Page 24 of Elsie's Strong Shelter

Sadie cringed. “Yes. Looks like someone went through the alley behind the building and broke in from the back entrance. The inside didn’t fare much better than the window.”

A strangled sob came from Elsie’s mouth, and she turned into Dean’s embrace, burying her head in his chest. “It’s too much. Mila missing and now this. I feel like I must have pissed off some unknown deity who’s wreaking my life.”

He held her tight and kissed the top of her head. “We’ll figure this all out. I promise. Sadie, can we see the extent of the damage?”

She nodded and opened the front door.

He slid his hand up to cradle the back of Elsie’s head. “You up for going inside?” he whispered against her ear. “We can see if anything was taken and what we need to do to put everything back together.”

There he was, throwing around theweword again. Funny how he’d been hellbent on keeping distance between him and Elsie for so long and now he couldn’t imagine not being part of her team.

She drew in a shuddering breath, wiped the tears from her face, and glanced up at him under long, black lashes. “How doyou always know exactly what to say to get my head back on straight?”

He lifted the side of his mouth. “Sorry, I’ll work on keeping you in a panic if you like that better.”

His teasing words coaxed a hint of a smile from her before she stepped away and headed into the store.

He clenched and unclenched his fists a few times to expel his flurry of unspent energy and followed Elsie. Upturned clothing racks and a smashed glass counter greeted him. A fresh wave of anger crashed against him. Someone hadn’t just broken in and vandalized Elsie’s store, they’d destroyed it.

“We’ve already cleared the space,” Sadie said. “I can walk you through everything, or you can take your time and go at your own pace.”

Elsie stood as if paralyzed, taking in the mess. “I hate that I’m upset about my shop. Mila’s disappearance is so much more important, so much more pressing, but this store…this is my baby. What’s the point of doing this?”

Tommy stepped through the doorway and flipped his small notebook into the breast pocket of his jacket. “In my experience, this type of vandalism is usually meant to send a message. Someone’s angry, bitter, or fearful and wants to make sure you’re paying attention to those emotions.”

Dean scrubbed a palm over his face. “I agree, but who would feel those things toward Elsie?”

“I need to take pictures and make a list of everything that’s damaged for insurance. Doesn’t look like anything was stolen, but not sure how I could tell.” Elsie’s words came out clipped.

As much as Dean hated seeing her upset, he’d rather her be pissed than panicked or sad. Channeling her fury would help push past her fear. “I can start taking pictures with my phone. Do you have some paper to make a list?”

Elsie looked around, lifting her hands in the air for a beat before dropping them back to her side. “I used to keep some supplies under the counter but I’m guessing I can’t use those now. Has anyone seen my office?”

Tommy nodded. “Looks about the same as here but without quite so much stuff.”

“Come on,” Dean said, sensing she needed a second to herself. “I’ll walk back with you. Then we can talk things over with Tommy and Sadie.”

Ushering her down the hall and into her office, he closed the door and took in the mess. Bolts of fabric were unwound and strewn around the room, paperwork scattered on the floor and the upholstery had been ripped on a chair in the corner.

Elsie whirled to face him. Fire lit her eyes for a second before they flew wide, and fear pushed out the fury. She lifted her finger and pointed over his shoulder.

He turned around and found large, messy writing scrawled across her door.

Mind Your Business.

10

Overwhelmed didn’t even begin to describe Elsie’s emotional state. She stood in the middle of her busted showroom with a broom in one hand and trash bag in the other. Dean had taken pictures of all the destruction, and she’d noted that nothing seemed to be taken—not even the small amount of cash left in the register.

She spied Dean through the shattered window. He stood on the sidewalk speaking with Sadie and Tommy. The pissed-off pinching of his facial expression hadn’t left since they’d arrived. He threw his arms in the air as he spoke, his distress clear even from a distance.

Tommy and Sadie wore matching looks, their faces masks of professionalism. But Sadie hadn’t been able to hide her flush of emotions when she’d walked in the office and saw the threat written in bold red.

A fresh flood of fury washed over Elsie, threatening to suck her under. How dare some asshole break into her store—her baby—and try to scare her away from finding her best friend? Yes, seeing the broken pieces of her blood, sweat, and tears hurtlike hell, but it was nothing compared to the pain of not knowing what happened to Mila.

And no one would bully her into walking away from the truth.

Stepping back inside, Dean picked his way through the mess and took the broom. “You sure you want to clean now? You’ve been dealt quite a blow. We could take a break, grab some food, and let things simmer for a bit.”

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