“These two didn’t seem like they were out to bolster their manhood. They meant what they said. I don’t know what to do.”
“You don’t have to do anything—we’ll do all the work. Every case that comes into this office is important. You gave me their descriptions, so that helps. I’ll make sure we get to the bottom of this. ”
Clutching her purse in her lap, Lena let out a long breath.
“Thank you. That’s all I needed to know.”
“Of course.” The slightly chubby man linked his hands together over his chest, staring at her across the expansive wooden desk. “We take things seriously, and anything we can do to rectify the matter will be done. You have my word.”
A wave of relief jolted through her system. Her shoulders relaxed, and she tucked her hair back into a messy bun with a sigh. It felt like a load of bricks had been shoved off her chest.
“Is there anything else?”
“No, that’s it.” Lena rose to her feet. “I hope you have a good night.” Turning, she walked out of the office and made her way outside.
The warm night breeze caressed her face, and the gentle rhythm of breaking waves echoed through the quiet streets. Standing under the star-filled sky, with the perfumed scent of blooming night plants, made the earlier incident at the eatery feel like it didn’t happen. It was like she’d fallen asleep and had a nightmare, and now she was awake and all was good. But it wasn’t.
Santa Teresita had been her slice of heaven ever since she’d been a small girl. And after the death of her parents, it had become her refuge and haven. Now, the picture-perfect life she’d been building in the town for the past few years had been marred by two psychopaths who would make good on their promise.
Lena opened the car door and slipped inside. At least Sheriff Windsor would look into it, and he seemed dedicated to taking care of the injustice.
On the way home, she put Felicia on speakerphone and relived the ordeal, but it made her feel a lot better. In this case, being strong wasn’t enough. She knew that as she stuck the key into the front door of her beachfront condo. Felicia was ranting about a coworker who had made her job harder for over a week straight, and Lena took a second to look into her darkened home before she crossed the threshold.
She loved the place, but nothing felt safe right now. Turning on the flashlight from her phone, she shined it into the condo. Once she was satisfied there wasn’t anything in the immediate vicinity, she flipped on the front hallway light switch and went inside. A small part of her felt ridiculously stupid, but after what she went through a few hours before, she wasn’t taking any chances, nor assuming there weren’t any risks.
“Are you okay? You’ve been quiet for a while now,” Felicia questioned.
“I’m good.” Lena shut the door with her foot, leaned up against the wall, and put her tote bag on the floor. “Sorry. I was just checking the house for monsters.”
“I don’t blame you. Maybe if you’d hooked up with Tank, you wouldn’t be so freaked. He could’ve been your big, bad protector, and then you wouldn’t have to worry.”
“Aren’t you ever going to let that go?” Lena laughed despite herself, and the release was more than welcome. “Besides, I don’t need some big, strong man hanging around me. I got it all taken care of, and it’ll be fine.” She’d be damned if she admitted to Fe that Tank had been on her mind earlier that night.
“Says the woman checking her place for errant bikers ready to kick her ass.”
Lena rolled her eyes. A quick canvas of the rest of the condo proved everything was the same as when she’d left the house for the restaurant that morning. The condo was small, and the open floor plan eliminated any places for a couple of bikers to hide. And there was no way anyone could fit into the closet in her bedroom. The walk-in was filled to the brim with different chef uniforms, fancy dresses for her catering business, and enough shoes to open a footwear museum.
Walking out of the bedroom, she opened the French doors and stepped out onto the balcony. She stared out at the ocean, letting the darkness of the night envelope her. The lights along the coastline glittered under the moonlight, and she caught a few people walking hand-in-hand along the boardwalk. The waves rolled in with their soothing sound, and the tension that had had a stranglehold on her since the two men entered the bistro fell away. She took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. Since she was a little girl, she’d always loved the ocean. Salty air, lacy waves washing ashore, squawking seagulls, breakers crashing against the pillars of the piers, and the seeming endlessness of the Pacific hugged and comforted her every time.
Felicia’s voice pulled her out of her musings. “Hey, have you eaten anything?”
“Not since this morning.”
Felicia clucked her tongue. It was something she did when she disapproved of a behavior.
“All right. I’ll get off the phone and grab something from the fridge. You don’t need to hound me about it. The next thing you know, you’ll be telling me Tank could have fixed me a sandwich and brought it to me on a silver platter.”
“It would be a start. And I bet he’d do it.” Lena could hear her best friend smile on the other end of the line.
I bet so too.
“Thanks for listening. I almost feel normal again.” Lena giggled. “There’s a bottle of white wine calling my name in the fridge, so I better get to it.”
“Don’t forget the sandwich, or you won’t be any good in the morning.”
“True. We’ll talk soon.”
Lena went back inside, walked into the kitchen, and made herself a sandwich with whatever was in the fridge—which happened to be cheese, tomato, and bacon, and a large glass of white wine finished it off. While she ate standing at the kitchen counter, she browsed her phone for extra security measures for the bistro and her home.
The thugs did one thing that she’d never forgive them for: they took away her sense of security.
A few days later, on a day with a bright sun in a cornflower-blue sky, Lena drove along Imperial Avenue, breathing in the briny air. Of all the routes to town, this one was her favorite, even though it took her several miles out of her way. The winding road wove around multi-million-dollar mansions layered into the rocky hillsides overlooking the ocean before curving around the bluffs, giving drivers and passengers alike front-row seats to the rocks, the beach, and the crashing waves, with ocean as far as the eye could see. Lena never tired of the view—it was breathtaking and humbling at the same time. This drive was her go-to place when the stresses and fears of life weighed too heavily on her. After what happened the night before, Imperial Avenue was the perfect antidote, and she didn’t have to pay a therapist a fortune for it.
A Mustang convertible pulled out of a space in front of the bistro, and Lena cruised into it. Grabbing her purse, she rushed into the eatery.
Customers filled every table in the small space, and there was an impressive line behind the cases displaying a colorful assortment of cookies and cupcakes. Decorating cookies was another way in which Lena relaxed, and early that morning, she’d baked dozens of them.
“Bad night?” Adalyn had asked when she saw the stack of baking sheets in the sink.