The Sweetest Thing (Book 1) ✓

25 - Evaluation time

          Emily

I entered my bakery...or what was left of it and I wanted to cry again. Somehow, I managed to keep the tears at bay, not letting them. Everything that I worked for, that Dax and his team worked for was destroyed. There wasn't one singe piece that was whole, everything was broken.

"Hey, look at me." Dax was staying on my left side and made me turn to him, to look at him. "We'll make it looks good again, Okay? Don't worry about anything. You'll have your bakery, me and the boys will be coming to eat here all the time and will have to train a lot harder not the let it show on our bodies how much we enjoy your pastries. Everything will be fine." He then hugged me, engulfed me in his big arms and warm body, making me believe in his words. I don't know how, or with what money, but I really tried to believe that everything will be alright...soon. Maybe not right now, nor in the next few months, but...soon. We heard the door opening and I turned my head to try and see who it was, but was not successful – his big bicep was in my way.

"Oh, my God! It's a disaster!" The screech didn't help calming my nerves.

"Caitie, what are you doing here?" Dax was sounding something between bored and annoyed. Then his whole body became rigid and I knew something changed. "What are you doing here?" His voice became ice-cold, his whole demeanor chanced in an instanced. That 'you' was said so hard, with such hatred, that I was sure it wasn't for his sister, it was for someone else. I tried to looked again, tried to get away from his body, but Dax just held me firmer, not letting me move.

"I was just walking around with Caitie and she told me that the bakery was trashed so we decided to come and see what happened here. It looks really bad. I don't know you'll be able to make it work again." Rebecca. How was I not surprised that she'll be here, enjoying my misery?

"We'll managed it just fine, no need to worry, Becca. We have a plan and soon you'll see the shop open and full with clients. It's kind of good that we'll have a clean slate, to be honest. Now, we can do whatever we want, however and wherever we want it to be." Dax, the most positive person that I knew. Somehow he'll always see the light in the darkness, the positive side of a tragedy, just like now.

"Hmm, if you say so. I'm just curious who she made so mad."

"What are you talking about?" Caitie decided to join the conversation between Dax and his ex.

"Don't you see all the words on the walls? You don't write 'whore', 'watch your back' or 'you'll pay' just to destroy a place. It's a message. Just wondering from whom." I haven't even read what was on the walls. I just saw there were some words on them, but was so focused on the broken pieces on the floor that I didn't even try to see what was written.

"Well, it's none of your business, so don't worry your head with it. We will figure it out. The cops are working on the leads and soon will have the people responsible for it locked."

"Leads?"

"Yeah, Caitie. There's a lot of them. No one can make such a mess without leaving something behind. And we found it, just need the results from the lab and we'll have our suspects in custody pretty quick." That was the first time that I heard all of this. There were more than one? And the police had suspects? And evidence? Why Dax didn't tell me about all of it?

"Good, good. That's good. Knowing the police it doing their job."

"We always do our job, Becca. Now, it'll be better if you two go on your way, we have some work to do here." And with that, Dax took me to the back of the place, away from the door.

"Dax, is there really...umm...do you know who is..."

"I'm sorry, Cupcake, but no, not exactly."

"But you said..."