Childhood Dream

by Theresa Paolo

  “Allison, I’m sorry, but I don’t want to be another one of your headlines. I’d actually prefer to keep this case as quiet as possible, so I don’t ruin my business.”

  “Screw the headline. I know who is doing this to you.”

  Krissy came to a stop and spun toward the reporter. “You do? How? Who?”

  “My mom thinks I missed my calling in the FBI. I have a knack for piecing things together and figuring out puzzles. I called Reid, but he’s been dodging my calls. Not that I’m surprised. The sheriff has always had a stick up his ass.”

  “Okay. What does that have to do with me?”

  “Yes, sorry. I tend to get off track, too. So once I was aware of everything that was going on, I started to dig, trying to find a motive into why someone would want to not only damage your property, but scare you also. The developers were my first guess. They’ve wanted this property for years, even dating back to when your aunt ran things.”

  Krissy hadn’t known that Aunt Doris had dealt with people wanting to buy her out. Knowing that, made Krissy proud that she had stayed firm all these years. “That’s what we thought. The developers I mean. They were our guess. Reid is looking into them, but Tony scared one of them off yesterday and we’re pretty sure he was the guy.”

  “No, too easy. Too obvious. Even if they hired someone else to do the dirty work. So if it couldn’t be the developers, who could it be? I started going through your social media, seeing if there was anyone who had any off-kilter comments, but you seem to be very well liked. Congratulations. That’s not an easy thing to accomplish.”

  “Thank you.”

  “People either love me or hate me. There’s no in between. Anyway, then I wondered if it was someone closer to you. Someone in your inner circle.”

  “Definitely not.”

  “Wrong. You’re too trusting. I knew it had to be something big, and let’s be honest, this property you own is a gold mine. But it’s yours, so why would that matter to anyone else? Then I pulled your great aunts will.”

  “My great aunt’s will! How did you?”

  Allison waved her hand. “I know a lot of people and most of them owe me favors. Anyway, I found the answer in the will.”

  “I don’t get it. In the will she clearly gave me total ownership to Scoops.”

  “Yes, but with one stipulation.”

  Krissy tried to remember the reading of the will. It had been four years ago, though, and she’d pretty much blocked everything about Aunt Doris’s death. “Something about if I decide to sell.”

  “Exactly. If you decide to sell, then you are to split whatever compensation after all fees are paid between—”

  “My father, my two aunts, uncle, and my cousins.” The fine print came back to her. “What are you saying? Someone in my family is doing this? No, it can’t be. There is absolutely no way.”

  “Krissy, I’m sorry, but the person doing this to you is—” Before she could finish her sentence, she collapsed.

  “Allison!” she screamed, then her eyes landed on the very last person she would have suspected.

  “Stupid bitch just couldn’t mind her damn business.”

  Krissy gasped. “Victor! Have you lost your mind?”

  “No, I’m doing what needs to be done.” He stalked toward her and grabbed her arm, yanking her into the building. He slammed the door and pushed her inside. Her back smacked into the freezer, and pain radiated up her spine.

  “And what is that?”

  “What I should have done years ago.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “You have always been Doris’s favorite. I should have known she’d leave this dump to you while the rest of us have to work our asses off just to get by when we could be living large off of the profit from the sale.”

  “We discussed this.” She remembered the will reading now. Victor had been okay with Krissy keeping Scoops, and running it just as their aunt had hoped. But that was before he tore his ACL and his career in the NFL became impossible. Now, without the potential multi-million-dollar deal, no football to fall back on, he’d been floundering through life, trying to find his place in a world he didn’t quite fit into. Football had been his life since he could walk.

  “I’m sorry about your leg, and your career,” she said.

  “Shut up! I don’t want your damn sympathy. I want the fucking money, and you’re going to get it for me so I can get the hell out of this godforsaken town.”

  “I’ll do whatever you want, but let me go check on Allison. There was no reason to hurt that poor woman. She did nothing wrong.”

