Page 46 of Tasting Sin

“Ronan.” My voice cracked on his name, and I choked on a sob. I couldn’t calm my breathing enough to get a lungful of air, and for a second, I thought I might pass out. I closed my eyes before the fuzzy ring around my vision could get larger.

“Woah, woah. What’s wrong?” The playfulness that had been in his voice was replaced by worry and urgency. I could feel the look he had to have on his face through the phone, picturing his raised eyebrows and pursed lips. I wished he was next to me.

“Someone painted it.” That felt like an underwhelming way to describe the word scrawled across the front of the shop.

“Someone painted what?” He was seething, and the control in his voice could be felt in every word. “Nellie what happened?”

“They painted the bakery.” I leaned against my car when the Earth started to spin faster, knocking me off my balance. I sniffled. “I didn’t know what to do. You were the first person I thought to call.”

There was a small commotion in the background that sounded like a crashing chair or a slammed door before he spoke again. “I’m on my way,” he said. He got quiet, and I could hear the heaving huff of each breath through the phoneline. “And Nellie, don’t call the police.”

“Why not?” Shouldn’t I call them? I assumed I would need to make a statement, and they’d probably need to take pictures or something.

“Because I said so. Just listen to me.” There was a muffled protest in the background, letting me know Ronan wasn’t alone. “Take care of this shit. I’ve got to handle something.” I knew he wasn’t talking to me—his voice was partially muffled, like he had been covering the mic.

“Ronan, what do I do?” My voice was smaller than I intended for it to be, and when a gust of wind moved something across the sidewalk, I whipped my head around to look over my shoulder. There wasn’t anything there, but the adrenaline pumped through my body like there was. Be careful who you take help from. My blood ran cold.

“Get back in your car and lock the door. I’ll be there in five.” I could hear rustling in the background, and I knew he was on his way. Then, his voice was muffled again. “Don’t ask any fucking questions. I said I need to handle something. Now finish this up before I get back.”

“Don’t be such an ass,” the person in the background said. Then, their tone changed, and it made my blood run colder. “Call me if you need backup.” Backup for what?

I got back in the car, slamming the door shut behind me and locking it like Ronan told me to do. Then, time slowed down, and it was like the seconds were crawling. I could hear him still moving in the background on the phone, and I knew he wasn’t in his car yet, but it felt like he should already be here. I shivered, knowing I’d still have to wait.

Then, I heard his car start. “Nellie, I’m on my way.”

Chapter 28

Ronan

My tires squealed when I came to a stop in front of Sugar & Spice, and when I saw the lights on, I rushed inside. I thought I’d told her to stay in her car. The bell over the door flipped violently when I threw it open, loudly announcing my arrival before I saw her messy brown hair. She rested her head on Ava’s shoulder, and when she saw me, she lifted her head.

“Are you okay?” I asked, rounding the counter and closing the distance between us.

“I think so. You’re here,” she said, and her voice broke on a sob that made my chest tighten. Her already brightly-stained cheeks shined with another fresh stream of tears.

“Of course I’m here.” I grabbed her wrist, pulling her away from her best friend and against my chest, wrapping my arms around her. Her body shook against me, and she buried her face in my suit jacket. I brushed her hair away from her face with both hands before closing them around her tighter. “You’re shaking.”

She shrugged, nuzzling her nose against me like she wanted to be even closer. “Just a little scared.” Her voice was quiet, mostly muffled by the fabric. It was like she had forgotten Ava was right behind her—or she didn’t care.

“You don’t have to be scared anymore.” I kissed the top of her head, satisfied when her shoulders relaxed slightly. The bell over the front door rang again, and her body stiffened.

Nellie pulled away from me, and we all turned around. Detective Stanton was walking in with an officer from the local precinct I didn’t recognize. I snarled, wanting to step in front of her and create a barrier between her and the officers. “What are you doing here?” I asked.

“Your girlfriend called us,” Stanton said, smirking. He stepped forward until only the counter separated us. My stare snapped briefly to where Nellie cowered before I glared at him. “Seems like she’s found herself in another sticky situation. And you still know nothing?”

I bit my tongue to prevent a borderline violent outburst. “I just got here, gentlemen,” I said when I started to taste iron. “I don’t know anything you don’t.”

“What about you, miss?” He turned his attention to Nellie, and she stammered. “Do you know who would paint,” he paused to look at the window, lifting his brows and struggling through the words, “puttana ingrata across your window? What does that mean?”

“I believe it means ungrateful whore,” the unknown officer said loudly. He clamped his mouth shut when I glared at him.

Nellie cringed, and I clenched my hands into fists at my sides. Stanton smirked. “I don’t know who did it,” she said.

“Isn’t that your job to find out?” I returned his snide look, putting my arm protectively around Nellie’s shoulders.

“We always do what we can.” Stanton looked over his shoulder at the officer. His camera clicked, and the flash created extra shadows on the pink walls while he took pictures. “You’re going to have to make a statement, Ms. Giordano. It wouldn’t hurt if you made one too, Mr. Moretti.” The distaste in his voice when he said my name wasn’t missed, and Nellie looked up at me, confused.

“I wasn’t here,” I said, knowing I had no intention of leaving Nellie’s side. That wasn’t what he wanted my statement for, though. He wanted to link me and my family to this somehow. I wasn’t going to let that happen.

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