‘Yeah. Cade tried to keep it calm, but Preston swung first. They were grappling near the shelves when Caroline chucked sothing at Cade. A potted succulent from the reception counter. Ceramic. Heavy.’
‘Did it hit him?’
‘His chest. Not the face, thank God. He dropped hard. Grabbed his ribs. Caroline and Preston froze like they hadn’t ant to actually hurt him.’
‘And Serenna?’
‘She freaked when she recognised Cade. Said he’s so influencer with a massive following. Started yelling at them to stop before it got recorded. Dragged Caroline towards the door.’
I heard a shaky inhale.
‘Are they still there?’ I asked.
‘No. Yvaine and I were trying to check Cade’s ribs. They slipped out while we were distracted.’ Priya sounded worn out.
I pressed my thumb against my palm.
I’d expected a ss.
I just hadn’t expected them to finish making it before I got there.
‘Is Cade alright? Did he go to the hospital?’
‘Yvaine just took him. They left maybe two minutes ago. He could walk, so probably nothing serious. We called the police. I’m waiting here for them now.’
‘Don’t touch anything they broke. Let the cops see it all exactly how it is.’ I breathed out. ‘They’re loud but spineless. They won’t co back right away. Just stay put and wait for the officers.’
‘Okay.’
I ended the call and turned to Ashton. ‘I’m going back. This networking circus can carry on without .’
He’d been standing close enough to hear every word.
Before I’d even hung up, he was already typing.
‘I’ve got the driver on standby,’ he said. ‘If we leave now, we’ll hit the airport in forty minutes. There’s a flight leaving in an hour.’
‘Fine.’
I texted Daniel to smooth things over with the organisers.
Ashton and I skipped the hotel, went straight out the lobby and into the car.
Gino kept the accelerator pressed.
Two hours later, we pulled up in front of the studio.
Fluorescent light poured through the glass door.
Inside, Priya was bent over the floor with a dustpan, sweeping broken bits into a tal tray.
There were chunks of dark brown ceramic near her feet and soil scattered across the tiles.
I didn’t wait for the car to stop completely.
I shoved the door open and jumped out.
‘Priya!’ I stepped inside and grabbed her arm to check her over.
No cuts. No bruises.
Her ponytail was a ss but she wasn’t limping.
‘What did the police say?’
‘They finished taking photos and said I could clean up. They sent soone to the Vances’ place, but it was empty. Phones all off.’
She’d already swept the biggest chunks into a plastic bag, but I could still see where the ss had been—mud streaks on the tile, torn paper near the back door, a dent in the filing cabinet.
I pulled out my phone and dialled Caroline.
Voicemail.
I dropped the call.
Typical. They’d realised they’d smacked soone with a public following and now they were probably holed up sowhere trying to figure out how much trouble they’d bought themselves.
‘Stop cleaning. We’re closing for a few days. Go ho, get so proper sleep.’
She nodded without arguing.
I turned to Ashton. ‘Let’s go.’
We headed straight for the hospital.
When we got there, Cade was in bed, propped up by two white pillows.
His leg was in a soft brace, but he looked smug as hell.
Yvaine sat beside him with a peeled orange in her lap.
‘I’ve been breakable since birth,’ Cade announced. ‘Tripped over a crack in the sidewalk when I was four, snapped my arm clean through. This one’s just a small fracture. Doctor said it’ll heal in three weeks.’ He grinned. ‘So psychic told my mum I’d never make it to twenty. I’m twenty-one now and still kicking. Guess these little disasters scare the bad luck away.’
Yvaine looked like she wanted to strangle soone.
Her lashes were wet.
Cade gave her a pitiful look. ‘Yvie, it really stings. Co rub it for ?’
‘The doctor said don’t touch it. Tough it out.’
She popped a segnt of orange into his mouth and tapped the tip of his nose.
Two quick knocks landed on the door.
Yvaine turned. Her face relaxed when she saw .
She stood. ‘You got here fast.’
I stepped closer to the bed. ‘He alright?’
‘Just a hairline fracture. Landed square on his collarbone. He’s young. He’ll heal in no ti.’
I exhaled through my nose. ‘Thanks for stepping in. If you two hadn’t shown up, they might’ve trashed the whole place. Sorry you got dragged into it.’
Cade waved from the bed. ‘Co on, it was nothing! Like I’d let them gang up on a girl in broad daylight. I’d have handled all three of them on my own.’
‘Shut up, Cade.’ Yvaine rolled her eyes. ‘Mira, any luck with the police? Did they find them?’
‘No. All three vanished. Phones off, nowhere to be found.’
I dialled Caroline.
Straight to voicemail, again.
Sa for the other two.
Then, two minutes later, my phone lit up.
I answered. ‘Finally turned your phone back on? Thought you could beat soone half to death and just disappear?’
Her voice had changed. No shrieking this ti. Quieter. eker. ‘Mirabelle... did you call the cops? We didn’t an for it to go that far. We’ll pay for the hospital bills, alright? Just drop the charges. Preston got hurt too. He’s sore all over. It was mutual. Not all our fault.’
‘You barged into my studio, smashed property, threatened my staff, sent soone to the ER, then fled the scene. That’s criminal. If any of you had a shred of sense, you’d hand yourselves in before it gets worse.’
‘You wouldn’t even pick up my calls! Preston lost his temper—’
I cut her off. ‘Fine. All three of you show up at the hospital. Apologise to Cade, face-to-face. Sort out the dical bills properly. If you do that, maybe I’ll consider settling this privately.’
‘You’re serious?’
‘Dead serious.’
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