  “She did everything wrong. She was sticking that damn stuck up nose of hers into things that don’t concern her. “I could’ve scared you enough to sell without you ever knowing it was me, and now I have no choice but to force my hand because that bitch can’t help herself.”

  “Force my hand? How?”

  He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a stack of papers that were stapled at the top. “This is a bill of sale ,and you’re going to sign it.”

  “And if I refuse?”

  “Trust me, you don’t want to do that.”

  “What if I do? Then what?”

  He reached into his inner coat pocket and pulled out a gun, pointing it at her head.

  She gasped, but her rage overpowered her fear. “You’re going to shoot me? Your own flesh and blood? We took baths together as kids, for fuck sakes. Went trick-or-treating together every year until we were ten.”

  “Memories can’t help me now. Only money can. I’ve been waiting for you to give up on this place, but then you had to go and submit it to be a historical landmark. We’ll never make the money we can make on it if that happens.”

  “Are you in trouble? I can help you. Put the damn gun down, and we can talk about this like two rational human beings.”

  “You can’t help me. No one can.”

  “Let me try.”

  “No!” he yelled, shoving the gun forward and stepping toward her.

  She held her hands up. “Victor, please…”

  “Sign the damn paper, Krissy.”

  “I don’t want to.”

  He pursed his lips and flung his arm wide. A loud pop reverberated through the building as a bullet pierced her cabinet. A scream tore from her throat, but the sound got lost to the ringing in her ears.

  “I said sign the damn paper.” His voice was a muffled set of words she could barely make out. She pressed a hand to her ear, trying to get the ringing to stop. Victor put the gun back on her, and she swallowed down the bitter fear.

  “All right. I’ll sign it.”

  He slid a pen across the counter, and she took it into her shaking hand. Pulling the papers close to her, she pressed the tip of the pen to the highlighted line. She sent up a silent apology to Aunt Doris as well as a prayer.

  “What’s taking so long? Sign the fucking thing.”

  “I’m sorry my hands are shaking because someone has a gun pointed at my head.”

  Tears slid down her cheeks and she pressed harder into the paper, drawing the first line of the K.”

  The door slammed open, and Krissy ducked just as a shot rang out.

  Chapter 20

  Tony lounged in the red leather chair at Tattoos by the Sea and glanced over at Garrett. “How’s business been?”

  Garrett kicked his feet out, resting one black motorcycle boot on the other. “Good. I have a new hire starting in two weeks to help me deal with the tourists. I don’t know what it is about vacations, but suddenly everybody wants to get a tattoo before they return home, and I don’t have the availability to take in walk-ins right now.

  “Is he good?” Though there was no way Garrett would hire someone who wasn’t. Still, Garrett’s bar was set much higher than most.

  “She, and her stuff is amazing, actually. I met her at the convention and she’d been looking to move somewhere new. I offered her the position, and she’s driving here this weekend. Already has a
security deposit down for a place.”

  “She moves fast.”

  “She’s eager, and it’s exactly what this shop needs. What about you? Word on the boardwalk is you and Krissy are an official.” He held his fingers up and air quoted. “Couple.”

  He glanced over at his friend, a stupid smile spreading too wide across his face, and nodded. “We are.” He laughed, thinking about all the nights he’d go on and on about how much he loved Krissy back when puberty had hit and their voices were just starting to squeak.

  “I’m happy for you, dude. I really am.”

  “Thanks. Who knows, maybe if things go well with the new hire, we can double date.”

  “Oh no! I do not date my employees.”

  “I don’t know. She sounds kind of perfect for you.”

  “She sounds perfect for the shop and that’s it.”

  “Is she hot?”

  “Yes, but that’s irrelevant.”

  “If you say so.”

  “Sometimes I forget how annoying you can be.”

  “Yet you’ve stuck with me since elementary school, so deep down you must love it.”

  “Shut up, asshole.”

