Page 76 of Forbidden Vows

My café has been horrifically vandalized. Some of the windows smashed, others with paint thrown all over them, a milky white that spreads like disease.

From my vantage point, I can see the interior damage. Every damn couch and chair was torn wide open, the fluff from the stuffing all over the place. More broken glass and spray paint. Ugly slurs painted across the walls in bright pink, neon green and yellow, and toxic orange. The decorative mirrors have all been broken, their frames in pieces.

The bar, my beloved coffee bar, is a dreadful mess.

“Oh, I think I’m going to be sick,” I whisper, leaning back against the car. My legs feel as if they’re about to give out.

Anton and Ian take out their guns and agree to split up. Ian goes around the back to check the service entrance on the other side of the building, while my husband steps through the smashed double doors and checks the interior.

I can hear the broken glass crunching under his shoes. It’s a sickening sound.

“Clear!” Ian’s voice echoes from inside.

I meet them by the bar. My beautiful coffee bar. Even the pastry displays were obliterated. There’s paint in the sink and all over the marble worktops. My salmon pink and white gold finishes scream at me, vandalized beyond recognition. A lot of hate went into this. So much hate, in fact, that I can almost feel it in the pit of my stomach.

“I’m so sorry, baby,” Anton whispers as I burst into tears.

He holds me close as I let it out, wailing and sobbing, while Ian calls the police to report the horrendous crime that happened here. We all know who did it, and we know why. We have the motive and the suspect, but without tangible evidence, the cops won’t be able to do much.

“He did this,” I say.

“I know.”

“He has to pay, Anton.”

“Oh, trust me, my love. He will. A million times over.”

Ian gives us both a troubled look as he touches a spray-painted corner of the bar. “This is fresh, sir. We missed them by minutes, at most.”

“What?” Ice thickens in my veins. “You mean they were just here?”

“Your CCTV system isn’t installed yet,” Anton looks around with a frown.

“We had the technician scheduled to come in today, along with the guys from the internet company,” I say, shuddering in my husband’s arms.

Ian takes a deep, heavy breath. “Had we arrived just a few minutes sooner—”

“This was timed close to perfection,” Anton says. “You and Ian were due to get here half an hour earlier, but you got here later, waiting for me, because I wanted to see the place.”

“What are you saying?” I ask him, though deep down I think I know precisely what he is getting at.

“Had I not made you late, chances are you would’ve been here when Kuznetsov’s goons came in. I think they tossed the place, because they couldn’t be seen waiting around. It’s close to opening for a lot of the businesses up and down this busy street. They missed their window, so they did a number on the café, instead.”

The look on his face is lethal.

“Kuznetsov has just declared an all-out war. Either he thinks he’s got something to bury us with, or he’s attempting a dangerous gambit. But I can assure you, Andrei and I have done a damn good job of covering our trail over the years.”

He’s either insane or desperate for absolute power. Maybe a little of both. Either way, I was the intended victim. If his men really were here waiting for me to arrive at my usual hour, there’s no telling what would’ve happened to me or my babies. Instinctively, I cradle my bump.

I am in clear and present danger.

“Anton, do you trust me?” I ask.

He gives me a curious look. “Of course.”

“Then I need your support. There’s something I have to do. And only I can do it.”

He doesn’t seem confident anymore after hearing that.

---