Page 32 of Sweeter Than Honey
Someone—or something—had triggered the security in her store!
The wood floor was cool on her bare feet as she jumped out of bed and raced into the hall, desperately trying to find a cell signal. Padding down the short hall, she hurried down the stairs to the kitchen table where she’d gotten good signal last night. The time on the phone said it was only 7:30 a.m. Olive probably wouldn’t be at the store just yet. A blessing if someone really had broken in. She couldn’t stomach the idea of her assistant getting hurt.
She dialed Olive’s number, but it went to voice mail. Shit! Olive wouldn’t recognize this phone number as belonging to Cara. She’d call back and leave a message next time. Grabbing her laptop from where she’d left it on the bench last night, she prayed the internet from the hotspot would kick in without trouble so she could view the camera feed from inside the store via the security company’s online portal. Before she could check, her phone rang with an incoming call from the security company.
“Cara Neal.”
“Ms. Neal, we’ve detected movement inside your store and the alarms have been triggered. Only one camera is working at this time. Do we have your permission to send law enforcement?”
She nodded frantically. “Yes!”
Only one camera was working? There were five cameras, three inside the store and two outside. Her pulse raced. She had thousands and thousands of dollars in diamonds, gold, and precious gems inside that store. The perps would have to get inside the safe to access most of the raw materials, but all her ready-made pieces were on display.
She logged into the portal and pulled up the feed from the single camera. It was grainy and monochrome. The feed signal was poor, but she was able to make out one figure inside the back room. Just then, the figure turned to the camera and waved her arms.
It was Olive! She had to get out of there!
Cara hung up on the alarm company and dialed her number again. Olive answered on the second ring. Cara watched through the delay in the feed.
“Hey,” Cara whispered tensely. “Get out of there.”
“It was me. I tripped the alarms. I’m sorry. It’s just me.”
Cara let out a huge breath. “Hang on the line. Let me call the security company. Police are on their way.”
“Now?” Olive’s voice went high pitched. “No cops, boss. It was just me.”
“Hang on.”
She opened a new line to make the call and informed the security company that it was an accidental trigger, then hung up.
“Olive, they said 9-1-1 will just pop in and make sure you’re okay. Are you okay?”
There was a pregnant pause before her assistant answered. “Me? Yeah, I’m fine. I didn’t input the code all the way and it trigged the alarm. That’s all.”
“I’m going to send someone over to look at the cameras. The company said only one is working.”
“Really? That’s weird. Do you want me to check them?”
Since when did Olive know how to work security cameras? That’s what she paid the security detail big money for. “Do you know what to look for?”
“I think the police are here.”
Cara waited a second to see if she could hear anything through the line. “Call me after they leave.”
Olive hung up without responding. A hard shiver went down Cara’s spine. That could have been bad, really bad. Mental images of the shifters smashing their way into her store and destroying everything played in her head. Maybe she wasn’t doing enough to keep everything safe. She needed to clean out the store. And the safe. She couldn’t let things sit with such a big threat hanging over her.
“Jett?” She called while staring at her phone screen for Olive’s call to come in. She thought she’d heard him walking upstairs. “Are you in the house?”
The side door opened, and he popped his dark head inside. “Did you call for me?”
Damn it, what was taking her assistant so long? She glanced up, her heart stuttering as she caught his gaze. “I need to go home. I really need my car. This is urgent.”
With a frown, he pushed open the door and came inside. “You know that’s not possible.”
She waved him off. “The alarms were triggered at my store today and it was just a faulty trip, BUT itcouldhave been them, you know? The shifters. What if they trash my store and take all my things? All my inventory, my livelihood? I have to get to my store and clean it out so they can’t get to it.”
It had only been a few days since she’d fled Kansas City and there were so many loose ends to take care of. The trashcans in her townhouse needed to be emptied. Her plants watered; her household bills paid. Someone had to get her mail.
