“I think I love him.”
“You think? Girl, there’s no thinking. You either do or you don’t. Which is it?”
I smile. “I love him.”
She grins, clapping her hands together and shrieking. “I knew it! I knew you and Mr. Tall, Dark and Handsome were perfect for each other. Have you told him you love him yet?”
“Not yet. He’s still a little hurt by his past. I need to take things carefully with him.”
Sim nods in understanding. “He’s been through a lot, but you’re the right person to get him back on the love track.”
I roll my eyes. “Get out of here before you kill me with cringe.”
She pushes up from the wall where she was leaning and waves a hand. “Okay, okay, I’m going, but girl, take my advice… hang on to this one. He’s one of the good ones.”
She’s not wrong. Jared is a good man. I knew that the moment I met him. He’s good with his son too, and his friends seem to go out of their way to help him, which tells me he’s good to them too.
He’s pretty much my perfect guy—kind, caring, takes charge, but not overbearing. I can’t wait to visit the zoo with him and Coop. I’m starting to love that kid too. He’s a character and although I know I can’t replace his mama, I hope there’s room for me to play a similar role in our little dynamic.
I lock the front door after Sim then head to the back, moving the money out of the register and into the safe. Closing down the store has started to become a routine I do without thinking about now. I have my own set pattern of things I do and the order I do them in to make sure everything gets done. The store has been fantastic for me, in fact. I feel like I finally have a sense of myself back. I’m no longer Thomas’s ex, or the domestic violence victim. I’m a survivor and I can do anything I put my mind to.
My phone trills on the counter and I head over to it. Seeing Harry’s name on the screen I slide my finger over the answer button.
“Hey, Harry.”
“Nee, that portrait you have… I did a lot of digging around and the expert I called in thinks it could be a Mark Lloyd image.”
“Mark who?”
“He’s an eighteenth-century artist. If it’s a Lloyd, it’s worth in excess of a million dollars.”
My jaw nearly hits the floor.
“What?” I whisper, unable to find my voice.
“You need to get it insured immediately.”
“Oh my God. You’re sure?”
“Pretty sure. We have a few more tests to do, but looking through the documents relating to provenance of the piece, I think it is a lost portrait. How did you come by it again?”
“A storage unit buy-out.” My head is reeling with this new information. How can that ugly old portrait be worth that much?
“Get it insured, sweetheart. Do it as soon as you hang up on me.”
“Okay,” I murmur. “I can’t believe it.”
“Me neither, but you really landed on a gold mine here, Nee.”
A million-dollar painting… it would mean I wouldn’t need to worry about money—if I sold it. I’m not sure what I’d do with it, though. I’ve never been in this position before, and I never expected to be in it. I thought my store would be filled with trinkets that were worth next to nothing.
“Okay… I need to process this. Keep finding out what you can about the painting. I’ll try to sort some insurance. Thanks, Harry.”
“Sweetheart, you don’t have to thank me. This is the most excitement I’ve had in my life for nearly a decade.”
I say my goodbyes and hang up the call. Then I continue to shut the store down for the evening, wondering where I can get insurance for that much.
I lock the shop up and walk to my car, my head full of my conversation with Harry. I have no idea how to deal with what I’ve learned. I have no idea how to proceed.
I wonder what Jared will make of this…
I’m so deep in thought, I don’t notice the figure step out of the shadows until a hand goes around my neck and drags me back. I try to scream, but my voice is stopped by the pressure on my throat.
Then it’s light’s out.
25
Jared
Nia doesn’t show up for the zoo in the morning. At first, I wonder if she got cold feet, but I know she’d never leave Cooper hanging like this. She’s not the kind of person to crush a young kid’s excitement. I pack my son into the car and head over to her place, but there’s no answer there either.
Truthfully, I’m starting to get a little worried. I don’t know what possesses me to do it, but I drive over to the store and as soon as I pull into the back lot, I see her car parked up.
What the fuck?
I leave Coop in his car seat, lock the doors and jog over to her vehicle. Peering through the window, I see nothing out of the ordinary other than the fact the car is here and she’s not.
I move over to the back door of the building and try the handle, half expecting it to be unlocked. It doesn’t open. I try knocking. Nothing.
Stepping over to the window, I glance through and see nothing moving inside. If she’s here, she’s doing a good job of hiding.
Did she get cold feet?
My heart skips a little as I pull my phone out and dial her again. I haven’t felt fear like this since Robyn died. It’s only my Army training that keeps me level-headed enough to think clearly about my next steps. As I put the handset to my ear, I become aware of a noise that sounds like a ringtone. I pull the handset away and can hear it muffled now.
Following the sound, I move over to the dumpster and when I lift the lid, I see a purse sitting on top of the rubbish. It’s Nia’s purse, and it’s ringing.
My heart rate picks up speed. Why is her purse in the trash?
Worst-case scenarios careen in my brain. Something has happened to her. It must have. It’s the only thing that makes sense.
I rush back to the car and climb in. I give my son a glance in the rear-view mirror, and then I dial Slider.
He picks up on the second ring, but I don’t give him a chance to say anything.
“Nia’s missing.”
“What do you mean she’s missing?”
“She wasn’t home, so I came to the store. Her purse is in the trash, her car is parked up, but there’s no sign of her.”
Slider pauses then mutters a “Fuck”.
Yeah, that about covers it.
“Have you called the police?”
“That’s my next call after you, but I don’t trust them to find her.”
I don’t trust anyone to find her but me.
“Okay, I’m on my way over. I’ll bring Beanie too.” Slider sighs. “We’ll find her, J-Dog. I promise you.”
I hope that’s a promise he can keep because the thought of being without Nia makes my gut twist.
I hang up and dial the police. They, as I suspect, try to tell me I need to call back after forty-eight hours to report her missing. When I tell them about the two break-ins, they seem to take things a little more seriously.
When I hang up with them, I glance at my son again. “Sorry, buddy. I think the zoo will have to wait.”