Page 41 of Our Elliana

She spent the last thirty minutes tearing across the living room carpet like a miniature tornado only to perch herself in Jackson’s lap and fall soundly asleep while still sitting upright. When she tumbled over, not only did she not wake, she didn’t so much as blink an eye.

My phone rings over and over, then the text notifications arrive. I never receive calls like this late at night. When I do, they’re almost always from my BFF, but that’s not his ringtone. I figure it’s a bot or spam call, and annoyed, push to my feet. I have to dig through my blackhole of a purse to locate the silly thing, and once I track it down, I glance at the home screen.

And what I see there yanks a strangled gasp from my throat.

EIGHTEEN: Breaking and Entering

NOAH

Elliana’s gasp about throws me into cardiac arrest. It’s a sound of horror, and before I’m even aware I’ve moved, I’m already off her sofa and there at her side. Tristan and Jackson aren’t far behind.

“What is it?” Tristan asks her, and she turns to him with wide frightened eyes.

“My shop’s been broken into.”

I might not be a cop, but I’ve followed up on breaking and enterings more than once. Anytime people might have been injured or property set ablaze, an EMT Fire and Rescue Squad gets sent out, and I’ve been on several now. One common denominator with these is shock, and that’s exactly what I see written all over Elle’s face.

“I... I have to get down there,” she stammers, scrambling around. I think she’s looking for her purse, even though she’s literally passed by it three times now. I step in front of her to block her path, snatching it up and handing the thing over.

“Not alone, you’re not.”

My pronouncement thunders out of me with more force than I intend, making her gape up at me. But I can’t help my need to protect her. Even in those super tall heels she perpetually wears, Elle’s so tiny compared to me. She has such a big personality and so much command of herself that sometimes I forget how vulnerable she can be.

“I’m going, too,” Jackson adds, standing on her other side. Tristan speaks up next.

“We should all go.”

Elle insists on driving, so the three of us pile into her SUV with me taking shotgun.

Bright red and blue lights announce the police presence before we drive even halfway down the street where her shop resides. I’ve never visited, so after taking notice of the collection of uniformed officers congregated outside, my gaze is drawn to the glimmering silver sign over the door saying Blingblang.

Jackson, however, has a different reaction.

“Fucking Christ, they smashed it all to hell.”

My focus zips along his eyeline, and I see what he means. The front of her store consists of five floor-to-ceiling windows, but the centermost pane next to the entrance is absent. In its place is a gaping hole. Behind it one of the jewelry cases hasn’t only been shattered, the outer metal casing has been tossed sideways onto the floor. I catch glimpses of all this damage as various law enforcement personnel move about, then I zero back in on Elliana.

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