Page 7 of Beyond the Hate

“Come quick,” she insists and hangs up. She still hasn’t explained what the problem is.

I hang my lab coat on the hook behind the door in my lab. “I’m heading out,” I tell my assistant, Blossom.

“Where are you going? When will you return?”

“I have no idea, but I will inform you when I know more.”

“Is this an owners of the brewery get together?”

I shrug since I don’t know the answer to her question. Granted, Parker rang me and not one of my friends, but my friends are troublemakers who know I won’t answer the phone in the morning when I’m in the lab.

I don’t bother driving or biking to the bakery. It’s a three-minute walk fromFive FathomstoPirates Pastries.The brewery is located on the outskirts of Smuggler’s Rest, which is the largest town on the island of Smuggler’s Hideaway.

The other two towns, Pirate’s Perch and Rogue’s Landing, are more hamlets than actual towns. All of the necessary amenities are in Smuggler’s Rest.

I arrive at the bakery but when I try the door, it’s locked. I knock. “Hello! Parker?”

She rushes to the door. “Back door!”

This better not be some kind of prank. I try to recall if I’ve in some way incurred Parker’s wrath but besides buying out all of her Shipwreck cookies for Maya and Caleb’s housewarming celebration, I haven’t seen her much.

The back door flies open as I round the corner. “Get in here. Quick!”

“What is happening? If this is some prank, can we postpone until after working hours?”

“No prank. I have a situation.” She snatches my hand and drags me through the kitchen to the bakery.

“What is—” The question dies in my mouth when I notice the man inside the bakery. Eli Raider. My archnemesis.

Archnemesis you want to ride like a cowboy,a voice in the back of my mind says but I ignore it. As I usually do. It’s the voice responsible for getting me into trouble more than once in the past.

I yank my hand away from Parker. “This isn’t funny.”

“I know.” She wrings her hands. “He’s scaring off customers.”

I frown. “Eli’s scaring off customers?”

“What?” Her brow wrinkles. “Eli? No.” She points to the ground. “Him.”

I search the floor but all I see are tiles and some cookie crumbs. There’s nothing untoward.

Eli clears his throat. “I think he’s hiding underneath the display case.”

“Who is hiding beneath the display case?”

I don’t wait for them to answer before kneeling next to the case and peaking underneath. I notice motion out of the corner of my eye but whatever it is, is too fast for me to make out.

“He’s out!” Eli screams and climbs onto a table.

I stand and brush my hands off of my jeans. “Who’s out?”

He gestures to the corner. “That thing!”

I scan the corner, but I don’t see anything. “Have you been putting hallucinogens in your muffins again?” I ask Parker.

“One time. One time I put some mushrooms in a batch of Pirate’s Plunder Muffins. And you totally deserved it.”

I hold up my hands. “I wasn’t the one who stole your clothes.”

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