Chapter 1 - The Echo of a Laugh
Chloe’s laugh was high, nasal, and dripping with unearned entitlement. She tossed her blonde hair over her shoulder, looking at me as if I were a confused nursing home patient who had wandered into her private club.
"Oh, please," Chloe giggled, sipping from her own glass of wine. "You’re going to kick us out? Julian pays the mortgage on this place. You’re just a retired pencil-pusher with a bad knee. Go home before you break a hip."
Julian chuckled, emboldened by his sister’s cruelty. He took a step toward me, his chest puffed out, the scent of expensive scotch and cheap arrogance rolling off him. "You heard her. Get out of my house, or I’ll have you arrested for breaking and entering."
I didn’t flinch. I kept one arm firmly wrapped around Maya’s trembling shoulders, shielding her from the biting draft coming through the shattered doorframe.
"You don't pay the mortgage, Julian," I said, my voice perfectly level. "There is no mortgage. I bought this property in cash three years ago. It’s held in a blind trust. The sole beneficiary is Maya. You are a guest. A guest who just assaulted the owner."
Julian’s smug grin faltered for a fraction of a second, but his mother, Eleanor, scoffed loudly. "Bluffing. The old man is bluffing. Julian, throw him out."
Julian lunged forward, grabbing the collar of my coat. "I said get out—"
He didn't finish the sentence. Through the open doorway, cutting through the howling sleet and wind, came the unmistakable, piercing wail of police sirens. Not just one. Three. And they were turning down the private drive of the estate.
May you like
I looked Julian dead in the eye as the red and blue lights began to strobe against the living room walls. "The dispatcher heard every word you said on the porch, Julian. Including the part where you bragged about punishing her."
Julian’s face drained of color. He let go of my coat as if it had suddenly caught fire. The jazz music playing in the background was drowned out by the screeching of tires on gravel.
