CHAPTER 84 Secret Wall
Joy
I had Cristos follow me home so I could pick up my overnight bag and leave my car. After locking up
my house, we drove back into town.
Cristos dropped me off at my boutique while he went next door to do some grocery shopping. The boys
at Old Man Eugene’s wanted some steaks and potatoes delivered for dinner. Through the storefront
windows, I noticed my shop was clean, furnished, but empty. Noah and his crew must have already
gone home.
I opened the door and dropped my heavy overnight bag on the floor, my eyes surverying the finished-
project. I sighed happily.
This was my store.
I walked inside, my heels making a slight clickety ck sound against the polished hardwood. floors
with my every step. The mirrors seemed to glow underneath the lights. The vintage furniture I had
bought from Bismarck gave the shop an elegant appeal. All that was missing were the gowns, dresses,
suits and apparel I was going to sell. I twirled around, reveling at a dream that could have been mine, if
I wasn’t raped and brutalized.
While I was admiring myself in one of the mirrors, I suddenly heard voices. Odd. I tiptoed to the short
hallway towards the back where my office, bathroom, storage room and fitting rooms were all located.
The lights weren’t on in that particr area, so I squinted my eyes to see through the darkness.
I found Noah and Nicole standing in front of the wall that separated my space from Xavier’s
warehouse. While Noah was still wearing what he wore this morning, Nicole was in a floral spaghetti
strap mini dress and high heeled sandals, her hair in a ponytail in the back of her head. They were
whispering to each other, oblivious to the fact that I was standing right behind them.
“Nicole, trust me,” Noah whispered. “I promise I’ll make it up to you. When all my ns push through,
you and I will be together. Right now, all the pieces are starting toe together. Per
and Liam are at each other’s throats. It’s all going to happen soon.” Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.
“Don’t give me that, Noah. Don’t y with me. I saw her the other night at your office. If it weren’t for
her ck hair-
1/5
11:41 Thu, Mar 28
CHAPTER 84 Secret Wall
“Virtue, I have some
store.
croissants and coffee for you,
Cristos’ voice echoed throughout my Cristos’ voice echoed
I pursed my lips, frustrated at the sudden interruption. Thanks a lot, Cristos.
I quickly switched on the lights.
Nicole and Noah both turned to find me admiring the wall paper while Cristos stood behind me. I turned
my head in their direction and jumped, pretending I was startled by them.
“Oh my gosh! I didn’t notice you guys were there!” I eximed.
“Virtue… Chip… uh hi! We were just about to leave,” Nicole lied. I noticed Noah’s face had. turned
bright red from being caught off-guard.
“Noah, you did excellent work,” Cristos said, cing the food on the counter. “So when can I haye you
back at the pub?”
I moved aside so Noah and Nicole could walk by Noah’s face was still a bit red while Nicole looked
annoyed. I rolled my eyes at them. Of all the stu pid things they could do, they had to have a meeting
here.
“About that, I was nning on going to the pub tonight to speak to you about postponing
the renovations at the pub. I was hired by Linda Jacobs to up the debris from the
funeral home and start construction right away. Chimes is the only funeral home we have in New
Salem and now that it’s ash, I think it’s my civic duty to help build another one for the people of New
Salem, Noah said, sounding like a politician.
“Seems like you want to run for mayor, Noah,” Cristos quipped. “Sure, I can postpone renovations on
the pub. Just promise me when your schedule is free, you’lle and finish
it.”
“I promise,” Noah said, extending his hand. Cristos grabbed it and shook it, sealing the deal. “Virtue, I’ll
come by your house to drop off your bill. Come on, Nicole. We need to check that design you made for
the new funeral home.”
“Bye guys,” Nicole said, lowering her head while tucking some errant strands of hair behind.
her ear.
Once the door closed, Cristos looked at me with a warning look. I shrugged my shoulders and walked
over to the wall near the disy area and pulled out the PVC sliding wall panel to block everyone’s
view from the outside.
2/5
11:41 Thu, Mar 28
CHAPTER 84 Secret Wall
“Maybe I should put bells on the door, so I know when it opens… Just like the pub,” I said. Cristos
grimaced. It wasn’t something fashionable to install.
“Or you
could install a door chime just like Dom’s. Dom can install it for you,” Cristos said, before locking the
door and pulling the sliding wall panel all the way before locking it.
I pulled out Big Man Lou’s trusty device and began scanning while Cristos sat down on the couch at the
side of the store. Luckily, Noah and Nicole didn’t install anymore listening devices nor spy cameras. I
completed a quick sweep in minutes, including my storage closet, office, fitting rooms and restroom.
