Page 16 of Stolen Moments with a Bad Boy

Oh, my goodness. He was disgusting. He was pale as sugar with a rotund belly and bald spot in the center of his thinning hair.

“Ma’am, can you think of anyone who would want to destroy your shop?” Detective Coles inquired nonchalantly.

“No. I can’t. I’ve been here three years, and nothing like this has ever happened,” I answered with tears trailing down my face.

“Any scorned lovers or friends?” he quizzed snidely.

“I said no, sir. Are you guys going to do a thorough investigation? There are things I need to check on,” I expressed rudely. He really pissed me off, asking the same questions.

“Here’s my card if you can think of anything else.” He handed me his card and walked away.

Janeiro grabbed my hand, and we eased inside my café. My heart broke with every step we took. I covered my mouth when I saw how my Gigi’s jukebox was smashed to pieces. Every item in her remembrance was shattered and ruined. Tears instantlyrolled down my face as I walked over to the jukebox. I caressed the base and top part.

“Why!” I screamed. “I’ve never done anything to anybody.”

Janeiro enveloped me in his strong arms and rubbed my back soothingly as I sobbed. “I’m so sorry this happened to you, Bella. I truly am. I’ll pay for all the damages.”

His kind words fell on deaf ears, and my sobs slowed down immediately when a bad odor filled my nose.

“Do you smell that, Ro?” I queried curiously.

“Yeah, I do. It smells awful,” he agreed.

Together, we searched for the putrid smell. I slipped on some broken glass and smeared food, but thankfully, Janeiro caught me. He pushed through the double doors and walked into the kitchen. I leaped back in fear. There were dead rodents and small carcasses placed all over the kitchen. Dead rats and other rodents covered my stove tops, hung from the ovens and refrigerators, and placed where we kept the dried goods in the storage pantries.

“What the fuck is going on? Ro, I’m more scared now than pissed off,” I voiced, hiding in his arms.

He led us back to the dining room. “This wasn’t a robbery. It was staged to look that way. The money is still in the register. All the sentimental items are smashed and broken. Not to mention, the dead animals in there are mostly rats. This situation is personal.”

I stared into his eyes and knew he told the truth.

“I believe you, baby. I’m just having a hard time coming up with suspects. Why would anyone refer to me as a rat or dead weight?” I questioned out loud.

“It’s time we have a talk, Bella.”

“Talk? About what? I need to call my daddy and insurance company.”

“Well, invite him over. He needs to hear what I have to say,” Ro expressed.

I nodded. With shaky hands, I dialed my daddy and put the call on speakerphone. On the second ring, he picked up.

“Hey, Sweet Pea,” he answered in a deep tone.

“Daddy, something terrible happened at the café, and I need you here.”

“I’m on my way. Stay put,” he voiced with finality.

Nine

Janeiro

I exhaled. All eyes were on me. I wasn’t sure if Erie and her pops were about to be cool with the news I was about to deliver or come out of a bag on me. I had held this secret for a while, and I meant to tell her. I just didn’t know how to tell her. We sat in the dining room of Erie’s café. I cleared my throat.

“There’s no easy way to say this, so I’m just going to rip off the bandage. Erie, I know who’s behind sabotaging your store. It’s your brother Troy,” I confessed.

Erie’s brows furrowed together.

“Wait, huh? You said it’s Troy Jr. How is that even possible?” she questioned with confusion written over her beautiful face.

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