  Out of the corner of Tony’s eye, he spotted Reid running full speed down the boardwalk. A sickening feeling in his gut hit, and he jumped up. “I just saw Reid running and I don’t know why but I can tell something’s wrong.”

  “Go,” Garrett said. “I’m sure it’s nothing, but for your own peace of mind go.”

  “I’ll be back if it’s nothing.”

  “I’ll be here.”

  Tony ran out of the Tattoo shop and willed his legs to move faster. He reached Reid just as Reid reached the end of the boardwalk.

  “Everything okay?” Tony asked.

  “No.” Reid hurried along and Tony followed.

  “Is it Krissy? I’m coming with you.”

  “You can’t. I already took you once, violating every rule in the book.”

  “Then tell me what is going on.”

  “Allison texted me that she figured out who is terrorizing Krissy.”

  “It was the developer. I scared him off yesterday, he won’t be back.”

  “It wasn’t the developer.”

  “Then who the hell is it?”

  “She didn’t say… just sent me a copy of the will.”

  “What will?”

  “Krissy’s great aunt.”

  “I’m not understanding.”

  “There’s a clause in the will that if Krissy decides to sell, all profits must be split amongst the surviving family members.”

  “You think someone in her family is doing this?” The thought was ludicrous, but money made people crazy.

  “Has to be. It makes perfect sense. The motive is as clear as day.”

  The fear and panic suffocating him dissipated. “Someone in her family wouldn’t hurt her.”

  “I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”

  “Huh?” Tony’s head snapped toward Reid, and Reid handed him his cellphone as they wound through the parking lot. Tony scanned the top, seeing Allison’s name, and looked at her newest string of texts. The second to last one told him she was going to Scoop’s to look for Krissy. And the last one… all it said was: Help.

  The wind was knocked right the hell out of his chest. “Krissy’s at Scoops,” he managed.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, I’m sure. She was going to do a deep cleaning of the entire inside before the season. I offered to go with her, but she told me she would be fine and since we thought the developer was the one… Fuck!” He shoved his hand through his hair. “I should’ve gone with her.”

  Reid grabbed his shoulder and squeezed. “It’ll be okay. She’ll be okay.”

  “I hope so or I’ll never forgive myself.” If something were to happen to her…he couldn’t imagine losing her. Not when they just got together. He needed more time with her. An eternity wouldn’t be enough, though, he’d settle for old and gray.

  “I need you to stay here.” Reid flung his door open.

  “The fuck I will.”

  “Tony!” Reid’s voice echoed through the day. “I can’t protect Krissy and Allison if I’m worried about you.”

  Tony’s jaw clenched, his fingers cutting into his palms and his hands clenched into tight fists. “Fine.”

  “Fingers crossed we’re overreacting.”

  Tony so wished that would be the case, but the single word of help from Allison told him they weren’t. Not in the least.

  Reid’s lights bounced off the cars in the parking lot as he whipped out of the parking lot. As soon as he was out of sight, Tony jumped in his car and headed to Scoops.

  Chapter 21

  “Drop it, asshole,” Allison said, aiming a gun at Victor’s head. Where the hell did she get a gun? Krissy stayed low, crab walking to hide behind the freezer, wishing she did more squats. Pain radiated in her thigh at the effort, but she ignored it. Pain was the least of her worries right now. Her cousin had lost his damn mind, and Willow Cove’s famed reporter was brandishing a gun like she was the star of some TV drama.

  “I thought I knocked you out,” Victor growled.

  “Lucky for me, I can take a hit. Not so lucky for you. Now I’m going to ask you one more time. Drop the gun.”

  “Or what? You’ll shoot? If you ask me, you’re a lousy shot.”

  “Ha! You think I didn’t do that on purpose?” She aimed the gun to his right. “Name the target.”

  “Um. Allison, please don’t put any more bullet holes in my equipment,” Krissy said as if two people weren’t armed and dangerous.

