Page 44 of 3 Shifters to Break a Curse

This might have been a bad idea, I thought. But what was done was done, and there was no turning back now. If I crawled out of the office, it might make things worse for everyone involved.

It had been less than five minutes, and Jared stormed toward the door of the store. I sucked in a deep breath as the chime of the front doors filtered through the office door. I shifted my gaze to the camera covering the lobby and held my breath as he approached Cadence.

“Where is the woman who just came in here?” he asked, voice gruff and filtering softly muted into my ears.

“She went to the bathroom,” she said. “Is there anything I can help you find?”

“No.” Jared walked off toward one of the cooler doors and Cadence returned to the counter. She pulled out a clipboard and started making marks on it. She reached back into her pocket and sent another text.

Jared headed off the screen. Appearing on the one facing the doors of the bathrooms. He banged on the door. “Hurry up, Toni.”

I didn’t answer. But I did jump in my seat.

He banged on the door again. Without another answer, he opened the door. The second he noticed I wasn’t in there, he stormed back to the front.

“Where is she?” he demanded. “And no more lies.”

“Who?” Cadence asked again.

“The woman who came in here before me. I already told you. She’s not in the bathroom like you told me. So, where is she?” He continued to shout at her.

I wanted to stand up and confront him and demand that he stopped harassing her.

Cadence held up her hands. “Sir, you need to calm down. I don’t know where she went if she’s not in the bathroom. Have you checked outside?”

“I wouldn’t be asking you where she was if I believed she was outside, now would I?” he spat out.

“Okay, look. You can either calm down or leave. Either way, I have no idea where your woman is,” she said. “Now if you want to continue shouting at me, I have no problems with calling the cops.”

He bent around her, facing the office door. My heart skipped several beats.

“Open that door,” he demanded.

“No,” she said. “It’s an office. Nothing more. Customers are not allowed in, and I accidentally locked the keys inside.”

“Open it,” he demanded. “Without the lies.”

My eyes fell to the set of keys on the desk. She wasn’t entirely lying. I held my breath then reached over and twisted the lock on the knob.

“I already told you no,” Cadence said. “I think it’s best you leave. Reach out to the authorities for your missing woman. She’s not here.”

“Open the door, or I will come around there and break it down,” he said.

I closed my eyes, believing my plan to be another gross mistake. Because now, I had put Cadence in danger. Her phone chimed, and she checked it.

“Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to leave,” she said. “If you don’t within the next thirty seconds, I’m calling the cops. You can explain to them about your missing girl.”

“I’m not leaving until I have Toni,” he seethed.

“Well, I have no idea what to tell you, sir. She’s obviously not here.” Cadence remained firm.

I just hoped Jared would take the hint and leave before she got hurt. Because if she did, there was no telling what he would do to me. And as I sat in the office, I thought about walking out again. But I had to keep reminding myself that would only make things worse.

I desperately needed to get away from him, and in my hasty decision-making, I inadvertently put Cadence in his path. I was stuck, frozen in my seat with fear, watching their interaction on the screen and hearing it through the closed door.

I didn’t know what to do. But I knew I had to do something. I couldn’t just sit in the chair and watch things unfold over a screen.

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