Emily who worked there.
“We were partners, of a sort.”
Her stomach rolled. This has to be about the money. What the hell had her grandfather gotten involved in? “Could you be any more vague? What is going on?”
He cocked his head. “Your grandfather didn’t tell you anything?”
“No, he fucking didn’t. So why don’t you tell me?” She was so damn tired of being in the dark. She needed answers.
A buzzing noise startled her. The man on the stool pulled a phone from his pocket and glanced at the screen. He looked up and caught the eye of the blond man to his right and then gestured to the outside with his head. The blond nodded once and went out the door.
He turned back to her. “I’m sorry, I can’t tell you anything. That would be against the rules.”
“The rules? What rules? Seriously, what the fuck is going on?” she demanded.
“What I can tell you is to leave the tapestry in front of that door and keep the door closed. It won’t help you to have the door open or to bring anyone down the stairs. You won’t be allowed in unless you can show me…” He stopped speaking and stared at her.
“Show you what?”
He gave a small shrug. “Nothing. It doesn’t matter at this point. Just keep the door closed and don’t come down the stairs.”
Adrenaline blasted through her veins. “And what if I don’t want to do that? What if I want to go down and bang on your fucking door? Maybe I’ll bring the cops down there with me!”
Hawk shifted his weight slightly. “I don’t think that would be a wise move, Remy.”