  What was life? What the hell was happening right now?

  “Yes, please don’t. We can sell this stuff for a pretty penny.”

  Anger surged through Krissy’ veins and she shot up from her hiding spot. “Me nor you are selling a damn thing!” All her frustration and rage came out, her words echoed in the small space.

  “Wrong,” Victor said, waving the gun a little too haphazardly for Krissy’s taste. “You’re going to sign the damn papers and then little Miss Reporter over here is going to let me walk out that door.”

  “In your dreams, asshole,” Allison spat.

  “Such a mouth on you.”

  “You have no idea.”

  Krissy didn’t know what the hell to do, but neither Victor nor Allison were backing down. They were at a standstill and if she didn’t figure something out, Allison’s talking might get her shot. You’d think a gun at her head would keep her quiet, but it seemed to make her more combative.

  “It’s over, Victor,” Krissy said. “You’re caught.”

  “You’re not calling the shots here!”

  “You can’t get away with this. Not now. What will you tell your mom? Your dad?”

  “I just need you to sign the damn papers, and I can disappear with my share of the profits. Then I won’t have to hear all their pity comments about how I could have been huge if I didn’t fuck up my leg. How I could have been a hometown hero if only. If only. If only. Well, I’m fucking sick of it!”

  “I had no idea,” Krissy said, blinking up and meeting the eyes of the man who held a gun, but searching for the boy who once had her back. Who held her hand while crossing the street. Who stayed up late watching scary movies with her when they were twelve. The boy who gave her a best friend necklace for Christmas that same year.

  He had to be in there. Somewhere.

  “Victor, please.”

  His eyes darkened, evil washing away any remnants of that boy she once knew. “Don’t give me that sweet and innocent doe-eyed stare. I’m not your dad. It’s not going to work on me.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Oh, give me a break. Don’t stand there and act like you don’t use that look to get what you want. You perfected it after your mom left and your dad could never say no to you probably because he was afraid you’d bail on his ass, too.”

  Tears pricked Krissy’s eyes, and she c
lenched her teeth. “Shut up!”

  “Oh, does the truth hurt? Little innocent Krissy,” he mocked. “It’s the only reason Aunt Doris left you this place. She felt bad for you since you were so pathetic.”

  “I said shut up!” Rage licked at the edges of Krissy’s temper, and she could barely contain it. He had no idea what he was talking about.

  “Your mommy left you, yet you were so spoiled that you couldn’t see that your stepmom was a thousand times better than that whore, anyway.”

  Something inside Krissy snapped. All rational thought flew out the window, and she charged, slamming into Victor square in the gut, knocking him back.

  Chapter 22

  Tony whipped into Scoop’s parking lot and jumped out of the car as Reid turned and saw him. “I told you to stay put!” Reid’s voice came out more like a roar.

  A loud pop echoed through the air then a loud scream followed. His head snapped to Reid. “Was that a gunshot?”

  “Shit!” Reid pressed a button on the radio on his shoulder and started speaking as he jumped into action, grabbing for his gun and bracing his legs wide as he hurried toward the building.

  Tony’s heart slammed against his chest as he watched Reid, helpless from the parking lot. He promised him he wouldn’t get in the way and that he’d let Reid handle it, but how the hell was he supposed to sit back when Krissy could be hurt.

  She didn’t get the option to sit back in safety. She was thrust into danger with no warning. He kept low toward the building and followed the path Reid took.

  “This is the police. Hands up!” he heard Reid yell, and Tony peered around the doorway. A bullet pierced the framework. His heart slammed his chest, making it impossible to breathe. Was Krissy hurt? Did she get shot?

  He needed to know. He looked away from the bullet hole, preparing himself for the worst as his gaze drifted to the rest of the scene.

  Allison Winters stood in too high heels holding a gun while her foot sat atop another. Reid had his arms around Krissy, who was beating the ever-living shit out of someone on the ground.