Page 23 of An Alpha's Romance

CHAPTER 13

KEISHA

“I can’t believe after everything I’ve been through that I have this problem.” Keisha sighed into the phone as she paced back and forth in her kitchen.

“Keish, maybe it wasn’t him,” Bell said unconvincingly. Keisha could hear in her sister’s voice that she didn’t believe her own words.

Keisha bit her lip and shook her head even though her sister couldn’t see her. “I’m positive it was him,” she replied anxiously.

“Are you sure? I mean…” Bell trailed off, and Keisha knew she was at a loss for words.

“I thought I saw Dylan, so I ducked into a restaurant, and there he was… holding hands with some blonde bimbo.”

Bell sighed. “Maybe… You know what? I don’t even know what to say, sis.”

“I felt a connection with him. I thought we both did… but maybe he didn’t feel the same,” Keisha replied sadly.

Keisha hadn’t told anyone that she and Conner had slept together. It wasn’t like she was keeping it a secret; she just wanted a piece of him to herself. The connection they had when they made love was very real.At least it was real to me.

“Oh, honey. It will be okay. I’m sure if you felt something, he felt it too. I mean, hell, I felt the heat coming from you two in the gym that day. If you feel that strongly about him, maybe you should just call him and ask. At this point, both of ya’ll are too old for the guessing games.”

Keisha thought about her sister’s words, and Bell was absolutely right. Keisha was too old for games, and calling him would be the adult thing to do, but she was having a case of the nerves. Conner didn’t seem like the type of man that got the cookie and moved on, but Keisha was not a delusional woman. It had definitely been Conner in that restaurant.

“I think I will meet him. If I call, I won’t be able to see his face when I ask him what’s going on.”

“That’s a good idea, and if he lies, we are all going to ride on his big ass,” Bell replied, and Keisha knew she was serious.

“There’s no need for violence, dear sister.” Keisha chuckled. Ever since they were little, her sister was always quick to act first and ask questions later.

“You know I can’t let anyone hurt my baby sister. Ask Dylan,” Bell stated nonchalantly, and Keisha was reminded of how overprotective her sister really was.

When Keisha had cried to Bell about Dylan’s infidelity, Bell was not happy. And when she ran into him at a club, she showed him just how unhappy she was with his behavior. Although she didn’t lay a hand on Dylan, Bell’s words had cut him deep.

“I appreciate you looking out for me. But Conner is no Dylan,” Keisha said with a confidence she didn’t feel.

I sure hope he isn’t like my cheating scum of an ex.

****

Keisha didn’t get a chance to talk to Conner because as soon as she got off the phone with her sister, the alarm company for the bakery called. When she got there, April, Bell, Tracy, and Sabrina were waiting for her.

The front part of the bakery was in shambles. Two of the front windows were smashed in, and there was glass everywhere. When the police finally let her into the shop, Keisha could only burst into tears.

“Oh, sweetie. It will be okay.” Tracy rubbed her back consolingly.

“We’ll have this place cleaned up in no time.” Sabrina smiled compassionately.

Her friends gathered around Keisha, lending her their strength, and she would be forever grateful for that. She took a deep breath, wiped her tears, and mustered up her composure. Keisha still had to speak to the officers about the details of the break-in.

Once she introduced herself to the officer in charge, he asked her if she had a camera in the store. Keisha headed to her office to log into her computer to pull up the camera feed, and she noticed that the damage had been contained to the front of the bakery. The vandals didn’t have enough time to trash the entire space because of the bakery’s prominent location, which was a couple of blocks over from the police station, and because of the silent alarm system.

The officer followed her into the office and waited while she logged in. Once she got the video feed queued up, both she and the officer watched with bated breath.

What she watched was unbelievable. A man wearing a hoodie and a scarf wrapped around his face started beating on the front door. It seemed to agitate the man that the door was locked. He pulled and tugged on it violently as if that would make it magically unlock. Then he pulled a hammer out of his coat pocket, and smashed in the glass of the front door.

“Oh my God! Why does he have a hammer?” Keisha gasped as she leaned closer to the screen of her computer.

The officer shook his head, then jotted something down on his notepad. They continued to watch as the man destroyed any and everything he could get his hands and hammer on. He turned over tables and chairs, and smashed in the display case. He must’ve heard the sirens because he threw the hammer through the large glass window, picked it up off the ground, and ran away.