Page 17 of Saving His Sunshine

"Oh. Found it on your porch." I pick it up and hand it to her.

She opens the flaps, only to cry out and drop it. Rotting, moldy bread spills across the floor. A single sheet of paper flutters out behind it, landing neatly on top.

Bending down, I snatch up the paper. "Your bakery is going to fail,” I read, my blood turning to ice in my veins. “What the fuck is this?"

Heidi's face pales, but she tries to wave it off. "N-nothing. Probably just some teenagers playing a stupid prank."

She's lying. I can see the fear in her eyes, the tremor in her hands as she tries to shove the moldy loaves back into the box.

Panic twists in my gut. Rage slides through my veins. Someone is threatening her. How long has this been going on? Judging by the way she avoids my gaze, this isn’t the first note.

Jesus Christ.

I hook an arm around her waist, forcing her to abandon her hasty attempt to hide the evidence. She stumbles slightly as I back her up against the door.

"Don't play with me, Heidi." I slide my hand along her jaw, tipping her face up to mine. "That's not a fucking joke. It's a threat. Tell me what you're hiding. Now."

For a moment, I think she's going to try to keep lying to me, but then her shoulders slump, and she sighs. "Someone doesn't want me to open the bakery," she whispers. "They've been leaving notes like this at the shop for the last couple of weeks."

Red-hot rage tunnels my vision. "But never here?"

She shakes her head, her eyes glassy. "This is the first."

The fact that some sick motherfucker dared to come to her house, to invade the safety of her home, to threaten her...I wantto put my fist through the fucking wall. But I shove the fury down. She needs me calm and in control right now.

No one is going to stop her from opening her bakery. No one is going to hurt her, scare her, threaten her. Not while I'm breathing.

Curling my arms around her, I tuck her into my chest. "I've got you, angel. You're safe with me. I promise."

Her small hands fist in my shirt, her face burrowing into my neck as she shudders. “Okay,” she whispers, clinging to me.

"Get your cat and whatever else you need for the night," I tell her after a moment, no room for argument in my tone. "You're staying with me."

Her head snaps up, her green eyes wide. "What? Alessandro, that's ridiculous."

"It's not up for debate." I cup her face, my thumb brushing over the soft skin of her cheek. "Whoever left that package knows where you live. I'm not leaving you here alone."

She bites her lip, worry clouding her expression, but she doesn't argue further. "Okay," she whispers instead. "Just let me get a few things."

Relief courses through me. I half-expected her to fight me on this, her independent streak rearing its head. But the box on her porch clearly scared her more than she wants to admit.

I press a kiss to her forehead before reluctantly releasing her. She hurries down the hall, and I drag a hand over my face, my protective instincts roaring.

I pace the small living room, my mind whirling. Who the fuck is doing this? And why? From everything I’ve seen and heard—and believe me, I’ve been snooping like a motherfucker all day—the entire town is excited about the bakery. So, what changed?

I'm going to find out. And when I do, there will be hell to pay for putting that look of fear in her eyes. No one threatens what'smine. And Heidi? She's been mine from the moment I first laid eyes on her. She's mine to cherish, mine to protect.

I'll walk through fire before I let anyone hurt her.

Chapter Five

Heidi

Ipace around Alessandro’s living room, trying to wrap my head around the fact that it’s better decorated than my place—warm colors, plush furniture, framed photos. It looks more like a family home than a bachelor firefighter’s place.

Clearly, I need to do away with any and all stereotypes when it comes to him because he’s breaking every single one of them.

"Like it?" he asks with a grin, those devastating dimples appearing as he looms at the head of the hallway.

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