Chapter Fourteen

Bond Street, elegant with its high-end boutiques, lay shrouded in an eerie stillness as Juliette and Catamount approached her shop later that evening. The street lamps flickered, casting elongated shadows on the cobblestone streets. Her heart raced, a sense of foreboding gripping her as she neared her establishment.

The door to the shop hung ajar. Catamount tensed beside her, his instincts as a seasoned detective clearly on high alert. The scent of something unfamiliar hung in the air, an unsettling perfume that assaulted their senses. Upon crossing the threshold, the disarray inside became painfully apparent. Fabrics were strewn across the floor, dress forms toppled over like fallen soldiers, and shattered glass from broken display cases sparkled in the dim light. It was a terrible scene, a violation of the sanctuary Juliette had painstakingly created.

Her breath hitched as she surveyed the wreckage. " Mon Dieu , what happened here?" she whispered, her voice tinged with disbelief and sorrow.

Catamount scanned the scene, his jaw tightening. "Looks like someone was searching for something. Deliberately tearing the place apart."

Her fingers fluttered to her chest as she clutched the pendant around her neck. "What could they be searching for?" Her gaze met Catamount's, eyes wide with desperation.

He crouched to inspect the damage, running a gloved hand over the fabric strewn across the floor. "They weren't just searching for any trinket, Juliette. This was a targeted act. I'm certain it's connected to the Revivalists."

The weight of his words settled heavily on her shoulders. "But why? What could they want here? With me?"

Catamount rose to his full height, seriousness etched into his features. "You tell me."

She saw the fury brewing within Catamount like a tempest as he surveyed the wreckage of her shop. His hands clenched into fists with a rage that clearly simmered just beneath the surface. Her violated space, the destruction wrought upon her carefully curated store, ignited a fire within him. "Damn them," he muttered through gritted teeth, scanning the disarray with an intensity that could pierce through steel. The Bow Street Runner in him took in the scene, noted everything. She watched him work, amazed.

Observing the controlled fury in Catamount's eyes, Juliette was reassured. His protective instincts, though fierce, were a source of solace in the face of the unknown threat. She stepped closer to him. "We'll find who did this," she whispered, her voice steady despite the shakiness within.

His gaze shifted to hers, a storm of emotions in the piercing green. His curses resonated through the space as he looked around. Drawers were pulled open, belongings scattered, and the air was tinged with the acrid scent of pipe smoke.

"They were looking for something, Juliette," Catamount growled, the veins in his neck pulsing with anger. "This wasn't just a random act. What are you hiding? What is it that you haven't been telling me this whole bloody time?"

"Nothing," she mumbled, mostly believing it. She gripped the edge of a nearby table to steady herself. "I'm not hiding anything, and I've done nothing to warrant their attention."

"Oh, you're hiding something, all right," Catamount scoffed, his frustration palpable. "A whole damned lot of something. Christ, I wish you'd trust me."

Juliette's conscience pricked at his words, her eyes narrowing as she observed the wreckage around them. What were they searching for? What did they want from her? She moved toward her office in the back, taking it all in. "They left me nothing unharmed."

"We need to figure out what they were after," Catamount said, his determination burning bright in his eyes.

"Catamount?" she said as she entered her office and came to an abrupt stop.

"What is it?"

"I-I think it's a message from the Revivalists."

"Shite," he growled, and was beside her in an instant. She pointed to the ominous message scrawled on her wall.

Give it to us.

The ink, a dark proclamation of danger, pulsed with a malevolent energy.

Catamount cursed under his breath. "They're sending a message, Juliette," he gritted out. "This is personal."

Her heart thumped painfully fast. The room was suffocating as the weight of the threat hung in the air. "Catamount, why are they doing this to me?" Her voice quivered.

"They want something you have, or they believe you know something crucial," he replied. "We need to find out what it is before they come back." His eyes never wavered from the message on the wall, his mind clearly calculating the next move as he paced the room, his agitation palpable. "Dammit, Juliette! This is a direct threat, a blatant escalation. They've crossed a line."

She stood by the damaged furniture. "I don't have anything they could want. And I won't be a pawn in their game, Catamount."

His gaze suddenly softened, the intensity of his protective rage giving way to a more tender concern. "I don't want you to get hurt. I can't lose you again."

The way he said again … She almost believed it.

"We need answers," he continued. "The Revivalists won't stop until they get what they want. And I won't rest until they're brought to justice."

He pulled her close, his lips crashing against hers in a fierce, demanding kiss. Juliette felt a swirl of arousal, the heat of his lips both comforting and electrifying. But no sooner had she thrown her hands around his neck for anchorage, he broke apart from her, breathless. "I won't let them hurt you. Not again," he declared.

Then he pushed away and paced the ransacked flat like a caged tiger, his frustration manifesting in a low growl. "Grab your essentials. You're staying with me," he ordered her, his voice brooking no argument.

She blinked in astonishment, caught off guard by the unexpected plan. "I appreciate your concern, but I can't just abandon my shop—"

He cut her off with a sharp gesture. "This is about your safety, Juliette. The Revivalists won't hesitate to target you again. I won't allow it." As she stood there, grappling with a sudden whirlwind of emotions, he stepped closer. "You don't have a choice in this. Pack what you need. We're leaving."

The authority in his voice resonated, and despite the mess surrounding them, there was an odd sense of security in his command. Juliette hesitated for a moment before nodding, her own resolve firming. "Only if you cook for me."

"Every damn day for the rest of your life. Done." He didn't even blink.

Him? Cook for her? Every single day . And he agreed without hesitation?

Wow. Simply wow.

She looked up at him through her lashes. "You would do that for me?"

He kissed her. Hard and fervent and so deep she felt him clear to her soul as she clung to him.

Juliette whispered against his lips, "Fine. Your place it is."

"Good." anchorage

"But we take my kitten."