Page 319 of The Trouble With Bad Boys

I’d never believed in love at first sight. It used to be some mushy thing I made fun of whenever I saw a promotion for a romance movie. How can this be real? How can he fall for her when he doesn’t even know her?

Those had been my questions. But I was the prime example that love at first sight existed. When I first saw her, a powerful energy slammed into my gut, making my heart vibrate. A strange sensation stirred in me. For a moment time froze entirely. In that moment I didn’t know it was love. The sensation was unfamiliar to me, but I was curious about how I had reacted to her. As time went by, the sensations only intensified, and now I couldn’t live without her.

My phone buzzed, showing a text from Godfrey.

Godfrey: Sent you some documents. Send them to your detective friend if it’s helpful. Busy for the next few days, talk soon.

Kain: Thanks, man.

I opened the file and glanced at the crime scene images. Five bodies had been discovered in the last six months around the New England area. Some were in the news, and some weren’t. They all had the same MO. Death with their hands tied in a praying position holding a stem of the bleeding heart flower.

I sent it to Sean, asking him to meet me when he was available to go over this case. Who was this Bleeding Heart Killer? Many criminals venerated famous serial killers. Could he be one of them?

Sean replied saying he could stop by my office this Friday, which was in three days. An uncomfortable feeling slithered in my gut, signifying that something awful was just around the corner.

Fourteen

EVA

“I’m so happy, Eva!” Morgan wrapped her arms around me. “The shop is perfect for you. It wouldn’t have been as successful without your creativity.”

I pulled back, studying the curly blonde hair piled up into a messy bun. She had on makeup that brightened her face, but I could still see the dark circles under her eyes. Overall, she looked like she was getting better.

“How are you doing?” I squeezed her arm, remembering the joy that used to be in her eyes.

“Hopeful. Especially now that I know the shop will be in good hands.” She released a heavy sigh. “I’m ready to start a new chapter. Be with my family and just take it slow, you know?”

I nodded. “Take all the time you need. I’ll keep you posted on the progress of the store. And please don’t take it personally when I change the store name to BeLeaf in Wonder.”

“Don’t be silly. I love it.” Her eyes sparkled. “It’s totally you.”

We chatted some more until it was time to open up and get to work. I planned on keeping the same staff. Erika and Marlene were fabulous associates. The transition could happen in a month, which was pretty quick.

Kain had asked his lawyer to draft a contract, which I’d already given to my lawyer. Everything looked good, and the money was transferred into my account in a few hours. I’d met no one as efficient as Kain. I supposed it took efficiency to run a successful gym and tattoo shop franchise. Three hundred thousand dollars was nothing to a billionaire. It still made me uncomfortable that my bank account was a tiny fraction of his.Most people would say it wouldn’t matter, but it did for me. It would take time for me to get used to it.

If I only focused on his character without the materialistic attachment, then I’d be fine. So that was what I did for the next few hours, making my long to-do list for a smooth transition and looking at the calendar to see what I needed to work on. Supplies to order. Events to fulfill and a marketing strategy to introduce my customers to BeLeaf in Wonder.

Morgan left early for the day to finalize things before she went back to California. Erika and Marlene assisted three customers with their bouquets when several police cars rushed by in the street. Next came an ambulance, a fire truck, and more police cars.

What was going on? Coolidge Corner was a busy section of Brookline and there was constant noise. But I hadn’t seen this many police cars in a while.

The sirens didn’t fade, and I knew something had occurred nearby.

“I’ll be right back,” I told the girls and left the shop to check it out.

As I made my way up the block, a group of people hovered around a section close to the police cars.

I walked by a woman with a ponytail leaning against the wall. She looked spooked.

“Are you okay? What happened up there?” I gestured to the crowd.

“I saw the body in the alley and called the cops.” She shivered. “The woman died with her hands tied together holding a bleeding heart flower.”

“Oh, gosh, that’s awful,” I said.

“Brookline is a safe city. I don’t know if I can get the image of that poor woman out of my mind. She had a tattoo of a heart on her cheek. She’s someone’s daughter. Someone’s sister. Now she’s gone.” An officer waved her over as Detective McNally arrived in his cruiser.

I remembered him from the day the thief snatched my purse. He was Kain’s friend.

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