CHAPTER 41 A Warning
*Joy*
Cristos and I left Dom's with our arms linked, fighting the urge to laugh. It took more than that to actually make me cry, but I needed to be perceived as weak.
"My car or yours?" Cristos asked. My car was parked right in front of Bo's, so I knew Xavier would keep an eye on it while I was away.
"Yours," I answered. He nodded his head and led me to his SUV. "By the way, Chip, I need to head to-"
"Thank God, I caught you!" A male voice exclaimed from behind Chip's Range Rover. I saw the hat before I saw the man.
Jack Emery was beginning to become a thorn in my side. I looked up at him, surprised to find him lurking in the parking lot.
"If I didn't know better, Undersheriff, I would think you were stalking me," I said, giving him a curious look. Cristos raised his eyebrows, puzzled, and pointed his fingers at the both of us.
"Wait. Aside from last night, you two have seen each other...," Cristos said, his voice trailing off. "Where and when exactly?" He asked.
"This morning at the diner," Jack answered nonchalantly. "Virtue paid for my breakfast. I was hoping to repay her by inviting her to grab some coffee."
I gave him a small smile and placed a hand on my forehead. He was relentless. "I'm sorry, Jack. I've already had coffee. I have a feeling if I have one more cup, I'll be jittery." He nodded his head.
"I understand. Well, how about a drink later at the pub then?" Jack asked, giving me goo goo eyes. I was about to refuse since I already went out last night, but Cristos answered for me before I could open my mouth.
"Of course!" Cristos exclaimed happily. I wanted to step on his foot. I really needed to get some sleep. "The pub will be closed this weekend because half of Noah's team will be fixing the ceiling starting tomorrow morning. Soooo.... everyone should come tonight."
"You're having the pub renovated?" Jack asked, shocked.
"Yep. Just some things to make it look less..." Cristos paused to think of the right word.
"Dingy," I said. We all laughed.
"I have to agree the pub needs fixing. But you're keeping the hardwood floors, right?" Jack asked.
Cristos nodded. "I'll be having the wood refinished. You know...patch, repair and sand, then Noah's men will apply fresh stain and lacquer. When it's done, my floor is going to shine like it's brand new. I'm also having the walls repainted and the front bar, under bar and back bar replaced. I'm guessing everything will be done in a month or so."
"The pub will be closed every weekend for a month?!" Jack didn't sound too happy.
"Well, maybe longer when I have the floors done. I need everything to set and dry before any of us can step on the wood," Cristos explained. "I'll probably need the same amount of time for the bar."
"I guess we just have to drink at home then," Jack said, smiling. "So, I'll see you tonight, Virtue?"
"How can I say no to the both of you," I answered, smiling back. "I'll see you tonight, Undersheriff. Right now, Chip and I have to head to town hall."
Jack's brow furrowed. "What for?"
"For our building permits, silly," Cristos replied, flapping his hand in the air. "Virtue needs hers right away. She wants her boutique operational before prom. That's still a thing, right? I mean, prom?" Cristos looked meaningfully at Jack, hoping to get a reaction.
"Yeah, it's still a thing," Jack murmured, his eyes glazing over. "You're right... The spring formal is coming up." He blinked his eyes rapidly and shook his head as if he was shaking away a bad thought or a bad memory in his head.
My hands instantly balled into fists. Unlike this bastard standing in front of me, I could never shake away the memory of that horrible night.
Cristos, who had noticed my cheeks had gone red, coughed and opened the door of the passenger side of his car. " Virtue, get in. Jack, we'll just see you later tonight." Cristos waved at Jack and sashayed his way to the driver's side.
I smiled at Jack before entering the car. When I was seated, Jack gave me a small wave and closed the door for me.
"You okay, Virtue?" Cristos asked as he drove us out of the parking lot.
I gave him a bright smile. "No pain, no gain."
At town hall, Dan told us to head on up to see Abigail which meant I would have to face Liam.
*What a way to ruin my day*...
Cristos knocked tentatively. After we heard a female voice say 'come in', he opened the door. Abigail was seated at her desk, wearing a salmon colored pant suit and a big smile.
"Good morning, Abigail! We just saw Dan downstairs and he told us we could pick up our building permits from you," Cristos said in a hushed tone while practically tiptoeing across the room to Abigail's desk. He pointed at Liam's office. "Is Liam here?"
"No, but he'll be here later in the day," Abigail answered while shuffling through the documents on her desk. I entered the room, feeling lucky I was able to dodge seeing Liam, and closed the door behind me.
"Here are your building permits as promised. It would've been done when Lisa was here earlier, but I had to wait for the floor plans and costs. Pete just sent them awhile ago." She handed us our documents. "Well, you guys are all set. If you need anything else, don't hesitate to ask me."
"Thank you so much, Abigail," I said while placing my permit inside my tote bag. "I hope when construction is finished, you can drop by."
"Of course I will, Virtue," she replied, grinning at me. "So where are the both of you off to?"
"Maybe go and have brunch," Cristos answered. "I'm hungry. Since Liam isn't here, why don't you join us?"
"I'd love to, but I have to finish all of this before the day ends," she refused politely while placing a hand over a pile of papers on her desk. "Tomorrow is a Saturday and I was planning to drive to Bismarck for some antiques. New stuff will be coming in today, so I'm excited I might find a new tea cup to add to my collection."
"We should do that, Chip," I suggested. "Noah told me Bismarck has great vintage finds."
"Alright. We can do that after brunch," Cristos agreed. "Since you have so much work to do, we won't take anymore of your time, Abigail. Thanks again."
Unexpectedly, Abigail stood up from my desk and grabbed my arm. "Wait, Virtue," she said, her voice faint and subdued. "I know this will sound crazy, but I overheard Liam tell Noah to put up CCTV cameras in your store." I stared into her eyes, my brow furrowing while my eyes slightly narrowed, trying to figure out why her voice sounded so familiar.
It's like I've been hearing it over and over in my head. I needed a second to think. If only I could remember...
She suddenly let go of her arm and laughed nervously. "I-I'm terribly sorry. You know what? Just forget I ever said anything."
"It does sound... weird, but thanks for the warning," I murmured. I took her hands in mine. "Thank you, Abigail."
I squeezed her hands before letting go.
After blowing Abigail a kiss, Cristos rushed forward to open the door so we could leave.
When the door swung open, I gasped. Standing in the doorway, leaning forward with his right ear towards us, was Liam. He was obviously eavesdropping, the prick!
"Uhm, why are you standing in the doorway of your own office, Liam?"
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