My Deadly Valentine - By Valerie Hansen & Lynette Eason Page 0,60

over your store. The alarm never went off so I don’t know if they attempted to get inside, but we need to go take a look.”

“What?” Holly didn’t wait for an answer. She spun on her heel to head for her truck.

Eli grabbed her arm. “Hold on, Holly, I’ll go with you.”

Alex intervened. “You’re not a cop here anymore, Brodie, remember?”

“I don’t care, I’m a friend.” He shot a hard look at Alex. The man stared back, some emotion Eli couldn’t identify glittering in his dark eyes. Jealousy? Possessiveness?

Finally Alex shrugged. “Fine. Anne, one of the cashiers at the grocery store next door to your store, called it in and Alice radioed me.”

The three of them climbed into their respective vehicles and headed down the mountain.

Five minutes later, she pulled up in front of her store, shock pounding through her.

Climbing out of the car, she just stared at the building. Bright red words glared at her. “Time’s up,” she read in a whisper. She wouldn’t say the other painted words out loud, but they burned in her brain nonetheless.

“Who is doing this?” Eli wondered aloud.

“And why?” Alex added.

Anger—and more than a touch of fear—made her fingers shake as she pushed the door open. She couldn’t hold back her cry of dismay. “It’s been destroyed. All my hard work…Everything…” She wanted to puddle into the floor and wail. Instead, she straightened her spine, sucked back the tears and took in the damage.

Alex laid a hand on her shoulder and she felt too shell-shocked to move away. He turned her to him and said, “I promise I’ll get this guy for you.”

Eli’s gaze darted between them and she gave him a tremulous smile. She moved over to the Valentine’s display she’d spent hours putting together. Smashed chocolate, stuffing ripped from the cute teddy bears, flowers strewn across the room. Everywhere she looked, destruction greeted her. “I’ll have to refund orders. Valentine’s Day is the day after tomorrow. I’ll never be able to have this cleaned up in time.”

“What about insurance?” Eli asked.

She nodded. “I have insurance, but even with it…” She shook her head and swallowed hard. “I may have to close the store.” The phone line had been cut, explaining why the alarm hadn’t gone off. The trouble light blinked, telling her she needed to investigate.

That was a lot of help after the fact.

Two hours later, she had her police report filed, and Alex had collected all the evidence he could. Eli had gone back to his ranch to sell his horses and Holly had called her insurance company. Now she set the broom aside, slumped into a chair and stared at the destruction.

Despair hit her. “What’s going on, God? I don’t understand why all this is happening.” The whispered words brought a bit of comfort. She didn’t know what was going on, but God did. That was the important thing.

She hated to break the news to her mother, but money was going to be tight from here on out. They still had some insurance money left from her dad, but the medical bills from her mother were no small thing.

Sighing, she wondered briefly if she’d have to sell the house now.

The thought struck her hard, ricocheting against every nerve. She sat up slowly, her brain looping over itself as she processed that thought.

Was that what this was all about?

Once the idea took root, it grew. She remembered the menacing James Miller from Transcross and his subtle threats, the man with the dark glasses that seemed to keep turning up and both men telling her that good offers were rare and she should take advantage of their generosity.

Narrowing her eyes, she contemplated that idea. To some it may sound silly, but what other reason could there be? Her property was the only thing of any real value she and her mother had.

But how could she prove it?

And would anyone even believe her if she said anything?

Eli would. Even if no one else in this town would hear it, Eli would.

But the thought of turning to him for more help scared her. She remembered the hug in the church parking lot. How right it had felt. How wonderful it had been to feel his arms around her once more.

If he had truly changed…

Time would tell.

Eli parked back in front of Holly’s shop. He’d sold the three horses and dropped the payment at the bank. A phone call to check on his dad raised his spirits. Buckeye informed Eli that all was fine,