The Penalty Box (Vancouver Wolves Hockey #3)(71)

Her hand flew to her mouth, but she didn’t speak. At least not with her words. Her eyes were a mixture of shock, hope, and disbelief.

I was so shit at this. “No promises. Let’s wait and see how it goes.”

That might have been the most unromantic gesture I’d ever made in my life. I couldn’t understand why she was still hanging in here with me, when I was so bad at everything meaningful.

A tremulous smile lit up her face. “I’d be open to that too.”

A hot, tight band around my chest loosened considerably at her words. “Okay.”

I watched as she moved to the mirror and started to prepare for her day. Her shaking fingers told me she wasn’t as nonchalant as she pretended to be.

“I meant what I said about having kids. That’s not who I am, Charlie. I’ll never change my mind. So, if you go forward with me on this, you need to know that’s non-negotiable.”

Her eyes met mine in the mirror. “I’m okay with not having kids.”

Honestly, I didn’t deserve this woman. I moved to stand behind her and I wrapped my arms around her waist and tugged her against me. My lips traced down her arching neck. “You’re really okay with this?”

In the mirror, I could see her eyes drift shut and a small smile played on her lips. “Yeah. I am.”

“Then we should figure out some birth control.”

“Do you want me to go on the pill?”

Hell yes. I worked to remain casual. “Yeah, if you’re okay with that.”

Someone knocked on the bedroom door.

“Mica?” It was Jasper calling through the door. “I think you need to see this.”





*



Three minutes later, the five of us gathered around my Porsche.

“I can’t even look.” Mark cuddled Sasha to his chest. “It hurts me.”

Someone had slashed all four of the tires. They had also keyed the entire length of the car and dumped paint over the roof. Dark red paint splashed the entire car, dripped onto the driveway, and dried in dark pools that reminded me of congealed blood.

“I’m calling the police,” Charlie said, stepping back into the house. I let her. For the sake of my insurance, I would need a police report.

“Who’s the asshole?” my mom spoke in Russian.

“Charlie owed someone a lot of money. She inherited her brother’s gang debt.”

She spit over her shoulder. “You should call Andrusha, not the police.”

“Andrusha is on this,” I informed her. “He told me he had this handled.”

“Well, he needs to know it isn’t handled. You should call him again.”





*



I groaned when I opened the door to see none other than Detective Wallace standing beside two officers.

He looked me over. “Rough night?”

I worked to remain civil. I only needed my damn police report so I could call my insurance company. “We called to report some property damage.”

“I see someone took out some aggression on your car.”

I moved outside, firmly shutting the door behind me, not wanting them anywhere near my home. “Yup.”

“Any idea when this happened?”

“Our last guest left around two in the morning. My car was intact at that point. When we woke up this morning, this is the state it was in.”

I watched as one officer took photos of the car from various angles. My mom came outside and stood off to the side to listen.

“I see,” Detective Wallace hummed. “You didn’t do this yourself?”

I frowned. “Why the fuck would I do this to my car?”

He shrugged. “Insurance claims. Maybe you are having some money troubles.”

“I didn’t do this to my car.”

“What about enemies? Maybe some of your gang-related activities has made you a target.”

My mom spoke in Russian. “What kind of idiot is this man?”

I responded in Russian back. “He thinks I’m breaking the law. He’s the one who had my house searched.”

“Then tell this pig to get off your driveway.”

Detective Wallace looked between us. “Speak English, please.”

“My mother doesn’t speak English. She only speaks Russian. She is afraid, and she wants to know when you will arrest the person who did this.”

Detective Wallace nodded. “Tell her we will have Vancouver’s finest working to find the perpetrator and we will do everything possible to keep the streets safe.”

I said to my mom, in Russian, “He’s taken a special interest in Andrusha. He’s like a dog with a bone.”

She responded, “He’s a fat fool.”

I looked at the detective, who stood waiting with a self-satisfied smile on his face. “She’s grateful for everything you are doing for us.”

He nodded in satisfaction. “We will give you a report number and it will be ready to download for insurance within twenty-four hours.”





Chapter 23





CHARLIE





Mica came back into the house and seemed indifferent to the fact that someone had caused thousands of dollars of damage to his car. I watched him carefully as he got breakfast ready with Mark, but he seemed lighthearted as he joked around.