Page 107 of Accidental Blind Date

“What about Libby?” he asks and it’s like a knife to the heart. “What about her?”

“Does she know?” he asks like the question is obviously.

I shove back my initial panic over the question and do my best to act normal, despite my entire life being engulfed in flames right now. “No. Not unless you told her.”

“The cops couldn’t get ahold of her, and neither can I. I swear to God she’d go to war for her precious bookshop and here we are in a crisis and she’s nowhere to be found. She’s probably outwith that friend of hers who’s always trying to get away from mom life.”

“She’s not out with her friend!” I snap, then swallow my words. Fuck.

“So, you’ve talked to her?”

“No. I mean yes. She’s sick. She’s probably asleep. Let’s just take care of it. We owe her that much,” I say.

“I mean I don’t feel like I personally owe her anything. But I supposed it’ll be less dramatic if we leave her out of it.”

I want to strangle him through the phone. In all the time I’ve known Kai, I knew he had a sister. A sister that he didn’t really get along with. But to be honest, I don’t know a lot of people that get along with Kai. I’ve only stuck around because he’s good at business and in times I’ve needed him, he shows up. He’s loyal in his own way.

“Listen. Like I said, I’m on my way. Pull the security footage and see what you can find,” I tell him.

“I will. Though it might take a minute. That camera hasn’t been updated since 2001. It’s the same from when our parents owned the shop. I’m going to have to fast forward through weeks’ worth of shit to get to today, but I got you, brother.”

“Thanks,” I say before ending the call. Like I said, there when I need him. Even if it means playing with a VCR to find the people who smashed into our shop.Libby’s shop.

I don’t even want her to know about it. If she finds out that her store has been broken into, her heart will break twice in one day and that I simply can’t allow. I park directly out front and sure enough, the window is gone, glass everywhere and caution tape.

“Where are the cops?” I ask as soon as I march up. I don’t even have to wait until I’m inside for Kai, who is standing with his back to me, to hear. That’s how bad the window is.

“Left,” Kai’s tone is flat.

“So, you got the footage?” I ask, stepping around the glass. “Jesus this is a mess. It’s going to put us out for at least two days. Libby is going to be devastated.”

“I bet you’d know a lot about how she’s going to feel don’t you?” he says, back still to me.

“What are you talking about? Kai, I know you two don’t exactly see eye to eye but–”

The next thing I know, Kai is spinning around and with the force of his entire body, he smashes his fist into my face. We box in the gym sometimes, and even though I have ten years on him, I can usually knock him on his ass. But right now, without gloves and no idea that it’s coming, I don’t stand a chance, and the hit takes me to the floor. The all natural, hard wood floor.

“What the fuck? What was that for?” I groan, the taste of warm blood filling my mouth.

But Kai is just standing over me. “I watched the footage. And I was right. I did have to fast forward through a lot.”

As my head spins in wobbly, painful circles, I am struggling to get my bearings. “I don’t see what that has to do with–” Then I stop.

Weeks’ worth of footage.

Footage of the shop.

Footage of everything happening in the shop.

Before…and after…hours.

Fuck.

“What did you see?” I ask, spitting blood onto the floor and wiping my mouth with the back of my wrist.

“Enough. The pause button doesn’t work great, so I just ripped the whole cord out.”

“Great. So, you broke it. Now how are we going to press charges?” I ask.