Free Claimed by Three by Rebecca Airies Page A

the group gathered around her. She tried to keep her tone light, even though her throat felt tight.
    “Actually, yes,” Berenger said. “There were two incidents at my shop where I needed a cleanup company. We’ll call them when the officer tells us he’s releasing the scene.”
    She waited with them until the officers and techs were finished. Officer McCord once again walked over to them. She hoped they could start cleaning this today. She didn’t want to leave that mess on her home any longer than necessary.
    “We’ve documented the scene and gathered samples. They’ll be analyzed. We’ll be doing a few more interviews of your neighbors to see if anyone saw anything. Unless we find a witness, it will be difficult to track down who did this.” Officer McCord gave them a nod. “You can start cleaning this up. I know of several services that would do it, if you need recommendations.”
    “I know of a cleaning service.” Berenger stepped forward, blocking her view of the officer.
    “We’ll contact you if we learn anything,” Officer McCord stated before he walked out of the yard. He and another officer stayed. They began walking over to her neighbors.
    She’d seen his expression and had been around her brother enough to know this case would probably languish unsolved because of lack of witnesses and evidence. It wasn’t exactly a high-priority situation. Yes, the amount of damage done was significant, but with no bodily injury or obvious threat of future injury, other cases took precedence.
    “I’ll call the company to come start cleaning this mess.” Berenger walked over to the skimmer, where she assumed he would use the holo-comm unit there.
    If he’d given her a moment, she’d have let him in the house to use her holo-comm. Her gaze followed him until he slid into the skimmer. She continued to stare after him, but her attention turned when her brother stepped up to give her a hug.
    “Paine and I are leaving now, but if you need anything or there’s more trouble, call me. I know Teague, Kassius, and Berenger will take care of you.” Cooper stepped back and smiled.
    “You know I could handle this myself. I’m not in any danger here. I’m not convinced this paint is intended for me, but even if it is, this prank is juvenile and harmless.” She frowned at her brother. There was no reason for anyone to guard her.
    Paine gave her a hug. “Cut your brother some slack. We can’t be sure if it is a mistake, and regardless of that, he’ll be extra vigilant because of the recent threats against him. The man behind them is in a cell, but the memories are still fresh.”
    Paine had a point, and she hadn’t thought of it that way. She gave a small nod. She could be patient with Cooper, but six months from today, she wouldn’t be so tolerant. Her brother and his partner walked to their skimmer and were gone a short while later.
    “Since Officer McCord is done and your brother is gone, we can talk.” Kassius clasped her arm and turned her to face him.
    “Seriously, there’s all of this to take care of, and I don’t know if the cleaner Berenger knows is available to help.” She flung her arm out to indicate the walkway and her house. “And how do you know Officer McCord?”
    It was possible the cleaners wouldn’t be able to clean the paint today. If they couldn’t find someone to do it, she’d have to try to get it off herself.
    “If they don’t, we’ll find another service to do it,” Kassius said, as if it would be easy to find someone available on short notice. “As for Nate, I’ve met him before. Once at a club, and the other time he was looking for someone and came to the orchard.”
    Berenger walked back to them from their skimmer. “The cleaners will be here shortly. They’ll look at the damage, test it to see what they need to do, and give an estimate of price and how long it will take to clean the damaged area.”
    Hearing that, she heaved a sigh of relief. She’d find the money