“Clean, I announced, cing the gizmo back in my bag. “Sorry about that. They were staring at that
wall. For a second, I thought they figured out our secret wall panel.”
“What did you overhear this time?” Cristos asked while he clicked away on his phone.
“Lover’s quarrel. Nicole said she saw a woman with ck haire by Noah’s office the other night,” I
said. “She sounded jealous and skeptical.”
“ck hair? There’s only one woman thates to mind when I hear ck hair,” Cristos
said.
Suddenly, the wall panel opened and in came Xavier from his warehouse, carrying a huge box. After he
was safely in the store, the wall quickly closed behind him. “Chip, some help please.”
“I’m wearing Armani,” Cristos said, not wanting to get his ck suit dirty.
“Then get dressed into jeans and a shirt,” Xavier said, cing the huge box on the floor. “There are
clothes in the office. So, what are you guys talking about?”
“Nicole saw a woman with ck haire by Noah’s office the other night,” I answer taking off my
heels and putting on slippers. I walked over to Cristos and sat beside hi
“Sarah Hughes and Noah?” Xavier said, shocked. “I actually thought Sarah Hughes was
lesbian.”
“Well, she isn’t. She’s in love with Noah,” I said. “It was written all over her face when I her here, right in
the middle of my shop, while she was sizing me up.”
“Virtue, every warm-blooded female in this town thinks you’repetition,” Xavier said. doesn’t matter
if they’re as young as Ma or as old as Norma Martin.” He suddenly kicke
CHAPTER 84 Secret Wall
Cristos on the leg. “Chip, get you a ss up and change! There are more boxes out in the back. and Dom
doesn’t get here ’tilter. After he takes Ma home, he’s meeting up with De Luca gas station.” When
Cristos didn’t budge, Xavier kicked him on the leg again. “Chip!”
at the
“Hold on!” Cristos yelled back, still reading something on his phone. “It says here in an email that the
McDowell residence will soon be on sale. I hacked into Linda Jacobs’ ount and the email was sent
by Pete this morning before the funeral.”
“I’ll have Link buy the house and put up a practice here. It’ll get us eyes in that exclusive residential
area, Xavier said. “When does Big Man Lou move into Hillcrest?”
“This Friday,” Cristos answered, still swiping away on his phone. “He’s bringing in Dina to pose as his
nosy wife.” Dina was another one of Cristos’ prized hackers. She hacked into the electric grid in
Oregon two years ago when Xavier needed to pull one of our own out from police custody.
“Yes! Dina ising,” Xavier said enthusiastically. Whenever he needed assistance and Cristos wasn’t
avable, she was his second choice. “Tell her once she gets into town toe to the grocery store. If
Liam and Pete are going to push through with their deal, I want the lights out when I start shooting.”
Cristos’ phone kept pinging as he clicked and swiped. After news of Leo and Benny’s
abduction spread throughout the members of the organization, everyone wanted in for some payback.
“I have some good news,” Cristos said, smiling as he read his phone. “Veronica Ortiz has epted
Joy’s payment and
our terms. We’re free to kill Pete McDowell without
epts u
any interference from the Angels of Darkness.”
Xavierughed and kissed me on my forehead. I looked at the both of them puzzled. “Joy’s payment?”
I asked.
“You, my dear, just paid the Godfather of the Angels of Darkness, Veronica Ortiz, two mi dors to kill
Pete McDowell. Her go signal means this is a sanctioned hit,” Xavier said. doesn’t matter where Pete is
or where he hides. You can walk up to him sitting on a beac pull out a gun and shoot him in the head.
The Angels of Darkness won’t care.”
That was good news.
“But we have to move fast. If Pete finds out there’s a sanctioned hit on him, he’ll hide and undergo
drastic measures to change his appearance,” Cristos said, cing his phone in his pocket and standing
up. “Let’s pray he wants you so bad, he’lle back to
CHAPTER 84 Secret Wall
were you, keep a weapon with you at all times. You did bring the small gun Bo gifted you, right?”
“Yep. I brought my NAA short. It’s in my purse,” I replied, standing up too. “I’m going to change. I’ll see
you guys back here in five.”
After removing my ck dress, I dressed into denim shorts and a regr T-shirt. When I came out of
my office, I found Cristos wearing ripped jeans and a ratty old shirt, sea ted. casually on the sofa,
clicking away on aptop.
Xavier, on the other hand, looked pi ssed as he walked up and down my boutique. He was on his
phone, hissing at whoever he was talking to.
“What the f uck do you mean it wasn’t him?!”
I walked over to Cristos, nudged him and pointed at Xavier. He had a grim expression on his
face.
“Sam lost Pete. Virtue, I think you have to stay here for the night.”
Chapter Comments
16
POST COMMENT NOW