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A thrill ran through me as I recalled the excitement of it all as we somehow managed to get in the back seats while I prayed the tinted windows shielded everything. Our saving grace was probably the storm outside that kept everyone off the sidewalks.
“That was intense.” He flashed a roguish grin at me, and another thrill shot through me.
“The weather report calls for a chance of rain today. You know. Just sayin’.”
I laughed and shook my head as the coffee shop came into view. “Too bad we aren’t in your big SUV.”
He smiled, gripping the wheel as he parked along the side street.
“Are you sure you want to stay here all day? We know Carmella isn’t here.”
The smile quickly left Zack’s features, and he nodded. “But we don’t know who left those items in your apartment.”
I sighed and nodded, knowing he was right. As I unbuckled, I looked back at Zack. “Remember that night we slept under the stars on your patio?”
He nodded, his eyes locked onto mine. "I wouldn’t exactly call it sleeping.”
Zack trailed his fingers down over my sweater. “I’m not sure which of us is having it worse, Sadie.”
I scowled. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I don’t think either of us is ready to move on.”
Tension roiled through me because he was right. “It’s not about being ready to move on, Zack. It was never about that.”
He nodded, his eyes lingering on mine as he turned off the vehicle.
But I couldn’t do this. Not right here.
I hopped out of the SUV, and he hurried to keep up with me.
“I won’t apologize for loving you, but I’m sorry for not maintaining professionalism.”
I turned and faced him on the sidewalk. “Zack, I love you now more than I ever have, but I don’t know that love is enough to heal the mess of a human I’ve become.”
He let out a deep sigh, but he didn’t say a word and followed me to the entrance of the coffee shop. Neither of us expected to find the horrors waiting ahead.
Chapter Eight
Zack
“This has nothing to do with Melanie and everything to do with Sadie.” I stared at my brother, who’d just happened to get to the coffee shop early to take in the devastation.
He scratched the stubble on his chin and stared at the shattered glass on the wood floors while Melanie and Sadie comforted each other in the corner of the shop near the espresso machines.
Two police officers were inside, looking for clues.
“You can’t be sure of that,” Ian said quietly. “It could have just been a couple of teenagers or just a completely random druggie to get at some cash.”
I glanced inside to see the tables turned on their sides and the chairs upside down, but apart from the broken glass, there wasn’t anything else askew.
Except for the safe.
Melanie had relayed that someone managed to crack the safe and take about a grand that she’d had in there from the previous day's closing.
“Listen, you’re on high alert because of Sadie, and I get that. But we can’t let things distort reality. It’s very unlikely that this was directed at Sadie.”
I nodded, unconvinced. “But how often do you hear of someone actually able to crack open a safe? Especially nowadays? They’ll pry it from the deadbolts in the ground before they actually crack it.”
