Chapter Nineteen

Drake

"Do you think Jasmine suspects what we're up to?" Naga asked, a broad smile creasing his face. My friend had not looked this happy and relaxed in all the years I'd known him. "I really want to surprise her."

I found parking right in front of our destination. "Not at all. In fact, she looked pretty upset when we wouldn't tell her where we were going."

"Oh no." His smile disappeared. "I didn't want that."

"Just think about how happy she's going to be when she sees what we've been up to." I held the door of the florist/candy store open and followed Naga inside. "Has she said what kind of flowers she likes?"

"Not that I heard, so we'll have to get the florist, what was his name?"

"Peter."

"Right, we'll ask Peter to make something special for us." The front of the shop, the flower section was run by Peter, the candy store in the back by his wife who made everything right there in front of the customers. Like most of the places in town, they also had a thriving online business, but those who ordered on their website missed out on the incredible scents of both the flowers and the chocolate.

"Did I hear my name?" Peter, a deer shifter, appeared from the back, a heap of assorted blossoms in his arms. "Oh, Naga and Drake, right? Jasmine said you guys have lived here for three years. Funny how we never met before."

"Yeah." Memories of how our mate had greeted and gotten to know everyone so quickly then mentioned supporting local businesses rose in my mind. "But we plan to change that. In fact, we're here to buy some gifts for our girl."

"See? I knew she was your mate. Mildred, come up here and help me put together presents for Jasmine. Didn't she say she likes the flower she's named after?"

I never even thought of the fact she was named after a flower. I just thought her name was pretty, and so was she…what a dolt.

"Yes, and she pointed out a few others. Here, let me grab them and then you can make an arrangement." She laid out her selections on the counter and faced us. "Did you also want candy?"

"I don't suppose you know what she prefers?" Naga asked dryly. We'd been right here—how had we not heard all the things she said? Were we so hung up on shame for our own neglect to meet our neighbors we just didn't listen?

"I do in fact. Two pounds enough?" Mildred didn't wait for our answer, just headed for the back, humming under her breath.

"We need to become better listeners if we're going to have a mate," Naga muttered.

"My thought exactly."

After we paid, we waited for the deer couple to package our presents for our mate. A storm raged outside, but they were quick to come and go in this area, and Jasmine was safe at home. The shopkeepers were taking a long time, and finally my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out just as Naga did the same.

He went pale. "We have to go."

"Now?" Peter was tying a ribbon around the bouquet.

"Yes, it's an emergency."

"Wait. Mildred? Are you about done?"

She bustled in with a box big enough to hold five pounds rather than the two we paid for. "Here you go. Anything wrong?"

"We're needed at home. Thank you for everything." I grabbed the flowers, Naga the candy, and we raced out the door to find the streets wet and covered with leaves. Hail caught the returning sunlight, sparkling like diamonds in the planters lining the sidewalk. "Whoa, it got bad, didn't it?"

"Yes, and I'm thinking that might have been the issue with the alarm," he said, jumping into the car as I ran around to the driver's side and we deposited the flowers and candy in the back seat. "It happened before."

"The generator should have kicked in. Do you think Jasmine is scared?"

"I'll call her." Naga still held his phone somehow and hit speed dial. The dash picked it up and we both listened to the phone ring and ring and finally go to voice mail. Not good. While I didn't think anyone who had anything against us or our clients knew where we were, there was always a chance, which was why we had everything so locked up. "She's not answering."

Hell. I knew that, could hear it as well as he could…but it didn't make me any less anxious. The short drive home, taken at a speed well above the illegal limit, seemed to take forever, and we pulled into the driveway to see the generator on the side looking perfectly fine from this distance. But we didn't have time to check it out, instead parking and running for the front door. Our policy of never parking in the driveway went out the window in an emergency.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I used the app on my phone to unlock the door, but it worked perfectly. "Power is back on." I ran inside. "Jasmine? Are you here?" Racing from room to room, upstairs and down, we searched for her, but then my steps faltered in the hallway outside the kitchen. The keypad blinked red. "Naga. I think…I can't be right but…"

He skidded to a halt at my side. "But either it was just the new security blown by the storm, or someone has been in our office."

"Jasmine?"

"How could she? Why would she?"

"Maybe she doesn't trust us any more than we trust her." I twisted the doorknob, which opened easily. "It's not locked," I said unnecessarily.

"Be careful. You don't know it's her down there," Naga pointed out, but neither of us was ever unarmed.

Withdrawing my concealed carry weapon from its calf holster, I waited for Naga to do the same then entered the basement. It was lit up like a Christmas tree, everything flashing and voices speaking from various parts of the system in multiple languages. What the hell happened here? Red lights flashing, alarms shrieking. Bad news.

But that wasn't as important as finding our mate. If she was down here, we'd do damage control. Anything, as long as she was unharmed.

"Jasmine?" I called. "Mate, are you here?"

"Over here," she replied in a weak voice. "Behind all the broken stuff."