I pulled up in front of her store and jumped out of the car. The street was dim, but I could see Kane’s men posted in the shadows, watching. That only made my heart pound harder.
I hurried to the door and pushed it open, then locked it behind me.
A wave of floral fragrance hit me immediately—sweet, sharp, layered… unmistakably Natalie’s shop.
“Stay back! I have a weapon and I’m not afraid to use it!” she shouted from somewhere inside.
The lights were off, but I could make out her silhouette: tense, shaking, clutching something that looked like a baseball bat in one hand… and her phone glowing in the other. She was still on the call.
I stepped toward her slowly.
She swung the bat blindly and I had to duck. I reached for the phone, and she fought me—panicked, breathless until I finally
