A waitress crossed in front of him with a large tray in her hands and before he could catch up with the thief, the man had disappeared out the front door.Aiden stumbled around the woman without bumping into her and by the time he rushed out of the exit, all he saw was a black SUV peeling out of the parking lot.
“Shit!”he shouted.
“Aiden?What’s wrong?”Brooke asked, rushing out the front of the diner as she asked.
He hadn’t gotten a good look at the man, and the license plate on the SUV had been covered.Once again, no proof.No evidence.Despite it all, he couldn’t let this go.
He glanced at Brooke.“We need to call the police.Someone stole my briefcase.”
Her eyes opened wide.“What?”
He nodded.
She slipped her hand into his and waited as he made the call.
Twenty minutes later, he and Brooke were crammed into the small space of the manager’s office, a police officer holding up a far wall.The diner manager had pulled the security footage and they watched it on the computer.The camera didn’t show Aiden’s table but it had picked up a man in a black shirt, hat pulled down low on his forehead, walking in that direction just before Aiden’s briefcase, with his laptop inside, was taken.
“He has to be the one who stole it,” Aiden muttered.
“Any outside cameras?”the police officer asked.
The manager shook his head.“No, sorry.”He shoved his hands into his pockets.“Can I get back out there?We have a big lunch crowd.”
The officer nodded and the man left, leaving the three of them alone in the office.
“Mr.Sterling, I’m afraid we’re not going to get much information from this.”He shut the computer.“If you want to come down to the station, we can fill out a report, but I’m not hopeful anything will come of it.”
Despite his anger and frustration, Aiden agreed.“Never mind.Thanks for coming.”
The man inclined his head.“Part of the job.I’m just sorry I couldn’t help.”
Beside him, Brooke sighed.“So frustrating!”
He squeezed her hand in silent appreciation.
Aiden might not know much, but he was sure this was tied to the article.No doubt he was being followed, and the black SUV had to be the one that almost ran him down in the parking lot.They were looking for the article.But what the people behind this didn’t know was that his work laptop, which was in the stolen briefcase, wasn’t the same as his personal one.That was locked in his father’s safe in the house.The only other copy of the article was with John and the paper.He was too paranoid to back it up on the cloud.
Still, this move felt desperate, and that worried him.Desperation could lead people to do dangerous things.
Aiden put an arm around Brooke, holding her close, and reminded himself it wasn’t much longer.The article would be published in a few days.The optimist in him hoped all of this would be over but he was aware of the potential for revenge.At some point, he might need an alternative plan.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Afew daysafter the incident at the diner, Brooke, Aiden, Alex, and her mom were sitting at the dining room table at Aiden’s father’s house.Alex sat at the head with Brooke’s mom to his right.Aiden and Brooke were across from her.
“I’ve got to tell you, Lizzie,” Aiden said, spearing a piece of asparagus on his fork, “I missed your cooking while I was gone.”
Brooke’s mom laughed.“You always were a charmer, Aiden Sterling.”
Aiden’s eyes flickered over to Brooke, and he smirked, probably because she’d called him the same thing the other day.She rolled her eyes but couldn’t fight off her own smile.
“What do you think of the food, Dad?”Aiden asked with the slightest hint of teasing in his voice.
Alex picked at his meal, his brow furrowed as he stared down at his plate, as if the lean chicken and grilled vegetables had personally offended him.
At Aiden’s question, he looked up and gave Lizzie an obviously fake smile.“It’s great, Lizzie, as always.”
Brooke stuffed a bite of skinless chicken breast into her mouth and stifled the urge to giggle.Her mom really was a great cook, but before his second heart attack and dietary restrictions, he loved unhealthy food.His favorite food was bacon, which probably had a lot to do with his clogged arteries.
